2023-09-09 50 11

Location

Near a creek in Eichenbühl

Participants

Torodeas (talk)

Plans

It's a hash close to a train station again. Torodeas (talk) wants to arrive at the train stop at 14:59 and walk to the hash (ETA 15:50, almost perfect)

Expedition

Today's trip starts in Fürth central station. I take the RE42 Nuremberg - Leipzig connection for my ~70 mins ride to Küps.

We're running a bit late, but I don't really mind: I don't have to make any connections. And it's quite hot today, especially for a September in Germany, and each minute of delay makes me stay longer in the air conditioned train (yes, the AC was working just fine), and allows me to skip a few minutes of the hottest part of the day around 3-4 pm, which just happens to be exactly the time I am scheduled to walk to the hash.

On my path to the hash I cross the town of Küps to get from the train station in the west to the hash in its east. It's a ~3km hike one way, and it does take me the hour I planned for it to get close (<200 meters).

But, I know I'm on the wrong side of the creek. It's just a tiny creek and I could jump it if I need to, but I prefer a bridge. There are just too many bushes and trees.

My map shows a crossing ~200 meters in the wrong direction. I take it and see on the other side a cow pasture - completely fenced in. Will the hash be in that pasture?

I take the path next to the pasture, hoping to be able to go around it when it ends. But the path ends first, with the fenced in pasture to my right and a dense corn field in front of me, the path just - ends. Yes, there is a small patch of stinging nettles just in the middle between the end of the pasture and the corn, but I decide against trying to force a path for me there, and just turn back.

On the other side of the creek again, I walk down to look where exactly the hash is. Maybe I can jump the creek after all. I cannot if I would just jump into the fence of the pasture, but from the other path it looked like the pasture might end just short of the hash.

This time I am lucky. There is a second bridge, not visible on my maps during the attempt. And yes, I don't have to enter the pasture, the hash is on open terrain!

I take a few pictures, but I don't stay for long. I am now officially late - mostly because of my detour. I don't think I missed anyone here today, but I cannot be for sure. And I can't stay longer either, because my train will not wait for me.

On my way back, I do make a mistake in reading the timetable. My train would be leaving 16:59. But I think it's 16:49. And so I stop to get something to drink in a local store at ~ 16:45 because I think cannot make it. So I arrive at the train stop 17:08, and have to wait another hour to get back.