21-Aug-2004 -- After my holiday and failed attempt at 53N4W I was considerring which Austrian confluence to attempt next. I sounded out "´er in doors" about whether we should spend a couple of days in Graz and do both 47N15E and 47N16E this idea wasn't met with excitement and after checking the internet for things that would interest Katharina and Maximilian the idea was abandoned.

Insomnia got the better of me and I woke before 4:00am I decided then I might as well go and do one or both of the confluences and be back in time to take the kids to the zoo.

So collect together the necessary confluence tools. GPS, Camera, Spare Camera and spare batteries, compass, map of Austria, Mobile phone, Hat and rain jacket, change of clothes, with it raining and possibly heading in to woods I didn't want to be caught out just wearing sandals and shorts.

Set off shortly after 4:00am and head for the Autobahn. Pass the turn off for 47N16E and it is still dark so I press on the next 100km towards 47N15E.

As I approach the confluence area in the car I watch the distance decrease 900m, 800, 700, 600, 500, 600 ... Whoops I've overshot it! Eventually find somewhere I can turn around and head back.

About 500m from the confluence I find a small forrest road pointing in the general direction I drive about 100m along this until I decide the ground is too bumpy for my car and also the mud begins to look a bit sticky, I don't want to get stuck here!

Rain isn't too bad and the forest doesn't look too overgrown so on with the rain jacket, hat and shoes and set off to find where to leave the forrest road and head for the confluence.

The forest road appears to start going away from the point about 380m away so I plunge into the forest after having attempted to mark my place at the car. As I wander through the forest I see great swathes of small trees and branches have been driven over by some large vehicle of some sort. The going is pretty easy and in about 10 minutes I'm within sight of my goal. Due to the tree cover finding the point was not so easy. A few minutes later and bingo, all the zeros. 9m accuracy somehow the GPS has managed to see 4 satellites better than I'd expected. Take the required pictures and head back to the car!

Now which way did I arrive here? After the confluence dance I'm a little confused as to which way is back to the road. Ah well of course I've marked the car position with the GPS! Oh I haven't !! I must have pressed the wrong button again! Oh well I'm sure it is this way ..... or maybe not!

I know I'll just retrace my tracks using the GPS now all I have to decide is roughly which part of the track I should head for to find the car and determine which way I'm now heading! In the end I managed to determine which way I was going and had guessed pretty well at which point on the track the car was placed, it did take twice as long to get out from the forrest than to get in but at least I made it before the GPS batteries ran out and I'd left my phone in the car! What a wally!! Still better to make mistakes on simple points and learn from them than go somewhere really remote and then make the mistakes.

So back in the car and it is still only 7:30am so head off towards 47N16E and then back home, this one should be really easy. Program the GPS with the co-ordinate and "GOTO" about 76km indicated to the point, not too bad, check the map and realise I have to go 100km on the Autobahn and then a few more kilometers before I'm near it. Still this one is reportedly on a road so shouldn't be difficult.