Wall offers last look at the sun

For some, getting that "perfect photo" can mean a hard night on the Great Wall in the bitter cold.

The pre-dawn air is freezing but refreshingly clean as we rouse ourselves from our sleeping mats and shake our legs, stiff from a day's climbing and the night's hard stone floor.

But any thoughts of discomfort are forgotten minutes later as the sky changes color from dark blue to light, then orange, and finally a glowing red orb rises over the hills north of Beijing.

In four seasons and any weather, the Great Wall is impressive, but nothing can beat witnessing the sun rise over the Wall on a clear winter day.

When some of my hiking friends visited Beijing recently, the plan was simple - to undertake a good overnight hike on the Great Wall without being besieged by touts and tourists.

We decided on visiting Jiankou and Zhengbeilou, two sections of the Wall that, while technically closed, are accessible.

Initially, our walking party was a little apprehensive of visiting an area "not open to the public", especially when our taxi driver stopped beside a giant blue sign proclaiming just that. However, a nearby ticket booth selling 20-yuan tickets eased our collective conscience.

Jiankou is an impressive part of the Wall, built with light-colored bricks that still manage to stand out against the gray trees threatening to overwhelm it.

For the most part, it's the right balance of challenge and enjoyment. Unfortunately, the Wall on the steep hilltops leading east toward the Zhengbeilou tower is impassable without rock-climbing equipment.

We decided to opt for the safer route and leave the Wall, walking back along the road to a separate path that heads toward Zhengbeilou.

Zhengbeilou tower looks down on the rugged Jiankou section of the Wall to the west and toward Mutianyu in the east, making it a great spot for the amateur photographer. It is this panorama that adorns many postcards and advertisements of the Wall.

The relentlessly-steep climb had us puffing and sweating under packs stuffed with warm clothes for the cold night ahead.

The only other people on that section of the Wall were a couple of local amateur photographers, lugging tripods and digital cameras up the path.

The tower looked deserted when we finally reached it, but waiting inside was a man selling bottles of beer and chocolate bars.

The drinks lit a small fire in our bodies, which was soon essential as the sun descended over hills in the west. The sunset lasted only a few minutes, but there was ample time to catch that perfect shot - white stone glowing red with shadows casting shapes over uneven peaks.

Be aware, winter is not the perfect season to sleep on a stone wall, perched on a mountain. However, since the views are crystal clear and the location deserted, the chill is just about worth suffering.

The next morning's sunrise - even more spectacular than the sunset - brought some respite from the cold. Travelers should note that bed mats, while essential, provide little comfort.

The morning walk took us on a narrow path on the Wall that's almost completely overgrown, over the Ox Horn, a steep and slippery mountainside route, to Mutianyu.

Here, the contrast couldn't be more striking - Mutianyu's dark brick ramparts were already crawling with tourists and touts selling postcards.

There's no denying Mutianyu is a beautiful part of the Wall, but for an untainted experience, make sure to lose the crowds and stay overnight in the wild.