Tag Archives: Square Rooter

10th June – CH3 – Square Rooter

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Uhoh… Square Rooter as the hare… and he’s chosen the Boy Scout Camp… We know you can’t find a flat run there, but somehow Sqroot always manages to find even higher hills for us to climb. I was searching for excuses – some niggling injuries, perhaps overworked? But the runsite was right next to my office, and I would have to drive past it to get home. Oh well, lets give it a go…

It started as expected with the trail leading straight up the side of a waterfall, and it didn’t get much better! The hare had warned us not to check to the left at the first circle, but the trail set off to the left anyway, but only briefly before a steep scramble down (the last we saw of Belly Dancer), only to start climbing again – relentlessly.

There was a brief moment of enjoyment as Turkish Delight enthusiastically followed trail up a steep part only to find a circle and have to come back down again. Finally we reached the ‘top’ and started descending. Newly named ‘I-Ran’ took a nasty tumble and bleed his way back to the circle. Exhausted! About 3km, but a good 45 minutes work out – longer for Belly who came in from the wrong direction some time later.

2nd June – CH4 – HRA

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Following over complicated directions took us to the A bucket behind the Ag Centre, a familiar area. Looking around at the start, it looked like Semen Sores would have to help with some checking – except, he decided to have a restful day, strolling along with Tip Toe, leaving Square Rooter to help me with the checks. We set off in a slightly different direction – this was good, had HRA found some new trails?

I ran up the first hill with Belly Dancer, and at the first check, chose to go left towards some trails that I hadn’t run before. Sadly it was off to the right back towards the familiar waterfall, but not before Frozen had confused everyone with a false call. Anyway, we slid down into a dry stream bed (apart from Blue Tit, who turned back head spinning from the previous night’s hangover!) Along the creekbed and then up a steep path the other side – I got a check right! Behind me, SR had developed a cunning strategy – if I got the check right, he’d wait at the check for me to call it, but if I was wrong, he’d go and check the right trail. Seriously he didn’t put a foot wrong, while I was all over the place.

Finally we turned down the hill along the usual route down to the waterfall cafe. At last I was home free – but this late in the run I was caught up behind Tip Toe, Cumalot, Screwed Up etc. Somehow the hare had done a stellar job of keeping the pack together. Nice <5km on some nice trails – 46 minutes, ideal!

19th May – CH4 – Chuck Wao

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Chuckie is meticulous about the planning and execution of his runs and stepped in for Throbbing Ninja at the familiar fire prevention centre. With a group of virgins and visitors we set off and I immediately got the first check wrong, but was still ahead by the 2nd. Wrong again, and as I came back Square Rooter was calling from up the hill. It seemed a long way to the paper – at least 101 metres, and as said CW would never go above 100m. Sure enough the sweeping CW called me back. Over half the pack, including all the FRBs were already careering up the hill but I dutifully went back to find the real trail.

It was around the lake and as I passed Burrito Butt, I realised I would be on my own for a while! Foxy Cleopatra, Itchy Bitchy & Quiet Please were there to support, and after a couple more km we got back to where Square Rooter had led the pack astray. I wouldn’t be seeing them again, but finally CW came into view doing a reverse sweep and dynamically setting and resetting the run.

All smiles back at the circle. Most were happy to have short cut and dived straight into the beers. The circle had some good moments, most notably Suckit’s hoorah before heading back again.

Sat 18th May – CSH3 – Chilly Pussy

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When Chilly Pussy and Anything get together, they are evil… Last year they set the 2 most brutal runs of the year, what would today have to offer?? Belly Dancer had to make his own lunch as Anything wasn’t back in time from setting it – ominous! I’ve not really run for a few weeks, but None of Your Business was keen to go along, so I dragged myself out to the runsite – near Ob Kham.

We set off and for the first km or so there were no checks – Chuckie and I just ran along together until the trail turned right into a familiar quarry area. THe first V check had CW go up the hill and me go around the bottom – I hit the check back, but there are only 2 real options, and both trails meet up again, so I paralleled. We lost sight of paper a few times, but picked our way to a circle, after which the trail started heading up. Man it was hot!

We climbed with Skiddy not so far behind with I Got Gas. Another couple of checks had me and CW working as a team, with a group within earshot behind. The trail arced up a ridge to the critical point – is it going left or right? Right seemed further, but it was back towards Chilly Pussy’s house, and where Belly had been seen darting off towards at the start of the run.

We were still out in the middle of the jungle, and a circle check. It turned out to be the last circle check, even though there was a good few km to go, complete with twists and turns. Brutal? Yes, very! Anyway, I got it wrong, and made a bad call arcing around, so ended up way off the pace. Did I mention the heat? And my trainers were causing blisters. We still had a few hills to go. Up and down, aaaargh!

I saw Square Rooter behind me, and finally caught up with I Got Gas, Skiddy, and saw some guy from Phuket a bit ahead. It turns out Throbbing Ninja snuck through while I was checking as well, and she ran a phenomenal run. Where did that come from? The last runners were in the dark. Brutal – yes!

On On On at Barbindoll’s new restaurant – the good turn out had them struggling for chairs! 😀

14th April – CH4 – Graven Image

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With Songkran still in full swing, it wasn’t clear how many would manage to get to the runsite – even though Graven had chosen one close to the town at the Boy Scout Camp. As it happened there was a reasonable turnout, with a few visitors appearing from the US. Graven told us how Angry (his cohare) had managed to short cut the run set, and what could have been 6km was now 3km. Whatever – it was hot as hell.

I set off with Chuckie & HRA and straight away the trail went up. It’s kind of difficult to set a flat run at the boy scout camp, nestled at the base of Doi Suthep, but fortunately the hares weren’t going to be too evil. At the 2nd check, most carried on up the hill checking, while I headed along the flat and down a little slope. I was on, but it took me forever to find the powder. Dumbass.

Then came the “Skiddy Sticks”. Some miscommunication between the two hares had the sticks at a small tunnel, with the trail continuing from about 5 metres further on. NOT back, as expected with Skiddy Sticks, but further along the trail… Confusion ruled, with CW running backwards and forwards along a partially built aqueduct (spelt it right this time!) Square Rooter had a sit down to get his head straight.

Back down a waterfall with a last little climb back over the ridge and we were home. Not too bad, just the right length, and it ate the time up with the way we screwed it up.

6th April – CSH3 – HRA

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With heads suffering from Animal Dinner excesses, there was a small fragile group assembled at Huay Tung Thao in the hope that HRA would be gentle with us. He’d been drinking heavily the day before, so surely he wouldn’t have had the energy for anything too taxing?

Graven & Angry were lively, having missed out on the previous evening, and Angry set the early running as we weaved nicely along some flat trails at the edge of the lake. Along to the guard house, and a set of skiddy sticks. I was already losing the pace and the trail turned abruptly up the waterfall… I stood and contemplated for a while, as it is a long way up, with little choices for where to come down.

What the hell, I didn’t want beer yet anyway, so I started climbing, and climbing, and climbing… Scrambling over fallen trees up into the heavens. YOU BASTARD HRA! I hate hills even more so when hungover, and this was just not fun. Finally it leveled out and for a while at least I could run downhill passing Mind Your Nuts, Humperdick and I Got Gas. Chuck Wao was probably in the worst state – he went for a stroll with Square Rooter!

The circle was a quiet affair with little energy! Damn the Animal Dinner!

25th March, CH3, Byte My Yahoo

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So what to expect from Cuddly Ken – Chiang Mai’s most innocent and alluring male Hasher (as well as most intelligent) … hummm … he hates hills, to date has set great running trails and is dab hand at the BBQ.

With a little telegraphing he’d be setting a slightly longer run – after both CSH3 and CH4 both >7km affairs – there was a certain degree of trepidation about what BmY had in store for us. None of this was eased when arriving at the A bucket – with him going on about how he’d set the run at 6AM and had been rehydrating on beer ever since – he even quipped to Belly Dancer that he had some doubt if BD would even make it back – I began to think there might be a muaahh aspect to this run.

The hare brief was absurdly short – just circle checks – and off out we were sent down a dirt road and it was 800m before the first circle check appeared – those who’d attempted None of Your Business’s storm truncated CH4 run had some advantage and soon found trail – and this continued with copious checks keeping us all together until the ‘hill’!

Hill – WTF – this is BmY – who professes to hate hills, and no small hill at that – up and up the bastard went and apart from the specially invited FRB In and Out – who checked like a demon all over the place and still ran up the mountain – the weary pack ground their way up BmY’s hellish rock strewn trail.

At the ‘top’ of course there was a check and the pack was all over the place looking for the trail – Kwazi Moto declared no more hills for him and vanished somewhere, leaving BD with Square Rooter and Dog Shit. Of course they sailed down the hill – rather rock strewn death trap – and fortunately Square Rooter held back long enough to indicate where the trail headed (right) – Doggy vanished – perhaps he found the real (nice & safe) trail Humprdick had found but the circle check had been kicked out straight down the 27’ slope!

Way down nearing the bottom of the slope of death – HRA appeared with Angry Inch who’d lost his GPS in an earlier tumble, and HRA valiantly assisted BD down the most evil part of the hill. Into the gully and putting a little cantor on with HRA – we got back in touch with Square Rooter and Semen Soars and later on Fishy Finger too. Up the slope Horny Monkey was commanding everyone to stick together which was much appreciated.

At last into what we were expecting from a BmY run – the more familiar dirt trails and with some disgust – black top/concrete road which had checks a plenty.

At the point where we came to the quarry we were all very close together – Humperdick appearing from left field after checking behind a wall for 400m – with a glance a GPS showing ~1km to the A bucket and the sun well and truly set – HRA again kindly stick with me and a ghostly Graven Image came up on our rear as BmY’s final evil twist of a stinking stream had to be navigated before the final jog in along 800m of filthy dirt road.

Amazingly BmY achieved the rare feat of getting the whole pack in (ex a short cutting Kwazi) with ~ 10 minutes of each other. In and Out and Graven Image had ~10km on their GPS and I had 7.4km.

A tough run – a bit bigger postage stamps would have helped on the confidence of not getting lost in the dark – but a well set run. BmY did deliver on expectations in the BBQ department – I don’t believe he made the burgers but thanks for a good feed and Horny led an entertaining circle.

OnOn
BD

24th March – CH4 – Human Excrement

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Human Ex teamed up with Frozen Dick out in ‘my’ area past Doi Saket. It was Frozen’s birthday run, and the free t-shirts are always appreciated! A slightly different A-site, and the hares were busy trying to feed false information out to us.

We set off through the field that FD had used on a Saturday recently – interesting that he’d chosen a different A-site, but as I jogged along I remembered Skiddy’s faceplant. It had to go left and into the hills, where FD is proud of having found some ‘new’ trails. As we cut up the hill, there was perhaps a trail, but quickly we were into the shiggy, clambering over rocks on a steep ascent. I lucked out at the first set of ‘hybrid skiddy check’, but with the previous days run in my legs, I did all I could just to keep going.

Sure enough we scrambled our way across to the great running trail in the valley behind, and Graven took off with Angry Inch. They could pick up the 2nd powder bottle, but when we set off back over the hill, I was done… My legs were really struggling, but I caught up with the pack as they searched a very tricky check just over the ridge. Turns out it went back, right and up. It took Graven an age to find it, and by the time he did, most of us had bailed, with only Square Rooter to follow him.

Humperdick & HRA set off in search of their partners, who were already sitting at the songthaew. The rest of us started appearing from all directions, bailing with GPS assists.

25th Feb – CH3 – Horny Monkey

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So, Horny’s the hare… ugh! Well I guess I may as well show up – it’s a holiday afterall! I was first to the runsite and one by one the rest showed up – to a man, they emerged from their cars to say “aaah, this is where Horny Monkey set that shitty run at the start of his CSH3 GMShip!” Indeed, it was ominous. Given that that run was considered the worst run in hash history, why did Horny go out to try and make a worse run today???

I have a house in a moobahn… and could choose to run around it any day… I have friends who have houses in moobahns, and if so inclined I could run around their villages too… But I don’t choose to – because it’s boring! I choose to hash, because it’s fun. I don’t really get showing up at a moobahn where none of us know anyone, and deciding to run around there?! Should we “wow” and the nice houses? ogle their teenagers? pay homage to their tennis court? perhaps buy a property there?

I’ve set a completely shitty run at Huay Tung Thao before, and been back and admittedly set another torrid attempt there, but each time I’ve been I’ve attempted to improve on previous efforts. I digress, but for me that line of thought was more interesting than today’s “run”.

So, on to todays run – we set off, we ran a bit, and ended up back where we started.

The circle was pretty good! Horny got dutifully punished, sweet dreams dude! Given that nowhere’s selling beer, it went longer than most, but even Square Rooter was entertaining!

25th December – CH3 – Square Rooter

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9 of us showed up for Rooter’s Christmas Run, set from a familiar site at Huay Tung Thao. Indeed SR had taken us running through there just last week, so I wondered if we’d have the same run from a different starting point. Not to be as he took us into the housing development. Belly Dancer was chomping at the bit as usual, but it was myself and None of Your Business checking at the first circle.

With an area constrained by the houses and the river, I went about 100m and saw some paper in the distance, sure enough I got there a little before None of Your Business came around the hill on the true trail. The next check foxed me as the hare had chosen the shiggy crossing of the water and taken us over to the trail at the bottom of the mountain.

Here I was convinced I knew what the hare had in mind and set off to the left. There was the paper, and sure enough at the next corner was another circle. This time I set off right towards the water fall and a familiar little loop, but no paper! As Mr Poo called from the trail my head was confused – what on earth was he doing – surely not taking us all the way up the hill, and surely not out to the canal road? It wasn’t A->B, so how could we get back around?

Graven Image joined us as we got to another check, and he reluctantly called us on up the hill. ARGH! I’ve scouted this area quite a bit, and if there is a way to get around, it must be way up the hill… At the next checks he had us all over the place, searching higher and higher up the mountain, but with no sign of paper. Belly Dancer (yes you read it right!), got the last check right as it went along the trail that takes us straight back to where we’d just been – nobody wanted to check it.

I passed BD as he started extending his stick to help him on the downhill, and sure enough we were back on the main trail, but the checks had been replaced with arrows and we soon caught the devious hare as he ambled back along the trail that he’d relaid. Nice one!