Every day, a new horizon
By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-11 09:26
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Braving temperatures that range from -22 C to 40 C, a 42-year-old Norwegian has been trekking the 6,000-km Great Wall since last April. Erik Nilsson reports
Scorpions and snakes, searing heat and frigid gusts, and many, many blisters - the experience has been everything Robert Loken dreamed of.
Since April of last year, the 42-year-old Norwegian has been trekking about 20 km a day on his quest to hike the entire Great Wall. Temperatures fluctuate between -22 C and 40 C along the 6,000-km stretch of the bulwark tracing the mountaintops from Gansu province's Jiayuguan to Liaoning province's Dandong.
Living his 21-year dream has meant months of tedious hiking and isolation punctuated with dramatic adventures and touching encounters. The professional photographer has been chronicling his escapades on his blog, thegreatwallker.com.
"It's the experience of walking the Great Wall that fascinates me - not necessarily standing by the Great Wall in Dandong when I'm finished with the 'feat'," he tells China Daily. "I try to savor and remember every day."
Loken is in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. Because of bad weather, he is behind schedule and expects to reach Dandong a year from now.
Loken's most harrowing moment came when a dangerously high fever caused him to almost black out in the snowdrifts in rural Shanxi province when it was -10 C.
"It was a scary experience since I was alone," he says.
"If I had lost consciousness, I would have frozen to death in the snow."
He was able to partially erect his tent before passing out for about two hours, he says.
Another close call came when he nearly ran out of water after three days in the desert wilderness of Ningxia Hui autonomous region. The dehydrated sojourner was saved only because he eventually stumbled on a wind turbine factory, where he could replenish his supply.
In other startling instances, a snake struck his walking stick, three scorpions crawled under his tent and wild dogs chased him, he says.
But Loken spends most of his time monotonously plodding along in silent solitude. He copes with prolonged isolation by thinking of the Wall as his close companion.
"When I have been in a town to stock up on food or relax, I always greet the Great Wall as a friend when I come back," he says.
While usually alone, Loken has enjoyed many moving encounters with the people he has met.
He says he'll never forget an elderly farmer who let him sleep on his kang (traditional bed heated underneath), dry his clothes and thaw out his frozen water and food supplies after he'd hiked more than 23 km through a blizzard in Shanxi. They couldn't talk with each other, because the man only spoke his local dialect.
"But we both laughed a lot and managed to have a memorable evening," recalls Loken, who can speak a bit of Putonghua.
The Norwegian showed the old man photos from his hometown Oslo and of people he'd met along the Wall.
"I think what made it such a special evening was that I was so incredibly tired and his hospitality was so strong," Loken says.
"He was 75 years old, and nobody could have blamed him if he didn't want to greet me as his guest."
Loken says he has continued to be amazed by the warmth of those he meets.
"Sometimes I carry instant noodles with me and stop to ask for boiling water. People are friendly, and once I start eating the noodles, they often offer me more of the food they have."
While these experiences offer him insight into China, he hopes chronicling them on his blog can do the same for others.
"I've received many comments from foreigners saying they have learned more about Chinese people and culture through my photographs," he says. He plans to stage exhibitions after returning home, he adds.
"People in Norway are inquisitive about China, so I hope to give them a taste of my experience."
The pilgrimage has enabled him to see firsthand many widely discussed phenomena, such as large-scale soil erosion, drought and migration.
"I've passed countless deserted villages in rural areas," he says.
"In some places, there are some older people left. I've also met many grandparents caring for grandchildren while their sons and daughters are working in a town."
Loken's Great Wall dream began when he hiked Hadrian's Wall in the UK at age 19. The hostel where he stayed had a poster with a picture of the Great Wall printed with the words, "The other wall".
The image stuck with him for decades. So in 1998, he came to China and hiked the Wall for two months.
About a decade later, he quit his IT consulting job, sold his house and most of his belongings, and booked a flight to China.
His mother, Jean Loken, says: "As the months have slipped by, I can just bow to him in admiration for his strong character in continuing his dream, despite many setbacks."
His father, Tor Loken, also agrees with his decision.
"I have felt concerned about his safety on such a long and arduous trek but am also proud he has ventured to do it," he says.
His trip is also supported by the China Great Wall Society, which gave him advice and a letter of recommendation to help him overcome language barriers.
The organization's vice president Dong Yaohui, who spent 508 days hiking the route in 1984, also offered advice.
"People need to come to the Wall to understand its importance," he says.
"Robert's trip serves as a great example, and we welcome people from around the world to undertake similar treks."
Loken says the adventure has been everything he'd imagined - and more.
"Every day, I see a new horizon, and most days, I get to meet new people," he says.
"To me this is a rich life, and I am happy to be living it now in China."