E-Venn-tful Outing

Controversy reigned at Saturday Run No. 17 as hashers returned from the trail with vastly differing comments on the quality of the run.

“Crap – too short!” announced the incensed Dingaling.

“Crap – illegal markings!” announced the enraged BJ.

“Crap – foolish run!” announced the apoplectic Liberace.

Others were of polar opposite views.

“Great trail – just the right length!” enthused Eunuch.

“Great trail – beautiful!” gushed Oranguwank.

Great trail – superb markings!” raved Mango Groove.

Which just goes to show something or other but I’m buggered if I know what. Perhaps the Hash Venn diagram above can throw some light on the altercation; clearly Liberace belongs in the central field.

Hare Golden Balls had promised a shorter variant of the Free China run he’d set with Gaelle Says No in February, and he wasn’t kidding, with bragging rights going to Stunt Double, who returned in 50 minutes. He was closely followed in by Eunuch, Oranguwank and Dingaling before the three disgruntled hashers started filing in. What went wrong?

Trail left the start at a Kwu Ling Ling Ying Public School on a beautiful afternoon more akin to autumn than March and led out around fields to the north, where Victim solved the first check. After a short forest section trail emerged on Lin Ma Hang Road at the River Ganges Pumping Station, where trail led briefly east to the second check. Runners looked every which way but no trail was to be found. It was at this point that an indignant Gunpowder Plod returned to the start along the road, followed by strollers T-Bird and Electrolux. However Plod was soon regruntled with instructions from the hare on how to get back on trail by short-cutting. Meanwhile, back on Lin Ma Hang Road Liberace eventually solved the check by returning the 30 metres to the pumping station and heading in the opposite direction, i.e., 180 degrees away from the check, which was a “backward” check oft used by Free China hares to sow confusion. The legality of this check was debated for the rest of the afternoon.

From here trail led up an old police road to a Macintosh fort and thence along a ridge, some of it recently burned. Towards the end of this ridge was a hazard the hare had warned about: coming downhill from the trig point a sudden left turn on the edge of a cliff. “S” for “slow” markings on the ground warned people to slow down or walk or else they would run straight over the cliff…there were no casualties.

Crossing a concrete path trail went up steeply on a fixed rope to another top, then dropped down to the south and an overgrown trail leading to the R/W split. From here, the Rambo trail threw a short loop up the dirt bike tracks and back round to rejoin the wimps for a pleasant run home on dirt tracks.

The circle was followed by an on-on at Luen Wo Hui. – Cock of Space

Hare: Golden Balls

Runners: Antiseptic, Velcro Lips, Catch Of The Day, Dram, Liberace, Luk Dim Boon, Stunt Double, Hoover, Electrolux, BJ, Gunpowder Plod, Mango Groove, Golden Jelly, Oranguwank, Eunuch, T-Bird, Dingaling, Victim

Non-runners: Overdue, Eunuch’s kids