Part 1: The Fox:

Fifteen of the faithful braved Saturday traffic, rain and a rocky finish to drive to the MOST impressive run site. They were orphaned by their beloved FINGERINTHEDIKE who had (wisely) taken his family to Pokhara. Five unsuspecting newcomers, two of whom were the only ladies on the run, joined the ten veterans for what we hoped would be an easy trot with Ashok as guide. Ashok seems to have left the planning to Retired Col. Deep Rana, who spent years in the rugged Nepalese mountains defending his country. The plan was good except that there is a difference in length between the average Hash and the average Nepalese Army forced march. The run had its typical start with the Rotter heading off on the home trail. Because we were only 50 meters into the run Ashok was not too far behind and called Rotter back before he had a chance to run the whole course backwards. Paper lead us upstream along the river, through corn and rice fields to check one. Then we came to the part Deep did NOT plan. He and Ashok must have given the ROADRUNNER some paper as commanded, "UP!" With as much enthusiasm and foresight as FINGERINTHEDIKE'S dog has, ROADRUNNER must have LOVED charging up the cliff-like slope dropping paper here and there. Matt found paper and attacked the hill with soon-to-be-lost vigor. At this point we BADLY missed FINGERINTHEDIKE, for there were choice words in Newari, English, German, French, Danish and Nepali, but none in Dutch. The pack staggered to holding check two on the ridge, to find Deep sauntering up a perfectly good trail.

Then the run was pure joy, heading east and south along the ridge, with slight ups and downs. The FOX somehow found paper and soon Torsten passed him and found paper from check three to holding check four (a possible Hash Weekend campsite). We headed down a slippery but runable trail to check five, half way down, where the only reasonable trail went up, where the FOX checked, while the paper went down. Life got pretty slippery then but we slithered to check six on the first available rice field. A loop west took us to check seven and on to beer and snacks at the school.

The Circle was short due to failing light (we got back at 6:00 P.M.) and the call to politeness for we were in the school quadrangle. The Hashit was not even unveiled and no one was allowed to spill beer or swear. The HASHIT went to Torsten, who in a fit of generosity, sent e-mail to the gang offering to drive anyone to the hash. We were impressed as was Torsten's boss whose home phone number Torsten had given us to contact. The poor man handled all the strange phone calls very well.

Special thanks to Gomathy Venkateswar, Principal, Malpi International School for the great hospitality. Be warned: In drier weather we WILL be back.

Part 2: Desert Fox:

Starting from Pulchowki Base Camp. The Base Camp is located on the southern slopes of Pulchowki, where the snow melts earlier and the rhododendron foliage gets into flower before anywhere else. The last supply depot can be found in Panauti, a peaceful village nestled at the shores of a mountain stream. Near the Base Camp is the Malpi International Mountaineering Institute (MIMI). This Institute was founded just recently by some 15 energetic admirers of mountaineering. One of them looks back on a long history of Hash education. Checking the climbing gear for the last time the pack went off. Conquering in good mood cliff after cliff by exchanging exhausted front climbers as often as possible. Finally an icy windswept ridge was reached from where the the back hare could be directed from above in order not to get lost. But more sheer walls had to be tackled, until the pack reached the summit of an unnamed peak from where the pack would have had superb sweeping views of steep gullies, rushing torrents, rolling hills and gilded temples, if the clouds had not isolated completely the pack. But the worst had still to come. As the steepest and most slippery walls of fine clay were chosen, the pack tested different abseil-techniques. As it was observed, the most successful and the most elegant method was somersaulting. However, some inexperienced visitors tried to survive with the ancient technique of crawling with head, hands and feet. Astonishingly, nobody got lost and so far no altitude sickness was observed. The medical staff of the Mountaineering Institute did their best to treat cuts and wounds and the Institute's Management gave the pack a treat with very much welcomed hot drinks and hand-made snacks, followed by a desert. Because of this hospitality everyone recovered so far to be able to leave the Base Camp unaided. But some problems remained unsolved, e.g. how to place paper on vertical cliffs and how to tackle leopards with cubs. One thing remains in mystery: Where was the Mismanagement ? Did it go to Pokhara to purchase second-hand climbing ropes, did it exercise secretly somersaults or got it stuck in a hotel lift when load shedding started ?

"Grand Master's (in absence) note: Next run I will bring my DOG along to sniff the paper for me!"