Becoming A True Hero

Adventure travel means so many different things to many different people. To the isolated individual from the U.S. Midwest who has never left their home town, traveling to a different part of the country would suffice for adventure and travel both. To the seasoned adventurer or world traveler, adventure travel means doing something that will make for great stories at a later date.

I would definitely consider myself in the latter group of individuals, but I started in the first group over a decade ago. When it comes to adventure travel, I want to do something that I can brag about later. Honesty is the best policy, right? From my point of view, it is all about good stories and collecting experiences for when I am old and can no longer do such crazy things.

To help pass the time in your old age, allow me to proffer a few interesting adventures for you to notch into your travel belt. Firstly, if you consider adventure to mean strenuous activity that gets you in the Active Zoned area, then you absolutely must become a true hero. Thankfully, the world has an authority to crown heroes among men in the modern age!

Enter, the Great Wall Of China. The wall of legends. We all knew you could see it from space when we were in school (sadly, this isn't true.) What does this have to do with becoming a true hero? Heroes require a great test or strength or athletic ability, after all, a hero is someone who is above the average mortal.

When you arrive at Ba Da Ling to see the Great Wall in all her majesty, you may notice an interesting placard upon the stairs. The quote of Chairman Mao Zedong that reads “A man is not a hero, if he has not conquered the Great Wall.” As you look up the steep wall that climbs Ba Da Ling mountain, you can clearly see station towers every so far where archers may have been placed in ancient times.

Heroes were called upon to defend the wall and guard for invaders. These heroes had to be able to run from tower to tower as defense was needed. Starting from the bottom you can request a card for this journey. Each tower you make it to along the Ba Da Ling route will net you a stamp on your card.

You may stop at any tower and call it quits, but you will not be given the reward mantle certificate of becoming a true hero unless you make it to the top of the mountain, the high tower in that stretch of the wall. Don't be surprised when it takes you all day, and really tests your athleticism and endurance.

If running the same wall that individuals before you have crumbled before on a quest to become a hero of the middle kingdom isn't an adventure for you, then I suggest fox hunting in the forests of South Korea, with a traditional short bow. Of all of my adventurous travels over the years, these two stand out as being, without a doubt, the most demanding of my body but rewarding to my spirit.