If we exclude the insane ball breaker, Mr. Poo broke records in January for elevation gain on a run. It seems he has his eye on the “prize” again in February and so he drafted in Frozen Dick as a co-hare – WTF? Perhaps we should rename him the “Square Dancer” after the inspirations he gets from the “Belly Rooter”? I was intimidated before I set off to the run, but figured I’d give him a little bit of faith…
After the hare brief, we were pointed over Bone Hur’s shoulder down a narrow trail. Humperdick followed Bone Hur as we slowly crawled our way to the first check. The grumbles began with the need to check, but I followed Boney a couple of hundred yards to an unfortunate check back. The Dutchman had got away and I seemed to get the next few checks wrong as I tried to make my way back through a pack on narrow trails.
Finally Brown Finger hit a False Trail, just as I got to the point where I thought that there should really have been a check and promptly led the way up the left side of the waterfall. Brownfinger was on my tail, but I could keep a good enough pace that I could do a Humpers and block the trail to the next circle. I hadn’t seen Graven Image at all – where was he? Having the first choice, I was fairly confident and took my time to pee on the trail just before I found the powder and set off to cross the waterfall and head back down. I was on fire! Seeing the False Trail from the wrong side confused me for a moment, but I was off again with Square Rooter and some Londoner in pursuit. I had these hares figured out – one bit of up and down just doesn’t satisfy Poo, so at the next opportunity I chose up… After 200 meters or so I was confident, after 250m I was feeling good, but when I hit the check back after 300m I wasn’t a happy man! And Angry Inch had the gall to accuse me of short cutting when I rejoined the trail!
A good circle had the FRBs thinking, and Skid Mark managed to get away, and I managed to get back with the pack, better still as the next check was a devious one cutting down to the right as finally we headed towards home? Down a waterfall and the circle checks were coming “Mr. Poo style” – i.e. at every opportunity, even if it wasn’t an opportunity! I love it! Skiddy led us off the waterfall, but then I have no idea how I ended up following Brown Finger down a trail, but with a nice decline I opened up chasing him down until I hit the trip wire the evil hares had deliberately placed there. So loud was my face first landing, that Brown Finger came back and gave me the option at the circle. It was just another devious plan by the ultimate racist bastard as he foresaw that I’d get hopelessly lost.
What happened next? I couldn’t hear anything, was off trail, so I headed down the hill towards somewhere where surely there would be an A bucket. Instead there was a resort. This hill has too many waterfalls, and I guess I was on the wrong one. It took me a while, but I somehow found my way back up and then back down to where everyone was waiting. It was time for a circle – not a short circle! Incidently, Mr. Poo broke is January record for elevation gain by 3m and today’s run has 150m climb more than any other…