Difference between revisions of "2013-08-01 47 8"

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[[Image:{{{image|2013-08-01 47 8 tower.jpg}}}|thumb|left]]
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__NOTOC__
 
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== Location ==
 
== Location ==
<!-- where you've surveyed the hash to be -->
+
Some Rhineside woods at Zweidlen.
  
 
== Participants ==
 
== Participants ==
<!-- who attended: If you link to your wiki user name in this section, your expedition will be picked up by the various statistics generated for geohashing. You may use three tildes ~ as a shortcut to automatically insert the user signature of the account you are editing with.
+
[[User:Calamus|Calamus]]
-->
 
  
 
== Plans ==
 
== Plans ==
<!-- what were the original plans -->
+
*Catch train leaving Zurich from rail 18 at 10.40am to Bülach.
 +
*Catch S4 leaving from rail 6 at 11.07.
 +
*Reach the hashpoint <s>11.30 or earlier</s>.
 +
*Check the remains of Valentinian's tower.
 +
*Wander into Germany, maybe.
  
 
== Expedition ==
 
== Expedition ==
<!-- how it all turned out. your narrative goes here. -->
+
Just about every country has a national holiday.  Often it is on the anniversary of the betrayal or treason that enabled it to wage war on the country that had created and nurtured it, or on the anniversary the head of state's inauguration or birth.  This leads to a minor problem in Switzerland, which has neither a documented founding act (having shifted into existence gradually) nor a head of state (being an actual democracy).  For long, this wasn't a problem, but with the arrival of right-wing nationalists, a significant group of citizens demanded a national holiday in Switzerland, which the people granted them in 1889.  As a date, the first of August was chosen for convenience reasons.  Over time, this date has erroneously been associated with an oath on Rütli meadow in 1291, a defense treaty and a man called William Tell shooting apples with his crossbow.  The holiday was declared a work-free day later in 1993, but is still mostly celebrated by patriots and neo-nazis, yet has found some popularity among other people, since it is an excuse for lighting fireworks.
 +
 
 +
Calamus wasn't particularly fond of fireworks nor nationalism, so he went geohashing instead.  Today's hashpoint was, ironically, next to the German border, near the river Rhine.  The only nearby train station had been closed some time ago due to lack of usage, but luckily reopened after some heavy protests.  The first of August has a reduced train schedule akin to Sundays, but this didn't make a difference so far out, so there was at least the basic two-trains-an-hour connection.
 +
 
 +
The hashpoint's distance from the path was a little greater than expected, as was the share of brambles and stinging nettle in the undergrowth, making the shorts Calamus wore a suboptimal choice of attire. Also, the satellite signal shifted even more here than usual, so when Calamus emerged from the undergrowth after some long time of homing, his legs felt somewhat uncomfortable (being a serious understatement).  In fact, Calamus later discovered that the location had been called the "accursed place" for centuries, ever since the first embarassing attempt to get rid of the rampant undergrowth.
 +
 
 +
Calamus proceeded to check on the remains of a watchtower emperor Valentinian built in the fourth century as a part of a continuous Rhine fortification between Stein am Rhein and Basle (quite a distance, actually).  Today, only the foundations are left, and the place has lost any significance, even to archeologists.
 +
 
 +
While Calamus had considered simply walking into Germany, he had exactly five cents of European money (which he knew even in foreign economies not to be enough for a decent beer) and a lot of work to do, so he returned to Zurich.
  
 
== Tracklog ==
 
== Tracklog ==
<!-- if your GPS device keeps a log, you may post a link here -->
+
[http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2244615 On EveryTrail]
  
 
== Photos ==  
 
== Photos ==  
<!-- Insert pictures between the gallery tags using the following format:
 
Image:2012-##-## ## ## Alpha.jpg | Witty Comment
 
-->
 
 
<gallery perrow="5">
 
<gallery perrow="5">
 +
Image:2013-08-01 47 8 station.jpg | Zweidlen station
 +
Image:2013-08-01 47 8 rhine.jpg | The Rhine, Germany on the right
 +
Image:2013-08-01 47 8 structure.jpg | This &hellip; thing was somewhere in the woods
 +
Image:2013-08-01 47 8 point.jpg | The hashpoint
 +
Image:2013-08-01 47 8 tower.jpg | Valentinian's leftovers
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
== Achievements ==
 
== Achievements ==
 
{{#vardefine:ribbonwidth|800px}}
 
{{#vardefine:ribbonwidth|800px}}
<!-- Add any achievement ribbons you earned below, or remove this section -->
+
{{Consecutive geohash|latitude=47|longitude=8|date=2013-07-30|name=[[User:Calamus|Calamus]]|count=3}}
 
 
 
 
<!-- =============== USEFUL CATEGORIES FOLLOW ================
 
Delete the next line ONLY if you have chosen the appropriate categories below. If you are unsure, don't worry. People will read your report and help you with the classification. -->
 
[[Category:New report]]
 
  
<!-- Potential categories. Please include all the ones appropriate to your expedition -->
 
<!-- If this is a planning page:
 
[[Category:Expedition planning]]
 
-->
 
  
<!-- An actual expedition:
 
 
[[Category:Expeditions]]
 
[[Category:Expeditions]]
-- and one or more of --
 
 
[[Category:Expeditions with photos]]
 
[[Category:Expeditions with photos]]
[[Category:Expeditions with videos]]
 
[[Category:Expedition without GPS]]
 
-->
 
 
<!-- if you reached your coords:
 
 
[[Category:Coordinates reached]]
 
[[Category:Coordinates reached]]
 
+
{{location|CH|ZH}}
 
 
--><!-- or if you failed :(
 
[[Category:Coordinates not reached]]
 
-- and a reason --
 
When there is a natural obstacle between you and the target:
 
[[Category:Not reached - Mother Nature]]
 
 
 
When there is a man-made obstacle between you and the target:
 
[[Category:Not reached - No public access]]
 
 
 
When you failed get your GPS, car, bike or such to work:
 
[[Category:Not reached - Technology]]
 
   
 
When you went to an alternate location, or decided early on to abort the expedition:
 
[[Category:Not reached - Did not attempt]]
 
 
 
(Don't forget to delete this final close comment marker) -->
 

Latest revision as of 20:21, 16 May 2020

2013-08-01 47 8 tower.jpg
Thu 1 Aug 2013 in 47,8:
47.5702999, 8.4590102
geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox


Location

Some Rhineside woods at Zweidlen.

Participants

Calamus

Plans

  • Catch train leaving Zurich from rail 18 at 10.40am to Bülach.
  • Catch S4 leaving from rail 6 at 11.07.
  • Reach the hashpoint 11.30 or earlier.
  • Check the remains of Valentinian's tower.
  • Wander into Germany, maybe.

Expedition

Just about every country has a national holiday. Often it is on the anniversary of the betrayal or treason that enabled it to wage war on the country that had created and nurtured it, or on the anniversary the head of state's inauguration or birth. This leads to a minor problem in Switzerland, which has neither a documented founding act (having shifted into existence gradually) nor a head of state (being an actual democracy). For long, this wasn't a problem, but with the arrival of right-wing nationalists, a significant group of citizens demanded a national holiday in Switzerland, which the people granted them in 1889. As a date, the first of August was chosen for convenience reasons. Over time, this date has erroneously been associated with an oath on Rütli meadow in 1291, a defense treaty and a man called William Tell shooting apples with his crossbow. The holiday was declared a work-free day later in 1993, but is still mostly celebrated by patriots and neo-nazis, yet has found some popularity among other people, since it is an excuse for lighting fireworks.

Calamus wasn't particularly fond of fireworks nor nationalism, so he went geohashing instead. Today's hashpoint was, ironically, next to the German border, near the river Rhine. The only nearby train station had been closed some time ago due to lack of usage, but luckily reopened after some heavy protests. The first of August has a reduced train schedule akin to Sundays, but this didn't make a difference so far out, so there was at least the basic two-trains-an-hour connection.

The hashpoint's distance from the path was a little greater than expected, as was the share of brambles and stinging nettle in the undergrowth, making the shorts Calamus wore a suboptimal choice of attire. Also, the satellite signal shifted even more here than usual, so when Calamus emerged from the undergrowth after some long time of homing, his legs felt somewhat uncomfortable (being a serious understatement). In fact, Calamus later discovered that the location had been called the "accursed place" for centuries, ever since the first embarassing attempt to get rid of the rampant undergrowth.

Calamus proceeded to check on the remains of a watchtower emperor Valentinian built in the fourth century as a part of a continuous Rhine fortification between Stein am Rhein and Basle (quite a distance, actually). Today, only the foundations are left, and the place has lost any significance, even to archeologists.

While Calamus had considered simply walking into Germany, he had exactly five cents of European money (which he knew even in foreign economies not to be enough for a decent beer) and a lot of work to do, so he returned to Zurich.

Tracklog

On EveryTrail

Photos

Achievements

Consecutivegeohash.jpg
Calamus earned the Consecutive geohash achievement
by reaching 3 consecutive hash points starting on 2013-07-30.