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Sometimes you get the hangover, and sometimes the hangover gets you… Today was a bit of both, one thing I am sure of is that I drank far too much on Sunday, and it seemed like the hangover kicked in after work as I drove to the runsite…

It was actually 8-Bit that was keen to go to the run. We got to the runsite, that is a stunningly beautiful spot, with a glorious view across a valley – such a shame that someone has been using it as a tip, dumping waste off the side of the hill filling the air with the stench of burning pampers.

The hares sent us off down into the valley with Poo & Crazy German running hard early on. I followed correctly through a few checks, but then had to check the wrong way and was back of the pack as we crossed a “grand canyon” – just a little scramble, before turning left and heading back up the hill to very close to the car. We were 2km in, and I was sorely tempted to call it a day. Instead we headed up the hill with 8-Bit just in front of me – probably better I keep my eye on him a bit longer.

Plenty of good checks kept the pack together and it really was a good set – I wish I was feeling better! Finally I bailed out and headed to the left of the trail. I emerged on the road at the same time the FRBs came running down the hill the other side of the road – great timing, but while they started checking, I was headed back along the road.

By Alice
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In organisational theory you may learn about Peter’s Principle whereby people are promoted to positions of incompetence and stay there. Well Sheepy has obviously been doing some study as he demoted Belly Dancer to paper boy and bag carrier, cancelling any executive powers, and the results were highly encouraging.
A new A-site at the white wat above Ban Pong, virgin paths for your scribe and most of the pack, clearly marked trails and cunning enough checks and falsies. What more could you want? Dogshit to get fucked up? Yes, we even had that!
I did worry as both songthaos and Suckit turned off left when signage indicated right on the way in and then again if the red trucks would make the gradient, but all was well.
We even had a visitor Hurdy Gurdy from Japan, Tokyo H3 and he ignored PigShit’s insult on the bus (If I could fff understand you, I’d probably agree with you..) and seemed to enjoy himself.
The takeaway from the stingray shaped run was Shrek’s lunatic determination to run where walking was sensible and see if he could exhaust himself hauling 100Kg + over steep terrain at altitude. Hopefully he’s recovered to live co-hare CH4 run with me in 2 days.
We headed out into the forest and cut leftish at the first check. We seemed to follow a ridge then descend to a road. From here on it was roughly anticlockwise coming back and we knew UP if it wasn’t A-B. Checks were exactly hard enough given the steepness and general age of the pack. False trails caught the FRBs now and again and kept us together.
The haul up,up,up was hard and luckily for Robin Banks his anal vent worked overtime producing rocket propulsion when needed. Not lucky for the rest of us.
Finally after about 4km we reached the out trail high in the forest and followed powder marks jogging back the last stretch to the wat. I had 4.9km total and loved it.
Circle was finely handled by HRA but I didn’t like a few misery guts calling ‘Short circle’ etc. That needs to stop. Especially as they mostly don’t bother making the effort to give splashes and the longer splashes from Shrek and Belly were worthy and well paced.
ONON CH3, quite a change in tempo and feel from Saturday.

The Conference Centre is very convenient for getting out of work, and being so close to town, everyone was milling around trying to get warm before the run. We set off through the temple, and up the steps – a familiar trail that I haven’t been on for a few years. Up to the barbed wire fence, and I was under it when the first circle check was spotted. I continued up the main obvious trail, and went a bit over 100m before it was finally called in completely the opposite direction. Now I was stuck in a long traffic jam – and given the cold temperature it felt like climbing Everest.

When we emerged at the main trail, the check still hadn’t been called – with most carrying on up the hill to the right. I opted left, and wasn’t far back down the hill when someone called it parallel to my left. I carried on down, and soon enough ran into paper off the next check with Graven. Another check had us headed back up the hill, but I think we got it a little wrong and from looking at strava, I suspect we might have missed a check out. I found another circle, and followed trail backwards for a bit, before letting Brownie do the work and chasing Pussy Whisperer and Angry Inch back up the bloody hill.

By this point, I was already locked into the hares plan – it was a re-set of a run Poo had done some years back. Last time we screwed it up and did a lot of it backwards – this time, we got it right. We were headed back to the outtrail and we suddenly hit a check with absolutely no other options – that was 100m before hitting the main trail again – funny that. I was cruising at the front with Brownie – a great running trail that we were moving at a decent pace on. And then a dirty FT – trail turned off the main trail and I reluctantly followed it, pretty sure it was going to be an FT – it was – a long one…

Meanwhile Strangely Anal had past it by and ran into the hare who asked him why he was there, and then why he was following the arrows in the right direction rather than running in the wrong direction. Interesting questions indeed. Back on trail and the descent was on. When we turned right to head back again, HRA was in front – running, but perhaps more carefully than a few weeks back. I was chasing him down, along with a pack who all had their eyes set on HRA. HRA meanwhile was concentrating on not headbutting any rocks, so nobody spotted that we had run off paper. Some turned back to find a false trail… I was enjoying the trail I was on, so ran it out back to the beer. Nice set.

Another Male hash, and this time I was in time to set off with the pack! This time I also managed to get through the run without seeing Angry Inch’s Angry Inch! Although as we set off, I’m not 100% sure if he was offering a viewing or not!

Poo was itching to get going – he was running before the first check! The first check was a high percentage check as we would probably have spotted trail on the way in if it hadn’t been right. Sure enough Poo was off, only to be thwarted at the second check. I was deliberately taking it steady.

Great trails heading up into the hill – it’s been a while since I’ve been here. Mary Poppins got a bit of a lead, and tried to sneak by quietly after the V check, but he was reined in, and when we hit the main trail Graven took the lead and started to put a few checks together. I was following with Pussy Whisperer, but I kept being fooled by the non-existent false trail. I was sure there must be a FT coming, but nope.

Finally at the top of the hill as we made a sharp right, Graven got one wrong, and it was my turn! And now it was the descent, on a nice running trail! I loved it! Dancing, skipping, bouncing, nice! Then there was a circle, but no obvious trail apart from the great one I was already on! It was heading in the right direction, so I kept going – no paper, but a great running trail, and when the calls came from my left, the trail started turning left. It was too nice a trail for nobody to be running it, so I pressed on. (Is that the most eloquent denial of short cutting ever?)

I rejoined the paper soon after, and the pack were just behind me as I hit a circle out into a field – 50/50, left or right. I picked right, and was right. Shrek now chasing me down. Another check, and I was a bit off to the right. Knowing where home was, I went back to the trail, and accelerated into absolute chaos. No check, but no paper. I looped around in the direction of home, and Suckit was also checking there. Off to the left, way the other side of a lake, I saw Frozen Dick making his way… Hmmmm… There was a call from back to the left, but by now it was a choice of which side of the lake to go. I went the wrong side, and cruised in not far ahead of the pack.

Nice trails!

Praphats farm in Maejo – a great location… As I drove through the farm, I found a strange man stumbling along – yup, it was Libbers… I offered him a ride and he gratefully dragged himself into the car, and immediately started telling me how bad the run was! Although I was tempted to turn around and go home, I stayed to see what he put together…. Sadly for once the hare didn’t lie!

I walked off with Cartoon – his first time in this area. Graven was surprised with no checks early on, and we looped into a field that was overgrown in all directions, and a circle check. Skiddy and I spotted a way that it looked like someone might have tried to get through, and we scrambled along to paper.

I took a dip in the creek while Cartoon laughed at me from behind as trail apparently didn’t go through the creek. Ah well, back on trail and another check took me back to where we’d been just before, but I was on trail despite Shrek and Poo calling from a completely different direction. I understand why the hare was reticent, when trails aren’t there any more, he must have got all kinds of fucked up and just thought sod it.

A V check, I got it wrong but rejoined the trail after being attacked by a greyhound and seeing a poor monkey trapped in a cage. By now the pack was stretched out – no more checks, just trail laid until the way we’d driven in, and we were following hash signs back through the farm. It’s a beautiful location, and a gentle 3.2km route that gave the beer just enough time to cool down. Man Stuff.