User:Robyn

I'm Robyn, also known on the internets as Qov. You may recognize me by another pseudonym from elsewhere, and I know I'm not doing a very good job of keeping quiet like this, but I can trust you not to blab, right?

I hash on foot, by bicycle and by transit, not by car, because burning fuel for pointless expeditions is dumb, but exercising for pointless expeditions is the win. I may stop off at a geohash in a car when I'm on my way elsewhere, though. When I'm at home in Vancouver I'll usually try for the nearest hash, in Vancouver, in Surrey or across the border to Bellingham. I may get over to Victoria from time to time, too. I have good maps locally. I also travel all over North America for work, so you'll see me at strange graticules elsewhere.

Future Plans

• Friday Bellingham is attainable and Saturday Bellingham is only a few blocks away, in Everson. Sunday Bellingham is also attainable by ferry. It's at an airstrip on Shaw Island. So the question is, do I make a weekend of it? It's going to snow.
• My birthday party is coming up.

Statistics

Graticules

• Hashes Attempted: 57 in 30 different graticules
• Hashes Achieved: 38 in 23 different graticules
• Four p.m. Saturday Meetups: 4 in 3 different graticules
• Geohashers met: 13 in 3 different graticules
• Continents geohashed: 1

Things that have thwarted me

• No trespassing sign: 6
• Being chicken: 1
• Body of water: 1
• Transportation failure: 2
• Mis-setting the GPS: 1
• Time constraints: 4
• Terrain too nasty to continue safely: 4
• Inability to use a camera: 1

Never turn down a chance to geohash.

All Geohashes Attempted

Most recent are listed first. Horizontal lines are every ten missions, to facilitate counting. Bold numbers are the success count and bold words indicate an award or consolation prize taken for that attempt. I've removed my former one ribbon per geohash limitation. I've decided to count a geohash "successful" if I:

(a) get to within the accuracy figure of the coordinates as shown by my GPS,

(b) have the GPS show a distance remaining of zero,

(c) get to where it is obvious I could reach the geohash, but refrain from trampling crops,

(d) for airhashes, take a readable photo within 10 seconds of each latitude and longitude, or

(e) get really close and meet other geohashers who didn't travel with me, while trying to reach the geohash.

I haven't yet had to use options (c) and (e): the one time I thought I would have to invoke (c), the geohash came to me.

• 2009-03-05 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Twister picnic hash collision in a park: success #38.
• 2009-03-02 32 -96 (Dallas, Texas): Stopped 716 m short. Thwarted by a field of cows and the desperate need to not miss my plane.
• 2009-03-02 32 -95 (Tyler, TX): Stopped 1.44 km short. Thwarted by a fence and the need to catch an airplane.
• 2009-02-27 30 -93 (Lake Charles, LA): Walked for five hours but failed to find the correct road.
• 2009-02-24 30 -93 (Lake Charles, LA): Bushwhacked in, took trail out for success #37.
• 2009-02-20 30 -94 (Beaumont, TX): Failed on the ground, succeeded in the air. Success #36.
• 2009-02-14 32 -94 (Longview, TX): Airhash over Smithville. Success #35.
• 2009-02-09 32 -94 (Longview, TX): Easy drive-in geohash on a quiet road in the woods. Success #34.

---

• 2009-01-25 49 -122 (Surrey, BC): Failed to reach a spot in a dark, frozen swamp in Abbotsford.
• 2009-01-24 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Bus, ferry and walk to be the first geohasher at a meetup on a llama farm, and success #33.
• 2009-01-22 47 -122 (Seattle, WA): Second half of a multihash for success #32 and 5 geosquishy points.
• 2009-01-22 48 -122 (Bellingham, WA): A déjà vu geohash for success #31.
• 2009-01-02 49 -122 (Surrey, BC): Snowman geohash by public transit for success #30.
• 2008-12-19 32 -94 (Longview, TX): Walked through an urban forest when I didn't have to. Success #29.
• 2008-12-02 47 -73 (Montréal, QC): Tried to take a non-existent bus in the snow.
• 2008-11-29 47 -122 (Seattle, WA): Took along three first-timers but private property stopped us.
• 2008-11-20 48 -121 (North Cascades, WA): Third unsuccessful try in this graticule. Private property.
• 2008-11-08 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Industrial park in Richmond, success #28.

---

• 2008-10-16 59 -122 (Snake River, BC): Airhash, success #27.
• 2008-10-12 55 -119 (Beaverlodge, AB): Airhash, success #26.
• 2008-10-12 56 -120 (Fort St. John, BC): Airhash, success #25.
• 2008-10-12 57 -121 (Gutah, BC): Airhash counted as failed because of a bad photo.
• 2008-10-07 55 -120 (Dawson Creek, BC): Airhash in snow and rain for success #24.
• 2008-10-07 54 -119 (Nose Creek, AB): Airhash over patchy clearing in the foothills. Success #23.
• 2008-09-27 48 -122 (Bellingham, WA): I guess I'll finally claim land with success #22.
• 2008-09-25 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Public transit in the rain for success #21.
• 2008-09-21 49 -124 (Port Alberni, BC: Part two of a multihash, a speedhash, and success #20.
• 2008-09-21 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Rubber raft sunrise and water geohash for success #19.

---

• 2008-09-19 49 -122 (Surrey, BC): Success #18 was a midnight and pirate geohash.
• 2008-09-13 48 -121 (North Cascades, WA): Second try in this graticule. Access road too nasty to ride on my (road) bike, especially after 75 km of riding just to get there.
• 2008-09-11 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): I walked to #17, which was my first success in my home graticule.
• 2008-08-31 53 -113 (Edmonton, AB): A restricted area at an airport. I will count it as a failed attempt even though I failed a day early.
• 2008-08-30 53 -113 (Edmonton, AB): A Saturday meetup where I met no one, but they missed a fine spot. Success #16.
• 2008-08-30 54 -114 (Barrhead, AB): Success #15 was a drive-in geohash at a housing development in a virgin graticule.
• 2008-08-29 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): I was asked to fly to a point one minute and thirty seconds past today's geohash. I did as I was told for success #14.
• 2008-08-28 55 -115 (Utikuma Lake, AB): Success #13 is the first ever in the graticule. Beavers did not thwart me.
• 2008-08-26 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): Planned for a water geohash, but it was cold and windy and I had to work -- at the geohash! Success #12
• 2008-08-24 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): I don't remember the raptor attack, but I have significant claw marks on my legs. Success #11.

---

• 2008-08-21 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): First ever hash here, for success #10 and coldest documented.
• 2008-08-17 55 -115 (Utikuma Lake, AB): Mother Nature makes me her bitch in deep tangled forest.
• 2008-08-16 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): Stopped by deep swamp filled with metaphorical alligators a mere 0.2 nm from the geohash.
• 2008-08-15 55 -114 (Slave Lake, AB): Uphill dirt road took me too close to bedtime.
• 2008-08-14 55 -115 (Utikuma Lake, AB): Ran out of time cycling around the lake.
• 2008-07-28 48 -123 (Victoria, BC): Border geohash at Point Roberts. Success #9.
• 2008-07-21 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Second attempt at a hash in my home graticule. Blinded by Science entering coordinates.
• 2008-07-19 48 -121 (North Cascades, WA): Thwarted by No Trespassing sign.
• 2008-07-18 47 -122 (Seattle, WA): Ambassador achievement, on a boat dock. Success #8.
• 2008-07-14 39 -121 (Chico, CA): Suspense-filled adventure. No raptors. Success #7.

---

• 2008-07-13 42 -123 (Grants Pass, OR): My first speed hash. Virgin graticule. Success #6.
• 2008-07-10 44 -123 (Eugene, OR): Unsuccessful because the motorcyclist refused the road.
• 2008-07-06 47 -121 (Snoqualmie, WA): A drag-along hash, where the draggee brought me, on a motorcycle. Success #5.
• 2008-07-05 49 -122 (Surrey, BC): My first repeat hash in the same graticule, and 4th successful geohash. Logged bicycle.
• 2008-06-14 40 -112 (Tooele, UT): Unsuccessful, thwarted by a ditch in the way.
• 2008-06-14 32 -93 (Shreveport, LA): Another aerial hash, my 3rd successful one. Just missed getting the Master Pilot Award.
• 2008-06-11 31 -84 (Albany, GA): My 2nd successful geohash. First ever aerial hash reported by anyone.
• 2008-06-07 49 -123 (Vancouver, BC): Thwarted by the watershed. And wolves.
• 2008-06-04 49 -122 (Surrey, BC): just south of King George Skytrain station - My 1st successful.
• 2008-06-03 48 -122 (Bellingham, WA): east of Limestone Junction - unsuccessful, because I chickened out at the border.

---

• See my blog for details on my early geohashing adventures, before I had properly figured out wiki-ing.

Geohashers Met

Alphabetical by username. Date is first meeting.

• Adrian - on a bicycle with Twilightcity at the llama farm on 2009-01-24.
• DaleF - freezing his teeth with a blue geosquishy on 2008-09-25.
• Garyuuko astride a Buell motorcycle on 2008-11-08 in Richmond.
• HollyB - bouncing happily in the rain 2008-09-25 at Heather and 16th.
• Jaem - protecting his new mobile device with a towel on 2008-09-25.
• Kelsey - playing Twister outsoors in six degree weather 2009-03-05.
• Miles - toasting the geohash in gingerale on 2009-03-05.
• Twilightcity - stopping his bicycle in front of a llama farm on 2009-01-24.
• srs0 - inflating a boat 2008-09-21 at a sunrise water geohash.
• thepiguy - cursing like a pirate on 2008-09-19 at a midnight geohash.
• Thomcat - with his two kids on a Ballard side street on 2009-01-22.

Achievements

I love the idea of Achievements, I want them *all*. Just for fun, I'm trying to make an achievement at every geohash, and only taking each award once, but I've given up my earlier restriction of one award per geohash. It would also be funny to see how many achievements I could get at once. Also I take Virgin Graticule every time it is applicable. In each section, the most recent new achievement is last.

Once Is Enough Ribbons

I only take a ribbon for the first time I do one of these, even if I have achieved the feat more than once.

Robyn earned the Air geohash achievement by reaching the (31, -84) geohash on 2008-06-11 by air, attaining the rank of Pilot.

Robyn earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling to the (49, -122) geohash on 2008-07-05.

Robyn earned the Drag-along achievement by dragging Wade to the (47, -121) geohash on 2008-07-06.

Robyn earned the Ambassador achievement by obtaining permission to access the (47, -122) geohash on 2008-07-18.

Robyn earned the Border geohash achievement by crossing the Canada-USA border on 2008-07-28 to reach the (48, -123) geohash.

Robyn earned the Velociraptor Geohash Achievement by reaching the (55, -114) geohash for 2008-08-24 with highly visible raptor claw marks.

Robyn has visited an Easy Geohash by reaching the (55, -114) geohash on 2008-08-29 without really trying.

Robyn earned the GeoTrash Geohash Achievement by cleaning up the (53, -113) geohash on 2008-08-30.

Robyn earned the Walk geohash Achievement by reaching the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-09-11 on foot, travelling a distance of 3.5 km.

Robyn earned the Midnight Geohash achievement by reaching the (49, -122) geohash on 2008-09-19 in the middle of the night.

Robyn earned the Buccaneer Geohash Achievement by attending a midnight geohash in pirate attire on TLAP Day at the (49, -122) geohash on 2008-09-19.

Robyn earned the Sunrise Geohash Achievement by reaching the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-09-21 to smile at the first rays of sun to cross the horizon.

Robyn earned the Water geohash achievement by reaching the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-09-21 by inflatable pool toy rowboat.

Robyn earned the Speed racer achievement

by passing through the (49, -124) geohash on 2008-09-21 at the maximum legal speed.

Robyn earned the Public transport geohash achievement by reaching the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-09-25 via the 33 UBC bus.

Robyn earned the Meet-up achievement by meeting HollyB, Jaem, and DaleF at the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-09-25.

Robyn earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (48, -122) geohash on 2008-09-27.

Robyn, Wade and Garyuuko earned the Picnic achievement by eating grape juice and sandwiches at the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-11-08.

Robyn earned the Snowman Geohash Achievement by building a snowman at the (49, -122) geohash on 2009-01-02.

Robyn earned the Déjà Vu Geohash Achievement by reaching the (48, -122) geohash on 2009-01-22, and previously on 1993-06-26.

Robyn earned the First Sip GeoSquishy Achievement by enjoying a slushy carbonated beverage at the (47, -122) geohash on 2009-01-22.

Robyn earned the 5 Star GeoSquishy Achievement by earning 5 stars all at the (47, -122) geohash on 2009-01-22.

Robyn earned the Earliest geohasher achievement by arriving first at the (49, -123) geohash on 2009-01-24.

Robyn earned the Twister Geohash Achievement by playing Twister at the (49, -123) geohash on 2009-03-05.

Robyn earned the Hash collision achievement by discovering the geocache GC1HTNJ 20 m from the (49, -123) geohash on 2009-03-05.

Upgradeable Ribbons

These ribbons change as I accomplish more.

Robyn earned the Cold geohash achievement by reaching the (55, -114) geohash on 2008-08-21 while the temperature was 14.8°C.

Robyn earned the Multihash Achievement by reaching the 2008-08-30 54 -114 and 2008-08-30 53 -113 geohashes on 2008-08-30.

Robyn achieved level 3 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Seattle, Washington and 3 of the surrounding graticules.

Robyn achieved level 3 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Barrhead, Alberta and 3 of the surrounding graticules.

Robyn achieved level 4 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Vancouver, British Columbia and 4 of the surrounding graticules.

Robyn achieved level 5 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Bellingham, Washington and 5 of the surrounding graticules.

Robyn earned the Consecutive geohash achievement by reaching three consecutive hash points starting on 2008-08-28.

Robyn has enjoyed GeoSquishy treats for a cumulative total of 5 points

Robyn earned the xkcd Nullaturion achievement by attending 4 Saturday meetups.

Virgin Graticules

If you are the first to reach ground-based coordinates in a graticule I airhashed, I will cede the ribbon and the glory to you.

Consolation Prizes

Robyn earned the No trespassing consolation prize by almost reaching the (48, -121) geohash on 2008-07-19.

Robyn earned the There might be alligators! consolation prize by being prevented from reaching the (55, -114) geohash on 2008-08-16 by an impassable and unforeseen marsh (and probably lurking alligators).

Robyn earned the Blinded by Science Consolation Prize by failing to reach the (49, -123) geohash on 2008-07-21 when she missed a digit entering coordinates in her GPS.

Checklist of achievements to get

time traveller, endurance, no batteries, geoflashing, underground, underwater, golf, pub, hash collision, freeway, birthday, sex, twister, phonebooth, hopper, restricted, MacGyver, circus, and most everything else that has been made up.

Progress Towards Multihash Achievements

• Regional Geohash for British Columbia - progress towards logging all the graticules in my province.
• Graticule Hopper - progress towards logging 100 different graticules.
• xkcd Centurion - progress towards making 100 Saturday meetups.

Wiki Stuff

• I've made it my goal to complete the needed pages to fix red links on the Achievements page. People keep making new achievements (which I love) but every one needs a page describing the achievement, a ribbon template, and a ribbon image.
• I like making ribbons and it makes me happy when people put them on their pages. If you have drawing or photoshopping talents please help make new or better ribbon images.
• I obsess about every page belonging to its proper categories, and every category belonging to a category, all the way up to the root.
• Placing the same page in two categories, one of which is a subcategory of the other, defeats the purpose of categories. I removed the category Europe from a couple of hundred European graticules that were classed in Europe in addition to their country categories.
• I came to this wiki knowing nothing about wiki, so I sympathize with others and am working on the Help page.
• My C-key doesn't work all that well, so some of my categories are ategories.
• In progress: Geohash on Private Property.
• Started pages Transportation to the Geohash and Games We Play. Keeping an eye out for additions.
• Making expedition pages and Userpages for Ninja geohashers.

57 / f / 49,-123