Run - 1846 - 12th March 2023
Run – 1846 – 12th March 2023
Hares: Red Hot Chili, Lilo Lil
Run number: 1846
Location: Cártama, on the banks of the Guadalhorce
Visitors: Smiling from Behind and Wide Open from La Paz, Carol from Scotland
Anniversaries: Chicken George 65, Five Knuckle Shuffle 175, Cardinal Colonic 515
Hashers: 25
Run score: 9.5
First of all a big shout out to today's hares. Red Hot Chili volunteered (was volunteered?)
a couple of weeks ago when she wasn't even in the country. Then Lilo Lil, discovering
that Red Hot Chili was going solo, stepped up to the plate. And the day before the big
event Lilo Lil was on her deathbed but, not wanting to leave her fellow hasher in the
lurch, dragged herself out of bed on Sunday morning.
In stark contrast to some of the ballbreakers we have had recently today's trail was a
runners' run, well marked, flat as a pancake with barely a change in elevation the whole
way and smooth underfoot. No rocks to climb and not a dry riverbed to scramble along in
sight (unless you were the FRB being sucked into a check back).
We had two visitors who last hashed some time ago in La Paz. They moved to Spain and,
a year ago, to the Costa del Sol and it's taken them till now to join us. Wide Open,
apparently, was keen to get back to hashing but Smiling from Behind was worried she
wouldn't make it up the hills we have in this neck of the woods. You hashed in La Paz for
Christ's sake. At an altitude of over 3,000 meters. You can't run more than a few hundred
meters there without being knackered. And you're scared of our little hills?
And off we went along the side of a river, past some lemon groves and then a split. I
headed right along a rocky path. After three or four marks I could still see the split and
called on when the next hasher appeared. I kept going and, eventually, after twelve or
more marks I came to F X BACK, a mark I have not seen in thirty years of hashing.
Anyway I understood it meant we were screwed so back we went.
The hares had told us that apart from checks and splits there were a number of check
backs. I'm a great lover of check backs, the one way to guarantee that the FRBs are reined
in. Checks are great too but if the FRB chooses correctly, he/she gets further ahead. Now
I know there are no rules on the hash but check backs should not lead back to a check. If
it does this it's really a check with a long false trail. Which, in itself, is fine except that
once you've established that it's 15 marks and you're on the FRB can never be sure he/she
is on so won't go back and mark the check. There were, as promised, several check backs
and not all of them led back to a check.
On one of them there was nothing to be found at the first possible path. On the second
possible path there was a trail, six of seven blobs of flour along the riverbed. But then
nothing. Confusion reigned. The next possible option was a long way back but it turned
out to be the right way and I reached the turn off just as the DFLs (that's dead fucking last
for those not up on their hash terminology) got there. So that really kept the pack
together. But what happened to the idea that from a check back you go back to the last
intersection?
We ploughed on in similar vein to the drink check and from there we headed into town
and I must say I enjoyed running through the town, not something we do very often. And
then, oh dear, a check in the town. There were options galore. I was hoping I was on trail
but after ten or so marks a CB. We tried every which way but to no avail. Eventually we
found another check but no more marks in the vicinity. Apparently that check shouldn't
have been there but the hares forgot to erase it. A couple of hashers, purely by chance,
did find the trail but the rest of us just headed back to the cars, where the circle was set up
in the shade.
Excellent on on at Alto El Fuego, an Argentinian grill. Three days later we're still eating
the meat we couldn't finish at the restaurant. Great trail, great circle, great on on. Well
done ladies.
On On
Dogface