Monday, January 11

10th January - Core Copse - Chip Shop


Well our hare Slipshod, (I still think our Sheriffs adaptation of the name to Chip Shop is far better, let me know if you agree? ED), certainly pulled out all of the stops for today's run having spent some of Saturday and three hours today laying the trail and what a trail it turned out to be. Seventeen hashers braved the winter elements and arrived today dressed for the occasion in a variety of colourful winter garments with hats to match, what a sight they looked as they stood on parade in the circle, whilst five hash hounds just wandered around in their normal attire, just fur, as if they were thinking these hashers are barking mad. Anyway back in the human world the hare explained his trail, he went into great detail regarding how the route was marked, informing us that he had laid three quarters of it using sawdust the final quarter laid with snow. Snow! The whole area had received a carpet of snow so how does that work the pack asked sounding like choir. Then the hare revealed that he had run out of sawdust and decided to use the snow to make hash mounds of various sizes, what a clever hare to come up with an emergency solution.
We set off, the hare telling us to run to the check at a gate some 200 metres away, once at the check the hare realised he had not laid any check marks, this caused some confusion for several minutes with hashers darting around in all directions, he decided to draw a check in the snow. It was rather convenient that both Tuned-In and Ring Piece seemed to receive some sort of signal to go in a certain direction close to where this artistic snow check had been created. We now found ourselves zig zagging between the snow covered trees it was indeed a winter wonderland or was it blunderland as we kept losing then finding the trail. Checks came and went and several times, in the far distance, if that makes sense, we could hear the distance cry of a lone wolf, only to be re-assured that it was Howling Wolf by our able scouts Spockybitz and Paperwork. There were plenty of opportunities to both slip and slide but it would appear that on close inspection none of the pack suffered any ill effects according to our nursey Horny Woman.
There were two long/short splits the first of which took the longs down to the bottom of the valley the was covered in snow and as the shorts went off in another direction the the calls of on-on became fainter and fainter until silence return to the forest except for a small group of hashers waiting at the hash halt for the longs to appear. After about ten minutes the distance sound of crunching snow could be heard then from around a bend appeared a border collie, there were three on todays hash. Then the dog vanished then returned only this time with a hasher in tow, Ben the Dog had managed to encourage his master, Tampa, up to the hash halt. What a dog that Ben is! This halt was in fact the sweet stop the hare treating us to three varieties, including chocolate raisins no less......future hares take note! Once devoured we pressed on ploughing through the snow to the next long/short when we rejoined as a complete pack one wondered how our hare managed to synchronise
the arrive of both groups at the same time. However one hasher did emerge from the forest a little later. What has he been doing in that forest was heard from several voices in the cold morning air!
Finally we were back at the car park, our starting point, where we were treated to coffee care of Spockybitz, what a boy, the pack were very grateful for this gesture. Then came the circle where the sheriff fined the hare for a range of offences including drawing hash symbols on the trail and running out of sawdust. Ring Piece was fined for having technology on the hash, a mobile phone with a Benny Hill Show tune which was heard whilst in the frozen environment. Finally Chesty told us that she is going to work in London for six months, we will miss you and wish you all the best in London. (Miss you already Chesty - ED xxxx)