2010-06-20 60 9

Sun 20 Jun 2010 in 60,9: 60.6670247, 9.1929691 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

East of Gol, near Vardefjell.

Participants

• relet

Plans

Since it is the weekend, I thought I might as well go expeditioning. And since that graticule is still on my list, I don't even have to venture far.

• Trains to Gol on Saturday: 8:13, 9:38, 12:22, duration 1:30.
• Walking distance: ca. 15km.
• Trains back on Sunday: 11:41, 14:23, 19:38, 20:28

Still hoping that the weather gets a bit more interesting than just now.

Expedition

• 

  before

• 

  after

Packing list

things actually brought (due to planning)

• sleeping bag
• tarp
• mosquito net
• five tent pegs
• cooker
• gas
• mattress
• tape
• a Swiss tool
• a spoon (like a spork, but without fork)
• cookable food
• non-cooking food
• water bottles
• plastic bags
• kitchen paper
• camera equipment
• spare phone battery
• hiking poles
• phone/GPS

things remembered just before cycling away

• matches

things to remember next time

• a lid for the pot
• hiking boots
• sunglasses
• a hat
• actually charge the second phone battery
• a map of the area
• coordinates

things tempting me to be brought along

• the raft that had arrived in the mail the morning I left

So, the weather report turned out to be alright (or outright sunny), and since I had brought lots of outdoor equipment from home and it was the weekend, I think there was little that could make me not geohashing. The backpack was packed already on the evening before. As you can see, I brought all the necessary things to reach an outdoor geohash in unmarked terrain. By definition, everything else is unneccessary weight, isn't it? It still took me a good while to get up in the morning, so that I settled for the 12:22 train indeed. I cycled to the train station...

• 

  This wagon has a quad propeller turbo booster.

...where I comforted myself into an amazingly spacious (as I realized on the return trip) 'comfort wagon' of Bergensbanen. It did not seem to be something like 'first class' or the like, since they did not charge me more. In the train, I started to consider live logging my expedition. But what was that? Despite having good signal, the Internet was gone! I settled for looking out of the window instead. I don't know where or when I realized that the only way to get the coordinates was to go online. I hoped that I would be able to fix the connection problems eventually, when I was no longer in a moving train.

After reaching Gol station, I set out on foot, along the river and using some of the maps I had fortunately cached in one of my (non-geohashing) android apps. Knowing that I had not remembered to recharge the second phone battery, which therefore was of dubious quality, and not having uplink anyway, I switched to airplane mode for most of the time, only turning on GPS signal once in a while to confirm I was on the right track.

The first decision to take was whether I would follow the main road from the station to the mountains, or a small track on the other side of the river and the railway line. I decided for the latter, as my map tiles showed me both a railway crossing and a bridge near where I wanted to go. Now I know from an authoritative source (I happen to work at the mapping authority) that the tiles I downloaded were from 2008 and from previous experience that the course of roads changes easily during a hectic Norwegian summer of construction. Hence, I was only mildly surprised, when the level crossing I expected had a fence on both sides, the catwalk over the neighboring ditch was broken, and the signage unimpressedly told you to look out for trains when crossing there. I could even see a path on the other side descending straight towards the bridge. Fortunately, a solution was soon found

• 

  The level crossing (for experienced trainspotters only).

• 

  Why the crossing was fenced - an underpass 600m further down the road.

• 

  The river to cross...

• 

  ...and a bridge to cross it with.

The roads I followed were tarmaced at first, but I knew from past hikes that they would soon enough end at a toll station and continue as privately maintained mountain track. I enjoyed...

• 

  Mountain views,

• 

  Waterfalls,

• 

  Parking lots,

• 

  More mountain views,

• 

  The local library,

• 

  Old machines,

• 

  and nature in general.

---

...

• Coordinates reached! Everything else follows. I am currently sitting Nesbyen station waiting for the evening train, after having barely missed the afternoon one. -- relet @60,5762,9,1068 17:19, 20 Juni 2010 (MESZ)

Achievements

relet earned the Midnight Geohash achievement by reaching the (60, 9) geohash on 2010-06-20 in the middle of the night.

relet earned the Camping geohash achievement by camping in tarp of awesome 4m the (60, 9) geohash on 2010-06-20, from 21:18 to 10:06.

relet earned the Picnic achievement by eating tortillas and riso alla napoletana at the (60, 9) geohash on 2010-06-20.

44px	This user loves Mother Nature by transcending the silly contest and just enjoying the experience.

Danatar earned the Gentleman's Achievement by helping a damsel (or other geohasher) in distress (60, 9) geohash on 2010-06-20.