2023-12-25 53 10

Mon 25 Dec 2023 in 53,10: 53.7567060, 10.0794080 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

in a big puddle on a field in Wilstedt, Schleswig-Holstein

Participants

• π π π (talk)

Expedition

As it was Christmas, I was busy with family all day, but this hash was so close that I couldn't pass it up. So we took my dad's new e-scooter with us to my grandparents, and on the way home, I was supposed to be dropped off at Kringel and be the first to test the scooter over a longer distance. The family instead decided to take me all the way to Wilstedt, so I only had to drive along the main street until I reached the farm road that led to the hash. It was raining, as it had done for much of the last few days, and the "road" soon consisted only of mud and puddles. This was obviously impassable for the scooter, so I stowed it beside some hay bales and continued on foot. It was still 900 m down the road, but I managed to avoid stepping into any of the deeper puddles by walking on the grass in the middle of the path. When I finally reached the hashfield, using my phone's flashlight as it was long since dark, it turned out to basically be a lake by now. There was a stable for cattle on the side, but it seemed to be empty. Not stepping into water soon became impossible, but fortunately I was wearing my new thick winter boots, although they'd been incredibly cheap and I hadn't yet tested whether they were waterproof.

When the water became too deep while I was still a ways from the hash, I started to look for alternatives and noticed the next field over was less muddy. I climbed the fence at a spot where there was no moat in front, getting my long coat stuck in the barbed wire, but managed to traverse the length of the field this way. However, the hash was located 30 m from the fence. I surmounted the fence again and was soon faced with an ankle-deep puddle. I though it likely that traversing this would completely soak my feet, so I tried to walk around the deepest part of the standing water before being cut off again. I walked back once more until I decided to take the long way around and circled the pond almost halfway. Wading into deeper and deeper water, trying to step only on the protruding sods and clumps, and sinking at least 5 cm with every step, I finally managed to reach the coordinates without passing through the trench in the middle of the field.

I recorded proof and walked back the same way, once again getting my cloak stuck, jumped a ditch and began the journey back. Surprisingly, my feet remained mostly dry (good job, dirt-cheap boots! It's a Christmas miracle!). The scooter was still there and I started the 10 km trip home. My fears that the battery might run out were soon conciliated as it still showed almost full power after a while. I was raining the entire way, but my two coats kept me dry and I ended up having fun despite the cold.

Photos

to follow

Achievements

Land geohash

Maybe there should be a new achievement reaching a hash via exotic modes of transport.