When we arrived in Xinglong the only things that we could see were a few dilapidated tile-roof houses, some thatched huts, and a few small shops that sold geta (Japanese clogs), firewood, and odd household items. The road was a muddy mess with huge murky puddles filled with rainwater from the day’s torrential downpour. I looked around at the densely forested mountains and was filled with a profound sense of desolation (Wu