2024-10-26 44 -1

Sat 26 Oct 2024 in 44,-1: 44.8819721, -1.1690804 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

In a pine forest near Le Porge.

Participants

Beltxarga (talk)

Expedition

On 2024-10-25 (yeah, I'm an ISO 8601 fan), I noticed that the geohash point fell within an unlocked graticule next to mine (there were still 7 of them at that time!). My first plan was to make the trip by bicycle — a 130 km round-trip almost entirely along bike lanes, and I announced it on Discord (join us!). But since I’m on holiday, I thought it’d be a great chance to bivouac there and go for the Camping geohash achievement (one of my target achievements). So, I packed up my gear and settled in for a patient wait until the next day.

Here's the tracklog. (Note that it's not an actual recording of my GPS position, but a GPX I prepared in advance to guide me, thanks to the wonderful gpx.studio. Also, for privacy reasons, it starts from Bordeaux although I don't live there.)

I departed on 2024-10-26, around 2 pm, with all my gear: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, rain equipment, stove, food, etc. It's nice to be comfy!

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  Ready to go!

The route was pleasant and mostly uneventful — almost perfect, though I would have preferred it without the rain.

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  Break #1.

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  Break #2.

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  Break #3., in Saumos.

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  This kind of road can get boring rather quickly.

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  Time to pull out the rain covers.

Upon arriving near the geohash, I made the mistake of dismounting to take a sandy path, which, unsurprisingly, the rain had made even less passable... After thoroughly mucking up my bike and shoes, I decided to head back to the bike path and continue until reaching the closest point to the geohash. Since this spot qualified for the "camping achievement" I left my bike there and set off on foot toward the geohash. Second setback: no signal! Geohash Droid couldn’t guide me. So, I turned back to my bike and rode nearly a kilometer to find enough reception to load the geohash in the app. Back at my future bivouac point, I left my bike again and finally ventured into the pine forest, guided by the app this time. Success!

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  View from geohash #1.

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  View from geohash #2.

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  View from geohash #3.

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  View from geohash #4 (ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?).

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  GPS proof #1.

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  GPS proof #2.

Back near my bike, about 200 meters from the geohash and in almost pitch black (thank God for headlamps), I set up my tent in the still-pouring rain and finally relaxed a bit: a change of clothes, and of course, meal prep! On the menu: buckwheat bread with butter (forgot the radishes!) and freeze-dried chicken curry. Not the most photogenic (see below), but delicious — and definitely welcome after the afternoon’s efforts!

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  Camping distance, proof #1.

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  Camping distance, proof #2.

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  Dinner #1: buckwheat bread with butter (forgot the radishes!).

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  Dinner #2: freeze-dried chicken curry. Notice the colourful plastic tableware 🙃

After a good night’s sleep (extended by an hour thanks to the switch to winter time) and a hearty breakfast, it was time to get back in the saddle for the ride home.

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  Breakfast #1, and proof I was there in the morning.

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  Breakfast #2.

A great experience — and perhaps the first in a long series of “Camping geohash achievements”! 😊

Achievements

Beltxarga earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (44, -1) geohash on 2024-10-26.

Beltxarga earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling to the (44, -1) geohash on 2024-10-26.

Beltxarga earned the Camping geohash achievement by camping in a tent 200 meters from the (44, -1) geohash on 2024-10-26, from 7pm to 9am.

Beltxarga achieved level 1 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Bordeaux, France and 1 of the surrounding graticules.

Beltxarga earned the Picnic achievement by eating freeze-dried chicken curry at the (44, -1) geohash on 2024-10-26.

Notes

Although I didn't have dinner/breakfast RIGHT at the geohash, but in my tent, sheltered from the bad weather, I will still grant myself the Picnic achievement.

Theoretically, this could also have qualified for the Midnight Geohash, but 1. I was 200 meters away and thus not close enough for a "Geohash"-type achievement and 2. I don't think the "second midnight" is good enough. I want the hash to "land on me". So I simply didn't bother.