After last week's rain it was nice to feel the early spring warmth from the sun. Happy Snapper was absent as the circle began, but she appeared shortly afterwards running from the woods. It turned out that a lot of the marks had blown away, or someone suggested that they'd been eaten by snails (do snails eat flour?!). Then some complicated instructions about the trail which we all instantly forgot, and we were off.
The first part of the trail took us into the woods to the north before we looped around, almost back to the start and across the road, through some shiggy, and onto the common. There was a check where we'd had the sweetie stop just a few weeks ago, and the trail took us backwards along that route until we were back on the road again. Bollards and no-name-Pete found a trail up through the woods, while Speedy found another one up onto the common again. Speedy had found the correct route, the other was the way home that we'd enjoy later. A longish stretch before reaching the sweetie stop with some enormous chocolate buttons! I took the hash flash relieving Happy Snapper of her usual duties so that she could appear in the photo as hare. Then some more complicated instructions about the shorts staying behind her and then longs doing the short. Of course we all understood... Anyway what's the worst that could happen... The long was only an extra 2 miles!! Son of the Bitz took it as very literally, and stood very close behind the hare obviously not wanting to do any more trail than was absolutely necessary.
Then there was some serious off-road hashing as we negotiated our way through bushes, across streams and through shiggy. Classic quote from Dark Lord as he'd just led us all across s very shiggy stream "I don't recall this bit". It was great to eventually find some marks, but not so great the realise that we'd gone round in a circle and were back to where we were 10 minutes ago. Perhaps it was deliberate?!?!
Then we were back to the road, which we crossed, and followed the edge of the reservoir, where I was choose to check up away from the reservoir edge into a very prickly gorse covered landscape... There was no chance that the trail went that way, but someone idiothad to check!
Then the short that was the long and the NS that was the short (or something like that). Anyway the trail I did turned out to be a loop, and then we rejoined the NS, and with a bit of a detour towards the end to add 1/2 miles or so, before we were on home.
Thanks to the hares for a great trail, and for Happy Snapper bringing bags to put over our shoes for the extreme shiggy that was on the long (that nobody did!). In the circle we discussed what we should soon name 'Pete', with Tinder as a suggestion as he's looking for a special someone (to help him lay his first trail).
Next week we're at Haldon Belvedere. And please don't forget to RATE THE HASH https://cityofexeterhhh.blogspot.com/p/rate-hash_3.html?m=1
