2009-02-08 67 20

Sun 8 Feb 2009 in 67,20: 67.7552405, 20.1034115 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

The hash was on a frozen bog (surprise?) near the Nikkaluokta road south of Kiruna, Sweden.

the ru

This hash was quite easy to reach, I only had to traverse 600 m on skis. There were two minor obstacles. First, there was a steep slope. Getting down wasn't a problem, but to get back up I had to take my skis off and crawl.

Then, there was a stream. It seemed frozen, but as usual I decided not to risk anything. And as usual, I later discovered that some parts of it were indeed open, so the ice couldn't have been very thick. These streams aren't deep so there isn't really any risk of drowning - the danger is getting wet and cold, especially at these low temperatures. Getting my skis wet and covered with ice is also a bad idea (heavy!). And it might not even be possible to recover them from the water.

Anyway, I had plenty of time, so I thought I'd go upstream (which actually turned out to be downstream!) and look for a safe way to cross... and found a bridge!

I was hoping to break the cold record and brought a thermometer, but it didn't go below -18.1 C (-19.6 C was the current record).

Back at the car I changed into dry clothes and had some hot cocoa and fruit soup (in separate cups, obviously).

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  The bridge

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  Open water

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  The customary animal tracks

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  At the hash

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  All of this is possible thanks to a sphere of burning gas lightminutes away