Hashing in Chiang Mai is resuming, and the Happy Hash met out in Maejo and the small mosquito infested shelter on the way to the Tiger’s Head. Softballs was the hare, but he had taken ABB out the week before to have a look around – ABB happened to use his GPS, and was a little slow hiding his track – slow enough that one hasher may just have had a peek at what was in store… 😉
I took Terrabyte along for the exercise, but went home before the circle. On the way, the lad clearly had racist tendencies – chip off the old block? Anyway, we set off and it was over the weir, but on the other side there was no check… Huh? Surely we would be turning left like ABB did last week? Along to the right and a circle – damnit – typical ABB… But I was committed now, I had to keep going and head up the hill a little, until eventually the inevitable call from way back in the opposite direction. I think Emma Royde got it right, so CW and I took off in pursuit debating whether we would see Emma again after such a long check.
The next check was already solved and we were chasing down Emma, until he appeared behind us having been fooled by “not a check”. Somehow I was leading, with CW close behind asking me why his smart TV wasn’t very smart any more… My brain can continue conversations while I’m running, but I struggle to answer, so concentrated on keeping plugging away. As I passed a small trail to the left, I pointed and told CW it was probably that way, and sure enough another 50m or so I hit another check. Despite telling people that it was probably back again, EVERYBODY followed me like sheep… I couldn’t just go back to the previous junction, so I looped around to the main trail and of course found paper where I expected heading towards the Tiger’s Head.
The pace was pretty decent, but I’d stolen a yard or two and managed to extend a little lead after going past the buildings and up the hill. Another “not a check”, with a check some way past it, and surely another back check – but once again as leader I had no choice but to continue and once again looped around to join Emma back at the front. Another check, and Emma was wrong, and I once again gained an advantage, but promptly misjudged where I was and got a check badly wrong. As I came back there was a long stream of hashers passing by, including Terrabyte who wasn’t going to get it that easily. It was a pleasant descent and once again the pace kept ticking over. A couple of confusing checks that ended up being just straight on had me back in pole, but with CW and Piggy right behind along with HRA and the boy. We past several trails off to the left, and it had to be one of them. A bad time to be leading as it was for sure another back check. Damnit! You are only as good as your last check, and I was thwarted at the death – great trail though and good to be back!