2024-08-30 52 4

Fri 30 Aug 2024 in 52,4: 52.3147349, 4.9221548 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

In a field to the south of Amsterdam

Participants

• MyrtleGlacy

Expedition

After having dinner in Amsterdam, we decided that this hash looked easy and doable. We grabbed the train to Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena and rented 2 bikes there. The weather was lovely, and we felt pretty good after the good food. Looking at the map, it seemed like the field would be accessible near some allotment gardens.

Sadly, there was a big fence in the way to the field, and nobody seemed to know how to open it for us. A second route looked viable by going past the allotment gardens and crossing a bridge. However, no bridge was found.

Finally, I figured that the bit of green just north of us could be a path. So we made our way over there. And it did look like a path. So I went in while my girlfriend waited with our bikes.

Now, starting on the path the time was about 20:30 and the sun was still fully out. The path was clear and obviously someone came here once in a while. There were some brambles in the way, but nothing too bad. However, after about 150 meters the path became unclearer and more brambles started to block my path. Still, not that bad. However, my speed dropped as I had to navigate through the greens. Once in a while I could go into the woods on the left and the right to go a bit faster, but mostly I went back to the path.

About 50 meters from the field where I wanted to be, the path basically was no more. Everything was nettle, bramble and other fun plants. However, my stubbornness is located in my head, and my head was not that bothered yet. So I went on. Finally, I reached the field with just a gate blocking my way. However, it was really easy to go past the gate, so I wasn’t that bothered. At this point, I was reaching this hash come hell or high water.

I quickly walked across the field to reach the hash, making sure there were no animals anywhere that could be disturbed by me or could disturb me. This was the easy bit. But then I had to go back. And I realized that the sun had been setting for a while, and I needed to go back through the thick green nettles and brambles. I quickly let my girlfriend know that I had reached the hash and that I was on my way back. The knowledge I had gained on my way to the hash only helped me to reach one conclusion. However thick and dark the woods next to the path were, the path was 10 times worse by now. I decided against using my flashlight on my phone to maintain as much night vision as possible and went into the woods. Overall I think this was a good choice as the main problem here was pathing as opposed to the path itself. If you navigate around everything that is impossible, the only reasonable option is the possible.

Finally, I reached the place where the path became walkable again, and left the wooded area. My girlfriend was shining her phone’s flashlight, but I couldn’t see it. There was still about 10 minutes of brambles, nettles and (by now invisible) spiders to the face to go before I reached her.

All in all, it took me about an hour to go 400 meters in one direction and back. I had scratches everywhere. On the way back we found multiple nettles still attached to my shoelaces and clothes. I was dead tired. My stubbornness had won, but at what cost. I had to promise my girlfriend that I would stop next time a hash got this bad.

Photos

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  As close as reasonable

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  Yep, it was that dark