2024-10-26 44 -1

Location

In a pine forest near Le Porge.

Participants

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 are 7 of them!). 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!

Ready to go!

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

Break #1.
Break #2.
Break #3., in Saumos.
This kind of road can get boring rather quickly.
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!

View from geohash #1.
View from geohash #2.
View from geohash #3.
View from geohash #4 (ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?).
GPS proof #1.
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, but delicious—and definitely welcome after the afternoon’s efforts!

Work in progress, to be continued...