2020-04-04 54 13

Sat 4 Apr 2020 in Greifswald, Germany: 54.0740561, 13.4790498 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

NSG Eldena, Greifswald, MV, Germany.

Participants

SastRe.O

Plans

Finally a geohash in the NSG Eldena (NSG stands for Naturschutzgebiet which means Nature Conservation Area). This is one of my favourites spots here in Greifswald, where I go very often when I have free time, or need a walk or to refresh my mind. A lot of fauna to be seen and hidden corners where to relax. Actually a hash fell here a few month ago, on January, but I wasn't in the city then but home in Catalonia.

I am considering walking there and not going by bike. A Juggernaut achievement might be possible, with some difficulties, and I might overcome obstacles more easily if I don't have Winterbuche with me. But that is still in consideration. We will see what I report tomorrow, if this fell through.

Also I am planning to take again my binoculars and see what I can spot. Actually, now in April is when the NSG is more beautiful: it's when the Wood anemone blossom and cover the undergrowth with a white spotted coating (although this year they started to blossom 2/3 weeks ago... climate is changing...). I expect quite some people having the same idea and wandering in the forest, I hope it doesn't scare the birds and deer to much.

Expedition

The expedition was an utter success. Although I was struck with some unforeseen mishaps I managed to get around them and continue with my plans.

First, I wanted to try and see if I could manage a Juggernaut achievement. I developed this tool for myself to give me a rough idea if Juggernaut is possible for a given hash, and on this occasion it seemed doable. So I left Winterbuche resting at home and took of at about 12:30.

I had done my homework and I knew which streets to take so to not compromise the deviation, and on which buildings I had to walk close to the edge ;) And that was the easy part. However, I wanted to check my phone where I had the limits of deviation I had to walk into saved on there, but the GPS wasn't loading. Odd. I restarted the phone and there it did it again... the battery sunk suddenly to 17% down. It makes that from time to time. The phone is (technologically) "old" and the battery isn't anymore what it used to be. So, flight-mode activated, and I used it only to take pictures. Not so bad.

Soon enough I was facing the NSG Eldena, and as I mentioned on the plans, it was looking gorgeous. The blossom of the windflowers it's now on its most vivid point! I really love that white coating it gets. As if it were some spring snow. I can't get enough every year, and I am sorry but the photos I took doesn't make it justice. And right while entering the forest, I started to hear the first woodpeckers echoing in the depths of the forest, and a great multitude of different birds tweeting. Spring on its greatest exponent.

Actually, while wanting to take some picture with my photo camera, it wouldn't start... Second mishap. I believe the battery of the camera is damaged or something similar, I will have to check it at home. So, I have only my phone to take pictures with and it has 16% battery and sinking.. Luckily I economized the battery well enough and could take plenty of pictures, not all of them worth though ^^

The first part in the forest was right going directly towards the hash, with almost no deviation (juggernaut concerning). Until it went south and I needed to continue east. There I found a used-to-be-path. You could identify some tracks between the leafs, but the "path" was going on and off. Sometimes it seemed it dissolved, sometimes it reappeared again. But no so hard. And then another obstacle. A little canal I had to cross. Lucky for me there were some fallen trees-branches near and found a spot to cross it without getting my feet wet. Now, I was really close. However, it's no so easy to just follow and arrow when there are no paths and I got disoriented a couple of times.

I crossed some paths, and went around some marshy areas (I scared a hidden duck, sorry..) and reached again the path that lead me to the hashpoint. Checking my phone I believe I stayed between the boundaries of deviation, I will have to check it later at home (SPOILER: I did it, stayed between boundaries ;) ). There I danced for a while, took proof of my GPS and had something to eat.

The spot where the hash fell is very near of a clear area in the forest which makes it one of the idyllic pick-nick areas in the NSG. You have this one here, the Rehbruch or in the fields on the west edge (where there are usually more people since it's closest to the city). I didn't say it, but I encountered quite some people having the same idea as me and enjoying the saturday good weather. It was not cold at all.

Not that I had reached the hash in this direct fashion faster than expected, I took some other paths to see what other birds I could see and here. The ones I mentioned the other day were also found and heard here (not the Jay). And also wanted to make it clear: I only mention that that I see and 'recognize'. There are so many other birds I hear and don't know what they are. Some of them I ended up learning them because I see them so often, but I am also not an expert.

Now that I had abandoned the main path, I was finding myself again in a very lonely area. Only the chirping to be heard. And then I spotted quickly some woodpeckers. More precisely Great spotted woodpeckers (since I also have seen other times Black woodpeckers which are more elusive and difficult to spot). And while looking at one of them, I heard another one closer behind me, and now I didn't know anymore on which direction to watch. At one point I was surrounded by three of them, and suddenly, all of them gone. You have to take your chance.

Then I continued my walk heading home. Still paying attention at everything. Once when I was almost finishing up I saw some wood mice. Those I see them usually here on the west end of the forest. And step after step I left the NSG and went back home. 12km and 3:30h. Not bad.

Photos

Good weather. Here is where the deviation was greater.  Facing the NSG. Going across the field so to not deviate.  Main path in the NSG. Windflowers at both sides.  White-spotted coating of the undergrowth.  More Wood anemone decorating the soil.  Tree stand while walking through the used-to-be-path.  A Juggernaut achievement wouldn't be pure if there are no obstacles to overcome.  Inside the forest.  Proof with GPS. Distance to hash 4m. Altitude 9m.  Pick-nick area near where the hash fell.  Hash location. I almost forgot to take a picture of it.  Caution, bees here.  Great spotted woodpecker. Can you see it?  Video of the woodpecker. Not the steadiest but the best I managed to do. ¿^^  The white ones I mentioned them already. The yellow are yellow anemone.  More white coating.  Wood mouse waiting for me to leave. Sorry for bothering you.  Tough times, but eastern can still be celebrated :)

Achievements

SastRe.O earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (54, 13) geohash on 2020-04-04.

SastRe.O earned the Walk geohash Achievement by reaching the (54, 13) geohash on 2020-04-04 on foot, travelling a distance of 11.7km.

SastRe.O earned the xkcd Nullaturion achievement by attending 5 Saturday meetups.

SastRe.O earned the Juggernaut achievement by reaching a geohash in a straight line (with a deviation of barely 1:24) on 2020-04-04.

Juggernaut Proof

Distance home to hash: 4075m. Deviation south (green line): 165m. Deviation north (can't be seen, where the yellow meets the red): 3m.

4075/(165+3)=4075/168=24.3

Other Geohashing Expeditions and Plans on This Day

Expeditions and Plans

2020-04-04
Washington (West), District of Columbia	OfficeLinebacker	located near Cedon.
Frederick, Maryland	OfficeLinebacker	located near Lansdowne.
Buffalo, New York	Pedalpusher, Simon the dog, Myka the dog	In the woods at St. Bonaventure University
Mannheim, Germany	DODO	In an allotment garden between Stutensee and Blankenloch.
Stralsund, Germany	SastRe.O	NSG Eldena, Greifswald, MV, Germany.
Jämsä, Finland	Hermiina, PJH FIN	Hollola

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