2017-01-15 48 -3

Sun 15 Jan 2017 in 48,-3: 48.8748817, -3.0654916 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

In the intertidal zone, about 2 km west of the sillon du Talbert (a spit that as been classified as a Natura 2000 nature reserve)

Participants

• Ourlig
• Gribouille the dog

Initial plans and preparation

When I saw the hashpoint would be near the sillon du Talbert, I asked my mother if she was interested in a hike in the area, bringing along her own dog. Unfortunately she was a bit ill and decided it wouldn't be wise to go. But in the end, it was probably better because, I don't think she would have been ready for all the mud and water.

Sunday morning, I checked a tide table to be sure I could reach the hashpoint by foot. After checking the weather forecast, I decided to take my sailing jacket but deemed that the sailing overall would be overkill (I was wrong...).

Expedition

The low tide was at 3 P.M so I left home about an hour before that. I decided to get to the Sillon du Talbert via a road that follow the sea side to Paimpol. Nothing very exciting there. By the time I reached Lézardrieux, I feel that I should hurry to arrive as I don't want to stay to long on an intertidal zone I don't know (they can be quite treacherous, even deadly).

Arriving there, there are a few bad surprises. It is VERY windy, the hashpoint is a LOT farther than I initially thought and as it's a nature reserve, Gribouille will have to be kept on leash.

So I start walking. the terrain is far from ideal : loose pebbles, sand and mudflats, with the occasional streak of water to cross. After a 20 minutes walk, it seems that I'm a lot slower than expected, the hashpoint is still nearly a mile away and there is a large body of water not that far away. If the hashpoint is on the other side, I will have to call it a miss.

At about half a mile from the goal, the soil is harder and I can go faster than before. I give myself another half hour and then I will have to go back whether I reached the hashpoint or not. The sea is rising again so I'm racing the clock. The large body of seawater is closer now but it seems that I'm on the right side of it.

By the time I reached the hashpoint, my trousers are wet up to the knees (capillary action is a bitch) and I miss my overall. For a reason I don't know, the GPS on my phone is acting weird (I'm two meters away, then after three steps in what seems the good direction it tells me I'm 11 meters away now) so after reaching a 50 cm mark (which I lost almost immediately), I decide to call it a reached and head back for higher grounds (Stop focusing on the stupid phone and don't forget the flood tide).

Reaching the spit takes me 20 minutes or so, and by then, I can't help smiling and laughing. Walking back to my car is tiresome as I can't help but pick up every piece of junk that been abandoned there and the wind keeps sending my hat flying away. By the time I get back to my car, I'm exhausted but happy.

Photos

coming soon