2013-10-24 47 11

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The Three Drowned Rats (TDR) and Waltraud.

Location

Natters near Innsbruck, Sonnenburg-Brennerstraße.

Participants

Plans

Too close not to go. Probably we bike there in the afternoon on a slightly extended tour via Kematen, Axams, Götzens and Natters. This is a very nice short tour we have done countless times, this time with the added bonus of a hashpoint on the way.

Change of plans, this is going to be a drowned rat midnight geohash! Starting in 20 minutes. --LeslieHapablap (talk) 16:37, 23 October 2013 (EDT)

Expedition

It's going to get serious!

It was clear since hash-o-clock today that this point had to be visited. So close to Innsbruck, not going there would have been rude. It was 1-0's idea to make it a midnight geohash, and it was also 1-0 who texted 15 minutes before meeting time: "Really, in that rain?"

Indeed in the evening it had started to rain. Not that light gentle drizzling rain where you ask yourself if it's worth the trouble to open an umbrella. No, we are talking heavy-splashing-the-kind-where-little-creeks-form-on-streets rain, with potential for aquaplaning and where you are soaked a few minutes after leaving the house. At least we knew what we were up to and could prepare accordingly. We got into our rain gear, EleanorAbernathy even put on some rubber boots, stored Waltraud in a waterproof backpack and we took off towards the gas station were we waited for 1-0 to join our party. He arrived shortly after us, of course on his unicycle as usual. And so it came that Three Drowned Rats (TDR) made their way through night and rain, while Waltraud being lazy, cozy and dry in the backpack.

1-0 at the meeting point.

By then it was only half an hour until midnight, and the TDR went for the last few kilometers to the hashpoint, which led uphill towards Natters. Finding the point was not too difficult, it was a few meters away from a small street, in the scrub on a quite steep scarp. Somehow it seems we always end up on some steep terrain in this graticule. After waiting a few minutes for midnight to arrive, the TDR went into the scrub bravely, which was quite difficult with the muddy and soaked soil and thick ground vegetation. Additionally, the GPS decided to jump around like mad, sending us back and forth for quite some time. But in the end the TDR had walked all over the place, so we can be pretty sure that we also were at the right point at some time.

The TDR took the usual pictures as far as possible in the dark, all wet and struggling for a safe stand. Even Waltraud could be convinced to make an appearance for the group picture. Afterwards we headed back down the hill to Innsbruck, this time taking a shortcut past the ski-jump at Bergisel. The TDR were looking forward to a nice hot shower at that point of the expedition.