At Huay Tung Thao – my old hunting ground! I figure I know all the options here, and I’ve even set a run with Chuckie here before, so shouldn’t be a problem to second guess him. Ha! The first thing I’d got wrong was which A-site he’d use – I thought he’d be up at the corner and use the trails towards the bottom of the hill, instead he used the car park at the bottom of the hill. From here we usually head up the running track a bit, but oh no – CW had something else in store and poked us through a barbed wire fence and a different way back down to the canal.
First check had to be left, and sure enough I spotted paper on the back of some trees. Setting a decent early pace I sped a few steps past the first false trail – not the last time I would see that ugly FT today. It was back and up into the cowboy farm, but a couple of FRBs milled around waiting for me to lead them up the hill – and lead them straight to another FT. Damnit! Now we were following Angry Inch through a bit of shiggy until it opened out, without a check. When we did hit a check, I was wrong, but it was difficult to find out where the call was coming from – people kept yelling “ON ON CALLED!” when stood at the circle – I know that, but which direction was it called from!? Turned out I wasn’t far away and got back to the leaders in time to screw the next check up again…
We had to be headed left, but we were in the army camp on some trails that weren’t 100% familiar. I knew roughly where we were, but it wasn’t as familiar as my original confidence. Sex Pistol was leading the way, and I finally got back to the front when she hit another one of the hare’s devious false trails. I got paper, but now we were on a trail that I definitely didn’t know – looked like a new off road quad bike trail weaving around. Another circle, and while straight seemed about the only option, I was convinced it was wrong. Weaving around a corner I was on, and had a little lead. The trail twisted back and forth like the quad bikers had been drunk and lost when they’d carved a path through the jungle. A big loop around and I came splashing back with the rest of the pack about 4m to my left. They all short cut across, every one of the lazy bastards!
Finally we got out onto a mainer trail and I knew exactly where I was, and exactly how to get home – I accelerated, and 5 steps later hit yet another false trail. MOFO! We ducked back across the running track and past the overgrown football field. Another circle check. I glanced at my watch, which was only registering 2.something?! It seemed further, but it wasn’t till I got back that I found it had somehow switched to miles rather than KM. It had to be left, so I headed to the left, but Piggy went even more left and called ONON. I stepped in behind and we started running along the nice trail that parallels the main running trail. Either Piggy kicked on a bit, or I was slowing down? The gap seemed to be growing behind me, and also in front.
When Piggy followed trail around to the left, I thought that kind of false trail wouldn’t trick me, and sure enough I finally got inside the hare’s head! I ran straight, and was back on paper, and back in the lead… I just needed to get to the corner of the running track, and then surely back down the hill for glory!!! Mother Fucking False Trail!!!! Nice work hare, nice work – I guess that is revenge for many years ago? Piggy caught back up and led the way through some shiggy to rejoin the track slightly closer to home and gleefully called ONIN! Good to see Diddly Squat making an appearance and running well at the front!