Turkish Delight, from near the back of the Ag Center. With all his years of experience I guess he didn’t realise it is rainy season? Normally this time of year the hares pick a nice shelter, and set a run over terrain that suits the conditions! Turkish just goes ahead with what he has… At least now Turkish has the tent, I just wonder why he waited until the rains were torrential before he started putting it up!
The rains weren’t stopping so we were pointed off and I jogged off to immediately hit a V check. I went left, and after a while ran out of paper. I searched for a check back, but there was none. I hunted around for a while, and then headed back only to find the whole pack coming with me. I was unsure, but the rain was persistent, so I went back and tried the other way – it turns out the rest of the pack spent a long time hunting around for paper there before going back, and I got a decent headstart.
Along the road, and up the trail that runs along the wall at the edge of the Ag Center. At the end of the wall a circle check – I love this circle, so many options! With time on my hands, I went back and tried the trail inside the wall, but found nothing. When I got back to the circle Sloppy was also thinking that way, but instead headed up the hill with me. Nothing, so I turned right, and finally spotted paper coming through the trees. Aha! I was On, but not sure if people could hear me. As the rain eased, I bellowed. Trail headed up towards a familiar reservoir, and of course a circle check. I’d already decided which way I was going and checked right across the dam – nothing. 3 checks in, and I’d been wrong 4 times, and was still ahead of the pack – I went up the hill and was wrong again (5), before finding trail back across the other dam to the left. Sloppy came running towards me, utterly confused, before deciding to do his own thing and not to be seen again until the circle.
At the end of the dam, another circle, and I went up the hill, while Sloppy went straight on. Nothing to be seen (6), so I came back down and found some short cutting walkers hanging around. No sound from Sloppy, and not knowing he’d quit the run I checked the way he’d gone (7). Finally I was called back to the circle by the short cutters and followed them around the lake. Back to the front of the pack, and there was HRA – confessing relentlessly about how he’d been short cutting. The trail started hacking its way up a hill – and was confused at one point when trail appeared to go left and up. I went left before the trail ran out (8) and had to hack my way over to the up option where I followed HRA.
Up,up, up, damn I hate these climbs, and in the slippery conditions it was a struggle. Finally a V-check, and HRA picked to go up. Lucky as I fancied down, and sure enough after jogging down a bit I found a circle. Been here before and there are options – another damn good check! I went straight on, up the hill, but the trail fizzled out and I saw no paper (9). The most obvious option was left, so I cut down and found that trail, but no paper (10). Turns out I was very close to where I’d already been checking, but had to climb up again and pick another route. Finally as I got back to that circle I got company and joined with CW and briefly Cuckold. CW and I found paper heading down another trail, that I didn’t remember well – turned out that it only lead to a gully of pain and hatred – no wonder we haven’t been here before. At the end was the hare, looking sheepish… We were 45 mins in, and although there was a V-check, he seemed to warn us that although going right was correct, we might not like it and to “be careful”.
There was another hill. CW was behind me for a while updating me on the health of various hashers – does he expect an answer? Does he not realise my entire body is screaming out through my lungs for me to stop and take a break? I stepped aside and let him go. The ascent was a tough one for this late in the run, and I had been putting my efforts in. A V check at the top, but I was only going to follow CW back down the hill. He wasn’t as convinced as me, so waited for me to join him but as the trail continued we knew we must be on. Slippery is not strong enough an adjective to describe it, and the pair of us gingerly made our way through – looking at the state of hashers following us, it seems most took a faceplant at some point.
Out onto the road, and of course it had to be left back to the A. We were so sure it had to be left, we both went that way, knowing beer was close, but amazingly no paper… (11). WTF?! An extra loop and we were back – CW generously slowing down to let me catch him and jog in together to celebrate my 300th run! WTF Turkish?!? In other conditions that would have been a splendid run – the smiles on peoples faces suggested they enjoyed the slippery mud more than I did! The checks were excellent, even if it didn’t keep us together, it definitely kept me thinking, and kept me getting it wrong!