At one of the most treacherous and least restored stretches of China's Great Wall, a line of pack mules halted upon emerging from the gloom of a dense forest draped in mist and dew. Laden with 150 kg (330 pounds) of bricks each, the seven animals finally got moving in response to the coaxing and swearing of their masters, eager to gain altitude before the sun climbed high in the sky. For more than a decade, mules have been crucial in the effort to restore Jiankou, a serpentine 20-km (12-mile) section of the wall about 70 km (44 miles) north of central Beijing that is notorious for its ridges and perilous slopes. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "SAGOLJ GREAT WALL" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: CHINA-GREATWALL/