words

Words for ISCA Run on Wednesday 16th November 2011 at Haldon Hill Racecourse
For all that it was a clear starry night with just a hint of drizzle there was a surprisingly reduced turn-out. The circle gathered and Larks explained the format of the trail – 3 miles short, four plus miles long, various long/short opportunities, a couple of fish-hooks and a sweetie-stop. The assistant hares, PP and FF looked after the hashers and Larks looked after the walkers and sweets.
So off we went, longs to the left and quite a lot of shorts to the right.  Shorts included Buzby and Screech who walked to the first check in order to claim the run then vanished, never to be seen again. I’m sure I saw X-bits at the start but then then she too vanished. Endo and I, along with Rise and Shine, stuck with Larks who was being pulled along by the ever-increasing power of his young dog Kura. I think Lark’s should get one of those mountain skate boards then Kura could happily pull him all round the trail.
We came to an open area in the woods for the sweetie stop and waited patiently, discussing women’s sense of navigation, zilch according to Larks, versus all the prowess of male hashers – many-fold according to Larks, although at least Rise-and-Shine got one in about the female ability to multi-task. Thus we passed the time whilst awaiting the arrival of the longs. We could hear them calling and see their lights through the trees, they just didn’t seem to be getting any closer so we opened up the jellies and conversation ceased – you cannot talk with a mouthful of glutinous sticky sweets.
At last the Longs arrived, grabbed their sweets and shot off quickly again, leaving us to follow on the shorter route. It may have been shorter in distance but in time it seemed much longer as we struggled to find the marks in over-grown, boggy tussocky areas of felled woodland. At last we were out, and with ever-dimming torches picked up a wide forest track back to the cars.
In the circle once more there remained only thirteen hashers, three of whom were hares so where did everyone else get to? Spocky-Bitz was RA for the evening and suitably thanked the hares, notwithstanding a potential domestic between FF and PP but actually caused by Lark’s placing a check in the wrong place. Larks and FF drank their beer but PP had to decline – something to do with having eaten marzipan. Damp Patch had a beer for his emerging Movember tache – good on you, keep it growing! Emelda had a beer for being an FRB, so what’s new? Tear-Arse and Mateus Rose didn’t get a down-down – you must make more effort to get noticed you know! Neither did Melon Picker nor Soapy although Havoc barked valiantly in full voice to ensure he was heard. There still remained one beer which was offered to Woof-Woof for apparently calling on when it wasn’t but being off the booze that night she offered it to me but I couldn’t face it and was about to offer it to Endo when Spocky-Bitz claimed it. It seemed he had placed his hand over a blob on top of a post to hide a mark but rumour had it no mark had been placed there so it must have a been a passing bird dropping – Ugh, Yuk, don’t ever shake hands with Spocky-Bitz again.