Graven stepped up to set the run a week earlier than planned. Previously he’d set a run from the lake at the Tigers Head with Brown Finger – which had ended with runners in the dark and an emergency evacuation for BF. This time they took extra backup with Robin Banks as Chauffeur. 3 hares – what could go wrong?
BF looked nervous and promptly ran off with powder bottles in hand. RB was furiously smoking away. GI looked confident and pointed us off across the dam at the end of the hare brief. At the end of the dam was the “ONIN” – apparently it’s been there for months! Not our OnIn, but a circle check at the end of the dam. Piggy alongside me said “I guess we are going around the lake”, go for it I thought, no chance as I headed down the hill towards inevitable powder. Another check, straight on for sure. A third circle, and my gut thought back and the scramble across to the right – we’ve done that before. But this time I went straight and as most people followed me, we had to wait a while for Knock Out to call us to where my instincts said check. By the time I got back to the ditch scramble we were in a traffic jam.
Onto a trail, and the checks were straight, straight, straight. I slowly picked hashers off as they chose to check to the left or right. Finally when I hit the front and hit a check, it turned out to be to the right. I of course checked straight, followed by a bunch of hashers, who had to wait for Knock Out to again call us over through a garden to cross the road. A late arriving Sups was driving past us waving like a queen as we crossed the road into the traditional Maejo trails.
We climbed a bit with the pace moving along swiftly. It seemed like Poo was in front for a long time. I finally got back towards the front of the pack, and every time I got to a check there was Able Semen stood, paper in hand, grin across his face, and then the call came from Poo. Damnit – he was nailing everything! Several times I would have checked right, but fortunately didn’t need to as Poo was cruising away at the front… All the way till he hit a sneaky false trail!
I heard a FT call, paused momentarily with Scooby Doo and both headed right up a trail with absolute confidence. Sure enough there was powder, and then Scoobs hit a gear I’ve never seen him use before. It was uphill, and I was pushing along trying to stay ahead of Pigshit and Able Semen, but Scoobs reacted like he’s just got back from a stay at some dodgy Russian training camp, or like he hit a mario carts boost. Piggy, HRA, Able Semen & I pursued, and we found a V check. I’m not sure why it was a V and not a circle – the trail to the right looked like a possibility, but left was not likely. Scooby checked straight on, so HRA & I paused so Able Semen got there 2nd and we gave him the guilt treatment to make sure he checked left, while the rest of us carried on up the hill after Scoobs. Piggy turned back for some reason when Able called the rest of the pack on to the left. Muahahaha… On On Up!
A circle ahead, and Scooby chose left. I felt a moment of inner peace. Very recently these same hares had foxed me at that very junction. You weren’t going to fox me again! I darted across to the right to intercept trail ahead of HRA and accelerated. HRA was close on my tail, but I just had to hold him off to the 5 junction, and he voiced his disappointment when I got to the circle at the 5 junction ahead of him. It was safe running home from there, I just had to keep turning it over.
Another check off to the left, but a no brainer, straight on out towards the Tiger Head. Another circle, just after the trail to the left. They took us on that trail to the left last time, surely not again? OK, I confess, I went back and took the trail on the left up to the assault course – I heard HRA call on from the main trail to the right, kept going and intercepted trail at the obstacles. OnIn! Excellent run – thanks guys! And yes, I am happy I missed out on the rope bridge finale you had in store!