Monday, June 8

7th June- White Cross CP - Chip Shop, Dr Jekyll + Mr Hyde



Despite the previous days weather and a bad forecast some 30 hashers arrived at White Cross CP in the sunshine. Chip Shop informed us that actually most of the hash had been laid by Jekyll and Hyde, although as it turned out....you'd never have known, Jekyll didn't seem to be able to find the trail any better than the rest of us at times!
We were told it was laid in flour on the left...........no, right, with some fish hooks and a sweetie stop. There were warnings of a very slippery steep slope further into the trail, so any children or pregnant people could circumnavigate this if needs be. We set off coming to a standstill again about 10m further down the car park while there was a lot of loitering while the trail was being checked out.
After a couple of checks and a few more 'on-backs' called by the hares, the slippery slope appeared. After being well trained by Radiohead never to wimp out of anything, Tuned In gamely decided to take the difficult option and promptly fell on her arse after about 3 seconds! After all with 2 doctors, a midwife, a casualty nurse and numerous first aiders what could possibly go wrong???!!! Everyone made it down the slope unscathed if not as clean as they were before. On to a regroup where we had time for a quick hash flash before making our way back uphill again. This was to be a theme for the day, downhill, uphill, downhill, uphill. At the top of this latest hill at the regroup after much searching but not much calling, Jekyll called everyone on on. There quickly followed a discussion between Chip Shop and Jekyll as to whether it was on on that way and everyone was shortly called on back to head off in the direction of Hyde, it soon became apparent which hare was the best bet to follow!
On to a long/short split which led us up to Fire Beacon for the sweetie stop overlooking the Sidmouth and the sea beyond. I fancy there was a distinct lack of E numbers at the sweetie stop with some healthy options being introduced, namely some sort of dried fruit and nuts mix (tho' very tasty). Who let the health care professionals buy the sweets!!!
On On a little bit further where poor Chesty fell over (through lack of refined sugars??) and cut her hand and elbow and bruised her wrist :-(
We then came across another steep downhill only for there to be a back check half way down....very sneaky. So all those FRB's came back up to meet us slow coaches and set off in the other direction, down one path and up the other side. From here it was a reasonably straight run, punctuated by a few fish hooks, all the way up to the on home.
Fines were handed out by the sheriff, mostly to Jekyll for using nerd names, not knowing where the trail went despite being a co-hare. Chesty and Stat Nav got fined for having a faulty brake light for ages and having the police wake them up to return their number plate that Chesty lost in the flash floods the day before.
3 of the new hashers, of the child flavour, were named too. Tarzan, who had to drink his out of his shoe as they were new (I emphasize the word 'were'!) Baloo and Keep Going, who adopted the mantra all the way round of 'must keep going'.
On On to next weeks joint hash with Taunton at Wheathill Plantation CP, Woodbury Common. Take the turning off the main common road signposted Squabmoor Resevoir, and its the car park on the right at the top of the hill PAST Squabmoor car park. There will be a bbq on The Maer in Exmouth afterwards.