2010-10-10 -31 115

Braving wind, rain and wild animal attacks, Phi-loci-raptor drags hashn00b Pyroteknik to his first hash in what is to be a double unlocking and winning day all round.

Location

Keen to get my first hash back home I see that not only is the day's hash in a park but there is a cache nearby. Further research reveals that the cache was placed by BC Parks - the location of my last cache!! It was a sign. Maybe I could even get a Hash collision achievement!

Participants

Phi-loci-raptor

Pyroteknik

Expedition

I can hardly sleep.... tomorrow is going to be a big day. Maybe I won't be able to pull it off... but what if I do... I'll be the first.. A pioneer. A leader. A present day Finders!! Hmmm.. note to self: take water.

I'm woken in the morning by rain. Oh no!!! Maybe today isn't such a good day, I think, and roll over. I'll have a nice sleep in instead. Hang on a minute Maria, I'm sure rain didn't stop the admirable James Stirling from exploring the unknown. From founding this great city you are now neglecting. Aren't we being a little soft? It didn't keep Amundsen from reaching the South pole. Or Hillary from Everest. Or Neil Amstrong from the moon!! If I am to take my place among the greats, I'm going to have to get out of bed and get some cereal.

Every great explorer had support so I'm going to need a team. "Mum, Dad," I ask, "would you like join me in a mission to pave the way for others? To lead and expedition into the unknown? To be the fist in the world!?" "What are you on about, Maria??" is the response I am given. "Dya wanna go to Whiteman Park?" I sigh. "NO"

Well..... this is not going well. How am I supposed to get a Drag-along achievement without a dragee?? And then comes the epiphany. I'll invite my friend and previous cachebuddy Pyroteknik. A quick sms, phone call, phone call, returned call later and the wheels are in motion...

The drive out takes about 45 mintues. I can't remember the last time I went to Whiteman Park, but my parents maintain we've definitely been there. So probably 20 years ago. The park is adjacent to the Swan Valley area which is a great spot for wine tasting and local breweries (which is certainly not why we were going out there at all). The park has a number of museums, a tram, train, old-style villiage, wildlife park and a number of trails though the natural bush. Donning harsh evironment protective gear (rainjackets), it is one of these trails that we set out towards the hash/nearby cache. The wildflowers are in in season and the area is blooming with yellow blossoms. After a 10 minute walk the GPS tells us we're close to the cache. But which way?? The map says to the right of the trail, coordinates say to the left! I decide to trust the GPS and I am rewarded. After a short search, we find the cache under a log. Now in order to get the Hash collision achievement the plan is for Pyroteknik to stay with the cache, while I head towards the hash, which is 143m away to see if we can still see each other. I set out. After 75m I can still see Pyro. Just. This is not looking promising! As I push deeper into the bush, visiblity becomes more and more obscured until at 100m I can no longer see him. Slightly disappointed, we abandon the ribbon and Pyro joins me for the last few meters to the hash point. No worries we are still winners of a Graticule Unlocked and a Drag-along/Land-hash ribbons!!

And that was when we heard the rustle in the bushes.... "What was that??!" A baby Austalian VELOCIRAPTOR!!! (aka Macropus fuliginosus Slowly crouching down to take a picture... trying to be as quiet as possible... and then THE ATTACK!! Poor little joey thought Pyroteknik was its mummy. Finding no pouch, it then turned to me clawing and scratching but without any further success in finding bed. Giving it a little pat but not wanting to interfere too much with nature we left it alone with the hope that it will be able to find its own way without mum.

On a hash-high that keeps us going for hours and hours, we find 4 more caches and then make our way to the nearby Duckstein Brewery for a well deserved refreshment.