2023-01-22 53 7

Sun 22 Jan 2023 in 53,7: 53.6875241, 7.0802566 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

On the island of Juist, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Participants

FelixTheCat (talk)

Expedition

I've been keeping an eye out for geohashes on the East Frisian Islands for quite a while. Their small size means hashes are very rare, and since they're quite far from my home I would need at least one full day to mount a successful expedition. Fippe already managed to reach Borkum on 2020-09-17 53 6, and the (non-East Frisian) island of Helgoland on 2018-11-29 54 7. It was finally my turn to get lucky this weekend: the hash fell on Juist on Sunday, and I didn't have any other plans yet. I immediately began planning my trip, which involved a four-hour drive to a small airfield near Norden followed by a short flight to Juist.

I got up very early on Sunday morning and drove off at 06:00. The roads were largely empty and I arrived at Norden-Norddeich Airfield with plenty of time to spare. I checked in and then sat in the departure area for about an hour. Eventually only two other passengers showed up. We boarded the aircraft at 11:45, took off, and landed at around 11:50. I then walked towards the hash: first on a path through the dunes, and then along the northern beach. I found the point and took the required pictures.

Then I walked along the beach a bit more and spotted a few seals. I then followed a different path through the dunes back towards the airfield. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go to the main village on the island, so I decided to stay at the airfield and wait for my flight back. Luckily I had some snacks with me, because it turned out that the airfield restaurant was closed today. The flight back was nearly full, and because there was a large gentleman in the seat next to me it was uncomfortably cramped. I was glad the flight time was only five minutes. After we landed I got back in the hashmobile and drove all the way back home.

Photos

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  Preparing my trip on the day before.

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  On the way to Norddeich I stopped in Suurhusen to visit its leaning tower, apparently the most inclined tower in the world.

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  At Norddeich I climbed up the dyke and looked out over the Wadden Sea. Juist is already visible.

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  Looking south, we see Norden-Norddeich Airfield (IATA:NOE).

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  The terminal is a small building.

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  Enjoying my complimentary hot beverage in the departure lounge.

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  Our aircraft for today: a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, registration D-IFKU.

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  Our pilot preparing for takeoff.

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  Juist comes into view, with its airfield (IATA:JUI) and the hashpoint on the beach behind it.

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  Our pilot preparing for landing.

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  I took this path through the dunes to end up on the northern beach.

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  It's a very wide beach. There was a nasty cold wind, but there were quite a few people walking.

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  The hash is in front of us.

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  GPS proof.

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  Lloyd and Harriet celebrating.

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  Looking east, towards the neighbouring island of Norderney.

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  Looking south at the dunes.

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  A bit further along the beach I saw this seal. Seals shouldn't be disturbed, so I kept my distance and used the zoom function on my camera to snap this picture.

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  The path back to the airfield. It was flooded along most of its length.

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  Back at the airfield. The only restaurant was sadly closed.

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  This waiting room was open however, so I rested my legs and had a small snack.

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  Our aircraft is back.

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  It's quite cramped when fully loaded.

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  The port of Norddeich seen from the air. This is where the ferry to Juist leaves.

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  Back on the ground, ready for the four-hour drive home.

Achievements

FelixTheCat (talk) earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (53, 7) geohash on 2023-01-22.

FelixTheCat (talk) earned the Border geohash achievement by crossing the Dutch-German border on 2023-01-22 to reach the (53, 7) geohash.