2012-06-30 47 8

Location

Just off the shore of Au ZH

Participants

Plans

Inflate boat at (47.24093,8.65960), then row over to reach the hash at 4pm

Expedition

"Dammit!", Calamus hissed at the screen. His nine-year-old sister barely looked up from her work. "Mind your language, brother. Are today's coordinates not to your liking again?" "You bet. Check this: Just outside Au, but on water! My camera isn't waterproof, how the hell am I supposed to get there? You know, some other people who do this sport have a kayak you can blow up. Maybe I should buy one too." Before he could think of a way to explain a nine-year-old what a kayak was, she replied: "While it is in fact possible that my memory is deceiving me, I am positive that father purchased an inflatable kayak only recently. I strongly suggest that you inspect his cellar before spending the day pitying yourself." Calamus was baffled. He knew, of course, that his father stockpiled all sorts of objects (which he was never ever going to need, but had been on discount once and could come in handy in unlikely circumstances), but he had had no idea he would find something like that in there. "Gee, thanks, sis! I never thought of that! Hey, wanna come with me?" "As I have stated more than once, I am most certainly not going to partake in a sport which involves me going to a completely insignificant locus to photograph it. Besides, I have an appointment with several compeers on the playground." With these words, she put the dictionary for which she had come (Tocharian B) meticulously back onto the shelf and left, not without pointing out a sign error in Calamus's work, which he would definitely have found himself in a few moments.

The basement of Calamus's dad wasn't exorbitantly big, but stuffed to the gunnels with assorted objects of varying usefulness. Calamus soon found the kayak atop a pile of other inflatable boat-like objects. After some consideration, Calamus went for a lighter rubber dinghy, which looked more stable to him and fitted easily into a small bag. He also borrowed a pump and a light metal telescope paddle.

He took the train Wädenswil and, from there, a bus to a lakeside spot in Au, which was as near to the hashpoint as he could get on land. The German word Au meant "flat, wooded meadow by a river", which was an appropriate name for the peaceful place. Like many of the people who had been raised in Zurich, Calamus had been brought to the quiet peninsula multiple times during his childhood for a walk and a ship trip. It was also where waldzitherclown lived, who unfortunately had to work the whole day and therefore couldn't make it to this conveniently placed hash.

Calamus inflated "his" boat and launched it. He had half an hour's time to do no more than a hundred metres and there wasn't going to be anything to stop him from reaching the hashpoint. Well, except for his GPS dying about twenty metres from the point. Calamus, not knowing that the battery indicator had been lying to him, feared about his buddy being severely hurt. There had been a little water hitting it, and while the manual had promised IPX7 water resistance, you never knew. Also, the device had become rather hot, so Calamus considered a fried circuit. Anyway, he proceeded to the spot he was pretty sure was the hashpoint and waited till four o'clock. After all, it was Saturday.

It wasn't easy to find a good spot to haul the dingy ashore again. When Calamus found one, it was almost at waldzitherclown's restaurant, which of course meant he had to have a drink there and tell him about today's expedition.