2025-02-28 42 -86

Reached!

Location

Riverside Railroad Bridge in Hagar Township, Michigan.

Participants

H. Stickmin Esq

Plans

Riding off of the high of the hash two days prior, I saw this point was not too far from the highway, and upon investigation, saw that it was near a river paddling launch and situated on a railroad bridge over the Paw Paw River. There was one good photo of the bridge online, and it looked fairly accessible, so I headed there in the late afternoon in order to reach the hash!

Expedition

After getting off of the exit, I pulled into a Shell station 260 meters from the hash. Having perused the wiki for years, I decided that today would be the day where I earned one of the most unique achievements in my opinion, GeoSquishy. I entered the station and was immediately hit with a familiar smell that I could not place but smelled inviting. I located the squishy machine, choose the red flavor (my favorite), and poured a 16 ounce cup. The cup I used turned out to be for coffee, so I wasn't able to use the iconic domed lid, but I purchased it anyhow and set off toward the hash.

The drive from the Shell to the Riverside Kayak Park was one of the shortest ones in my life, and I parked my car and looked out onto the woods. The path that I led down to the river had a very steep decline that was a little tricky to walk down, but I was able to make it and eventually went on to the floating dock on the river. The river itself was not frozen, but it was definitely cold, as I felt when I dipped my fingers in. I could see the bridge where the hash was, and contrary to my original plan, there was only marshy ground and the river directly between myself and it, and the bridge was much higher than I thought as well. Checking with maps on my phone, I saw that a field existed behind the Shell station that led to the railroad tracks where the hash was, so after some scenic photography and picking up and disposing of litter, I walked back up the incline and drove back to the Shell parking lot.

Upon leaving my vehicle for the third time in about 15 minutes, I was struck by the sunset through the trees and the beauty of the land around me. I then proceeded through what appeared to be a somewhat-worn path through the field behind the station, under the tall power lines, and reached the railroad tracks. The tracks were set on a small mound above the surrounding ground in order to maintain its level as it passed over the river, and I carefully considered my options if a train were to come. I maintained constant vigilance for a train at all times and was fully prepared to bolt if one came, but thankfully the tracks were train-free during the entire expedition. I proceeded along the flat bottom of the mound parallel to the tracks due East, and after running my hand through an appealing wheat-like plant, I reached the bridge and the hash!

I confirmed the hashpoint as being where the metal plate met the wood on the sound end of one of the rails, and took a celebratory slurp from my GeoSquishy! It was delicious. I noticed that the bridge itself looked old due to its wood and very slightly rickety, which added to the ambiance. After later discussion, the hash was on a point that only existed at its height because of the bridge, and I was also surrounded on 3 sides by wood that supported the bridge, so I was able to claim the Cross That Bridge achievement! I took a photo with my hashcots Night Fox the Train and Skip the Kangaroo, and Night Fox even rode one of the big rails alongside the point! It was also very cool to see where I had stood along the river minutes prior, and I was able to capture more scenic photographs of the river. I could also see the Shell station lit up through the woods. After fully taking in the scene and taking another slurp from the GeoSquishy, I returned along gravel next to the railroad tracks, under the power lines, through the field, and back to my car.

It felt amazing going to a hash that wasn't on or immediately next to a road, and going off the beaten path to a place that I'd never had otherwise gone for the hash brought me so much joy and in touch with the spirit of Geohashing. This expedition was the kind that I'd dream of when reading expedition reports in the wiki over the years, and I am extremely grateful for everything and everyone involved that led me to this point!