2009-08-29 52 13

Location

The big Berlin meet-up was planned for a few weeks: the location landed in a forest just off the road near Prötzel, just outside Berlin in Brandenburg to the east.

Participants

davidc (local)
lyx (local)
relet (local)
Danatar (49,9)
thepiguy (49,-123 / 49,9)
Ekorren (48,9)
pari (local)
Jerrome (local)
Srs0 (49,-123 / 49,9)
Hessophanes (local)
JUB (local)
dawidi (49,12)

12 geohashers from 5 graticules (4 graticules if you discount the Canadians).

Did not make it after all:

phoenix (local)
Hiro (local)
Trurl (local)

Plans

The original date poll on Doodle
The Facebook event

To explore strange new places; to seek out new games and new achievements; to boldly go where no hasher has gone before... and be the first graticule to get the Migration Geohash (come on, fifty isn't that much! And more than 26 should be even easier...)

Plans are nearly settled. The hashpoint is quite far out, so to make sure we all get to meet, we'll be having two meetings, one at the actual hashpoint, and one later in a more central location to get to know everyone and have fun and beer.

The Real Hash

Official Meeting: 15:00 at 52.6278569, 13.9720826.

You can make your own way there, or join us in these plans:

12:30 meeting in front of Hauptbahnhof at 52.52593,13.369079 - look for people in red xkcd geohashing shirts.
Purchase ABC tickets.
12:45 take S5 towards Strausberg. Others from different parts of the city can join us along this route: see the timetable; we'll be at the front of the train. (We're opting for a slightly earlier train to avoid the risk of missing the bus, which only runs every two hours).
13:38 arrive Strausberg.
14:05 take Bus 927 towards Wriezen Bahnhof.
14:28 Disembark at Prötzel Forsthaus
Walk to hash, a few hundred metres.
15:00 official hash time
15:29 take Bus 927 towards Strausberg.
15:50 arrive Strausberg.
16:06 take S5.
16:42 arrive Ostkreuz.
(16:58 arrives Hauptbahnhof).

The Big Meet

Final decision: Cafe Oranium, corner of Oranienburger Strasse and Tucholskystrasse ... NOW! (19:30 CEST)

For those not going to the main hash, join us for the big meet, starting at UNKNOWN TIME SEE BELOW outside Ostkreuz station at 52.504318,13.467905. Leave your name here though, so we know to look out for you. We haven't decided where to go on to, so write down one of these numbers so you can call us.

Expedition

Despite none of our drag-alongs turning up, 12 geohashers from 5 graticules migrated to Berlin, defeating raptors along the way to win a tough hash and a fun day's adventure.

Summary

The main hash was meticulously planned the night before, with plenty of leeway for late trains. Nine of us met in front of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 12:30, sorted out tickets quickly and boarded the planned S5 train towards Strausberg in the far east, beyond the Berlin border and into Brandenberg.

All was going well and we arrived in Strausberg on schedule. dawidi was on the train behind us and quickly overtook us, taking the advance tram as he had to cycle to the hash. So we waited at Strausberg for the planned bus. And waited. And waited. Then the tram left and someone pointed out that the bus was supposed to have arrived first... The bus was late. Ekorren queried a nearby bus driver only to find that our bus was cancelled for the day due to raptor attack or some equally plausible excuse.

Plans were quickly debated and decisions made. We took the rail-replacement bus as far as Strausberg Nord, from where we would walk 7km to the hash. Unfortunately we had no way to contact dawidi, who had cycled on ahead. On the bus, davidc updated the wiki to notify anyone who was going to meet us later - only to discover an edit conflict in the middle of nowhere. pari had got out his laptop and was adding the same warning!

We'd walked a kilometre or so towards the hash when davidc received a call from Hessophanes - he had come by car, met dawidi at the hash and was now wondering why nobody else was there. Fortunately he was able to quickly ferry us the remaining distance in two shifts (though lyx and three others decided to walk the remaining distance).

At the hashpoint, some engaged in woodland frisbee while waiting for the others, more often than not hitting the trees. Does this qualify for a "geohashing wally" achievement? Our geocache was prepared (GC1XWDV "Geohashing Migration 2009"), and inside was placed three travel bugs, two trackable books, a cursed hash coin (#7) and a logbook signed by all the present geocachers. It was then hidden under a pile of rocks at the base of the hash-tree. Cookies were shared and many, many photos taken. The hashscots had a picnic.

Around 16:45 we decided to leave. A few hashers made a desultory attempt at a geotrash geohash and we played fox-chicken-grain with the cars to reach Strausberg Stadt for the trip back. A tram, this time, and then the same S-bahn back into the city.

On arriving back in Berlin, davidc abducted dawidi so he would have a safe place to store his bicycle and belongings. dawidi promised to corroborate the truth of this story, on pain of davidc not letting him have his stuff back. Honour amongst hashers!

A short while later we reconvened at Cafe Oranium on Oranienberger Strasse in Mitte. A much-needed and well-earned meal and drinkies were enjoyed by all and then we slipped away into the night.

Danatar, thepiguy, and srs0

This expedition was on day 2 of a 3-day consecutive geohash:

Day 1:

Day 2:

2009-08-29 52 13

Day 3:

Live Notes

Just got the train at Berlin-Hauptbahnhof. 9 Geohashers on their way to new lands. :) --pari 11:09, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
Bad news: our bus to Prötzel is not going. We will be brought to Strausberg Nord which is about half way and walk from there (7km). --pari 12:25, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
Our bus was cancelled due to raptor attack. Currently proceeding to hash on foot, ETA 1600. Return time for later meet not yet known, will update later. --davidc 12:26, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
12:25 "What the hell... Edit conflict? Pari!" --davidc
14:45 CDT We set out walking from Strausberg Nord. 6.5km to go!
15:15 CDT Hessophanes calls to ask where we are and then kindly ferries us walkers to the hash.
15:25 CDT First of the walkers arrive, coordinates reached!
We are at the hash! *yay* On the way we met Hessophanes who took us there with his car. Meetup in Berlin will be later as we lost some time. We will report an exact time when everybody has arrived. --pari 13:35, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
Geocache GC1XWDV "Geohashing Migration 2009" was placed and stocked with travel bugs and cursed coin #7
16:45 CDT We leave the hash.
We're shuttling back to Strausberg now and should be at ostkreuZ circa 1830 --davidc 14:53, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
A decision! Cafe Oranium, corner of Oranienburger Strasse and Tucholskystrasse, whenever we get there, probably circa 1930 --davidc 15:56, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Tracklog

Photos

The hashers identified!

Before the hash

The Canadian invasion plan.
dawidi started out in Kiel at 6:00
Some set off.
Crossing the German-Canadian border.
Meeting outside Hauptbahnhof.
Waiting for the S-bahn.
Playing twister on the S-Bahn
Look out Danatar!
dawidi goes ahead by tram...
...while we waited for the bus that never came.
Actually the timetable said that it never comes on saturdays. Only the online system was wrong.
Took this one instead.
It's not time for the silly grin yet, pi!
Still on the bus.
An edit conflict looms.
Can silly grins actually ward off raptors?
Maybe they can!
One of these two knows something the other doesn't...
The bus took us to a railway station with no trains.
Some loiter while some buy supplies.
Follow me for a spontaneous adventure
It's not quite that close, ekorren!
We'll be back.
Walking...
Walking...
Walking...
Can't talk now. Too busy hashing!
Walking...
Raptors ambushed the bus. 7km to walk
More walking!
Not covered so much distance yet.
Foul! Don't you dare call that walking!
True geohashers do not give up.
The field outside of the forest, right before the hashpoint.

At the hash

Hessophanes and dawidi arrived first. Where is everybody?
Can anyone guess where davidc hails from?
One of dozens of silly grin photos!
Profile of a silly grin.
Huggy Bear mans the tripod while the hedgehog looks furious.
On a geohashing expedition, one will never be lost, out of communication, or lack a pen.
Teddy bear picnic begins.
Our hashcots have a picnic around our new geocache.
This is not the hash-tree you are looking for. But it's close!
I'm with all these weird pieces of papers stuck to trees!
Line-up of the geohash t-shirts
Left leg up?
Forest frisbee!
Forest frisbee in action!
More forest frisbee.
Geotrashing...
...the cowardly way
This way! No, that way!
Our trashcot lyx.
Field opposite the hashforest (and pari & Hessophanes trying to get reasonable UMTS reception).
We were that-a-way.
Panorama picture of the hashpoint. This forest is crowded.