2009-06-20 52 13

Sat 20 Jun 2009 in 52,13: 52.1625773, 13.7251129 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

A meadow to the south east of Berlin. Next populated places are "Klein Köris" and "Hammer"

Participants

• relet

Plans

I did not even intend to go. But then, given the increased activity in this graticule, you never know whether you might meet someone. And so, eventually the curiosity overwhelmed me.

Expedition

Unfortunately, by that time, and using the constraints the public transport planner gave me, I would have returned way after dark. And this is still the longest day of the year. I therefore decided for the second best option, and to bother my friends from the car sharing fleet. I took off with Sam the Smart. (I hope I did not give him another name on any previous expedition...)

I reached the place in the South East of Berlin without problems, without the need of any navigational aid. I parked at the entrance of the next best (and the only) forest track, and changed into some longer trousers. I've had my share of ticks, thankyouverymuch. I knew this was going to be either a meadow or a field.

I checked the coordinates, and knew I had to head north and west to reach my meadow. I followed the northern of two tracks. The coordinates approached the ones I sought for satisfactorily, and I soon could spot some green between the trees. And a fox. It was so occupied with digging and pouncing after some mice or insects, that it did not seem to notice me. I got a few pictures with more than just a blur in the grass, before it eventually spotted me and was off.

The meadow had some kind of old fence surrounding it - a single discontinued wire. It seemed to be part of fallow land used as protected landscape around a brook crossing these meadows. It was solid ground, so that I could walk across it without getting either muddy or leaving any discernible traces. I reached the coordinates, took a panorama shot, and left a card in an old pole which I assumed people would have to pass to reach the point. I did not find any traces of other geohashers though.

On my way back, I went for a short detour to the village of "Hammer" to take a picture of the sign of the place for lyx and for the heck of it (We seem to encounter a reference to Hamm on every second expedition). There was no village, and no place name sign. The only thing left was the forester's station. I took a photo of that.

On the way back (and also during the first part of the journey, now that I come to think of it) I passed the designated alternate: It was the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party. There had been a manifestation in the early afternoon here, against the introduction of uncontrolled Internet censorship technologies which have been instituted by law with their support. Yes, we're at par with Iran, China and Australia now.

Tracklog

coming.

Photos

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  A forest trail heading in the right direction

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  But beware of monomolecular wire!

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  A foxy picture!

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  Hasn't spotted me yet

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  Towards the meadow

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  Where the mice live.

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  Surveillance?

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  Coordinates reached

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  Monotonous meadow.

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  Hey, I am grinning.

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  Within sight of the hash point?

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  Only half a car, by US standards ;)

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  I can't help hamming it up.

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  Alternate location