The Ob Kham Hex is probably the furthest runsite from home, but after 4-5 months of hardly doing anything, and being lazy over the past week, I need some exercise… I arrived with moments to spare, but the hare told me to “Fuck Off” when he was going to give the walkers a tip. I strolled along at the back of the pack as we headed into the ‘park’. A circle was called about 40m ahead, and at that moment there was a road/trail off to my right. I glanced down it and sure enough there was something white in view. I jogged over to it, and sure enough it was paper, but there was something wrong – it seemed to be going around the corner from 2 different directions, and just didn’t feel like it was the right paper from the check, so I went back. I discussed it with Shrek and Cabbage Patch, and was just doubting my decision when HRA called the ON from completely the opposite direction. I had found the In-Trail.
KO still hasn’t left, so she led for a while, and then Shrek & I took over. Knowing it must be clockwise had me guessing the next check wrong, and so I was a bit behind as we went along the road and into another old circle site. HRA has set a run their before and so he headed up the steep ridge. I reluctantly followed, fearing it was a case of climbing the steep bank, just to go back down again the otherside – and as we got back to the road, the walkers were walking past on the back of their inside information. I meanwhile was hot… really hot…
We kept to the road for a bit, but I was struggling with the heat and dropped off the pack. I was tempted to short cut, I was tempted to turn back… When I saw Tiptoe going back complaining about the heat and humidity, I was really tempted to go with him, but I was there for the exercise and sweating a lot. I knew roughly where I was, and figured I was over halfway as we went up the hill turning to the right. I was walking, and enjoying the great colours in the late afternoon sunlight, and the peace of my solitude.
There was a moment when the clouds seemed to emerge, a bit of a breeze, and it started cooling down. By then, I was into walking mode, and couldn’t get going again, so I continued to walk. Any moment now we’d be turning right and heading in.
A check must have fooled most of the pack as it went straight away from the way we needed to go! I was sorely tempted to turn right and short cut, but my interest was piqued, so I carried on. I could finally hear calls up ahead, CW and HRA! Just ahead, and then just off to the right, and then behind, and going further away… A km or so later, I got to where they must have been after doing a big loop. It was a nice loop through an orchard, and then I was nearly home. I got to see the paper at the corner again, and was once again tempted to short cut my way back, but the trail turned away again, and I stuck on paper around the hill and in not long before the circle started. Damn I need some exercise!