2009-01-17 67 21

Sat 17 Jan 2009 in 67,21: 67.3238594, 21.1391970 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

The hash was (presumably) on a mountain near Moskojärvi, about 3 km from the E10 road. the ru tried to reach it but suffered a humiliating defeat by Mother Nature.

the ru

After a quick trip to Kiruna to fuel my car and buy a spare set of batteries, I started driving south. I thought this was going to be an easy hash, but once I had put my skis on and headed into the forest I realised it wouldn't be.

The terrain was very unfriendly. The forest was very dense, and at any time I was going either up or down a very steep hill. I also ran into lakes and streams along the way. Being unfamiliar with the area I didn't want to risk crossing them. A wise decision, as I later found many places with open water.

Had I parked a kilometer further south, I would probably have avoided the water. Instead I had to find a way around it. It took an hour (including lots of tripping and cursing) to move the first kilometer and I wasn't even going in the right direction. Once I got past the water it became somewhat easier but the problem with steep terrain remained.

It wasn't quite Cliffs of Despair, but I finally reached a slope I couldn't figure out how to descend in a safe way. Since "breaking bones" and "getting impaled by tree branches" isn't on my fun-list, I decided to go back while I still had daylight. The hash was still another 1.6 km away and the GPS was pointing straight at a mountain.

I could have made it but it just wasn't worth it. This was an attempt to achieve my third consecutive hash and my first attempt in the virgin graticule 67 21.

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• 2009-01-17 67 21 Car.jpg

  On my way to the hash

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  Seems easy, right?

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  Open water

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  The terrain

• 2009-01-17 67 21 Enjoy.jpg

  I'm enjoying this...?

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  Sunset