Introduction
Warning: May contain nuts.
Ekorren - that's the european brown squirrel, scientifically sciurus vulgaris. Jumps around, collects various stuff, hides things and never finds all of it again.
I found the link to geohashing on some geocaching forum. Ok, I thought, so there's something even more crazy, so let's try it ;) Then I read all of the past XKCD comics and suddenly felt at home. Given that my list of regularily read webcomics is all but short there's really no excuse that I didn't find XKCD earlier.
For a spontanous expedition bicycle will be the only reasonable mode of transport for me, so I'm somehow restricted to the nearer surroundings of my home coordinates which are roughly N 48°31' E 9°3', as well as weather-restricted. Though, the first geohash I visited was far away from home...
Statistics
|
reached |
not reached |
Plan B*
|
| Hashpoints scouted |
33 |
7
|
-  saturday 4 pm / centurion |
7 |
|
| - Stuttgart graticule (48,9) |
16 |
3
|
| - Pforzheim graticule (48,8) |
13 |
2
|
| Graticules |
6 |
1
|
-  virgin graticules |
3 |
|
| Countries |
3 |
1
|
| - virgin countries |
1 |
|
| Expeditions by type of transport: |
|
|
-  foot |
1 |
|
-  bike
|
21 |
4 |
1
|
-  public transport |
8 |
3
|
| - public transport + bike
|
3 |
|
| Reasons for failure: |
|
|
-  No access |
|
6 |
1
|
-  Transportation failure |
|
|
1
|
| - 24px Mother nature |
|
1
|
- Plan B: Expedition would usually have failed in this category, but a second approach put it into another one (whether that succeeded or not)
Past Expeditions
|
|
Date
|
Grat.
|
Transport
|
|
Comments
|
| 1 |
2008-10-28 |
49 6
|
 
|
  
|
On a meadow near Fentange, south of Luxembourg. Virgin graticule and virgin country.
|
| 2 |
2008-11-15 |
48 9
|
|
|
Near Kusterdingen, on a field. Saturday 4 pm, but didn't meet anyone as nick_mz was late and I didn't expect anyone to come.
|
| 3 |
2008-11-18 |
48 9
|
|
 
|
Reutlingen, on a cycle path between Ohmenhausen and the city centre. Déjà vu geohash and probably the only expedition worldwide on that date.
|
| 4 |
2008-11-19 |
48 9
|
|
|
Wannweil, at Gärtnerei Hespeler.
|
| 5 |
2008-11-22 |
48 9
|
|
  
|
Tübingen, Rammert forest, near Hofgut Eck. A XKCD'ish snowman (no eyes!) was built and I met nick_mz.
|
|
2008-11-26 |
48 8
|
|
|
Pforzheim, in front of the slaughterhouse. Met Danatar.
|
|
2008-11-29 |
48 9
|
|
30px
|
Sonnenbühl-Genkingen, Öschenbachtal. Ice and slope is a bad combination.
|
|
2008-12-12
|
48 9
|
|
30px
|
St. Johann-Würtingen, with a lot of snow getting in my way.
|
|
2008-12-15
|
48 9
|
|
|
Hattenhofen, failed due to fenced area, and there was noone I could ask to be let in.
|
| 10 |
2008-12-17
|
48 9
|
|
|
Reutlingen, and once more too much ice and snow
|
|
2008-12-27
|
48 9
|
|
|
Dettenhausen, in the Schönbuch forest
|
|
2009-01-02
|
49 10
|
|
|
Satteldorf-Gröningen, in a strange tree plantation
|
|
2009-01-03
|
48 8
|
|
|
Rottenburg am Neckar
|
|
2009-01-04
|
48 8
|
|
|
Rottenburg-Ergenzingen
|
| 15 |
2009-01-07
|
48 9
|
|
|
Pliezhausen-Rübgarten, in the Schönbuch forest
|
|
2009-01-10
|
48 8
|
|
|
Muggensturm
|
|
2009-01-12
|
48 8
|
|
|
Lauterbourg (France), a long walk with Ilpadre
|
|
2009-01-26
|
48 9
|
|
|
Metzingen, another forest
|
|
2009-01-28
|
48 8
|
|
|
Rottenburg-Bieringen
|
| 20a
|
2009-02-13
|
48 8
|
|
|
Horb-Hohenberg, approach by bike failed because of torn tyre
|
| 20b
|
|
|
second approach by train and bus succeeded
|
|
2009-02-22
|
51 10
|
|
|
Otterstedt, near a minor road between some unexpected water. Met Danatar, Dawidi, Hans, Thomcat and Tomcat.
|
|
2009-03-01
|
48 8
|
|
|
Hechingen-Weilheim, not an easy approach
|
|
2009-03-08
|
48 8
|
|
30px
|
Schönbuch near Ammerbuch-Breitenholz, game reserve area and the wrong kind of snow.
|
|
2009-03-14
|
48 9
|
|
|
Tübingen-Pfrondorf, walked all the way and back
|
| 25 |
2009-03-19
|
48 9
|
|
|
Sonnenbühl-Erpfingen, got stuck in snow again and had problems to get back.
|
|
2009-03-22
|
48 8
|
|
|
Deckenpfronn, in a forest. No snow!
|
|
2009-03-24
|
48 9
|
|
|
Dettenhausen
|
|
2009-03-26
|
48 9
|
|
|
Mössingen-Bästenhardt
|
|
2009-03-29
|
48 9
|
|
|
Donzdorf, failed due to fenced area
|
| 30 |
2009-04-04
|
48 8
|
|
|
Hechingen-Stetten, near Castle Hohenzollern
|
|
2009-04-13
|
49 9
|
|
|
Obersontheim-Herlebach, a "quick" morning detour...
|
|
2009-04-16
|
48 9
|
|
|
Reutlingen-Degerschlacht, a boring backyard
|
|
2009-04-21
|
47 9
|
|
|
Mörschwil near Sankt Gallen, a great trip but the meadow was fenced.
|
|
2009-04-25
|
48 8
|
|
30px
|
In the Black Forest far above Baiersbronn. Met Koepfel.
|
| 35 |
2009-04-27
|
48 9
|
|
|
Tübingen-Lustnau, in the forest. Double expedition: Met Nick_mz on first approach, second expedition for tron achievement.
|
|
2009-05-01
|
48 8
|
|
|
At Bodelshausen
|
|
2009-05-04
|
48 8
|
|
|
Rottenburg-Ergenzingen, 32 m into a field I didn't want to step on. Could also be counted as "reached" by some conventions.
|
|
2009-05-07
|
48 8
|
|
|
Deckenpfronn again
|
|
2009-05-09
|
48 9
|
|
|
Between tennis courts at Böblingen
|
|
2009-05-14
|
47 9
|
|
|
Wangen im Allgäu. You wouldn't expect that meadow to be fenced.
|
How I use the symbols in this table
Achievements
Virgin graticules
Template:Virgin graticuleTemplate:Virgin graticuleTemplate:Virgin graticule
Miscellaneous achievements
Template:Mnimb geohash
by reaching the
(48, 9) geohash on
2008-12-12 while the temperature was around -3. This was the third sub zero hash where he couldn't bring an accurate thermometre, but this time it didn't get above zero the whole day anywhere in the area...
Tron achievement on 2009-04-27_48_9 - waiting for final ribbon.
About the MNIMB: During winter neither snow nor ice or a terrain that provides generally no easy trails could hold me from doing expeditions by bike. The one in the ribbon is just one of several snow-obstacled frozen mountain hashes. After careful examination I came to the conclusion that some of them definitely beat a number of the existing MNIMB hashes but are themselves still beaten by quite a number of others which leave me humble and in awe. I take the ribbon not for a single one but as kind of a lifetime achievement.
Regional achievements
Hashcards
Template:Hashcard achievementTemplate:Hashcard achievementTemplate:Hashcard achievement
Consolation prizes
Template:Mnb geohash
Never give up on the first real problem. Otherwise I'd have a train wreck and trail of blood ribbon as well.
Gratuitous ribbons
|
Ekorren earned the Easter Bunny Ribbon
- by photographing the Easter Bunny on Easter Monday, en route to the (49, 9) geohash on 2009-04-13.
|
|
|
Ekorren earned the Biked on Mount Everest Ribbon
- by climbing more than 8848 m on bike expeditions until reaching (48, 8) geohash on 2009-05-01.
|
Tools
I run another of those online hashing tools, built to contain everything important on a glance and work on virtually every device not entirely uncapable of browsing, or providing a convenient overview for a region. See here.
GPS for sale
2009-02-07: I just ordered myself a replacement for the old first generation Garmin Etrex (yellow) which I had in use on my expeditions so far. It's neither a new or a very good one, nor does it look like new (after all, it is an outdoor model), but it was sufficient to decide for a spot, track a way (with a few precautions), and also find most of the caches I searched with it yet.
Postage is affordable to everywhere. About the price, that still needs some research. To be honest, these things are sold on ebay for more than they are IMHO worth, and I need the money, so the price I would get there is kind of a guideline - minus the fees, of course. On the other hand, unlike the average ebay seller, I'm willing to share experiences and advice how to get the most out of it, and possibly throw in a piece of rebuilt electronic scrap that happens to work as a serial data cable if you don't feel like building that yourself. These cables cost a fortune alone if you buy them from Garmin.
Please contact me by mail if interested. --Ekorren 23:18, 7 February 2009 (UTC)
36 / m / 48,9
saturday 4 pm / centurion
virgin graticules
foot
bike
public transport
No access
Transportation failure
