Today's outing was an unusual success for the HHHH. Only 5 runners came in after dark, of which only 3 had actually been lost. To cap it all only 1 horror was bitten by a mutt and rushed off to hospital for the necessary jabs.

The flower-bedecked hares, one virgin, one fallen, announced 6 checks, 2 and 5 being holding. They named the route the "flower run". As was soon to be seen it ran through Kathmandu's main flower-growing area. In honour of the flowers and the coming Tihar festivities, the GM and his udder were garlanded with mallas and told to keep them on for the run. Only the former followed this instruction, having to suffer the locals' comments of 'look at that idiot' all the way round. The hares also promised exposed summits and blown-away paper.

The run started on 'audio' paper, front-hare Jedi 'on-on-ing' while there was none to be seen. Krishna, Mad Cow and the GM finally had to start pretending it was there, which amazingly got them to check 1. This technique is worthy of more research! From the check it was west around the hill while Tasty led the shortcutters straight up it. This was too much for Leyla who set off alone on what she considered a much more interesting path which just happened to be horizontal.

The hares' false trails were all investigated until at last the Fox found the huge pile of paper leading behind a house and up the pine-clad hill. A hill of Cannuck-trail and Fox proportions, with a summit which never seemed to be reached. But eventually holding check 2 appeared on a saddle with splendid views of the valley. Waiting there were Kate, Courtney, Bethan and Heather who had flower-picked their way up the shortcut. Lao Lover had also decided to reduce local income, arriving with a flower almost obscuring his hair. Paper was hard to find out of the check, so that the hares had to drop a hint to get the pack off east along the top of the hill through fields of flowers. After a steep descent Keeled Over and horror came upon check 3 beside Ichangunarayan temple.

The trail continued on down to a dusty road after which Mad Cow, Krishna, and the GM led through yet more flowers to check 4 by a tree where views of the valley once again appeared. From there the hares' intention was easily worked out and Krishna sped off along the ridge and through Drunk Village straight to holding check 5.

Meanwhile there was trouble at the back. Distressed at not yet having come within hailing distance of a taxi Kate and Bethan found a different excuse for aborting the run. Despite the efforts of the back hare to guide them to the true course, they tagged on to a wedding party on its way to the temple, hoping for a good feed and a glass or two of the local hooch.

Back at the front the pack again researched all the sneaky false trails before proper paper was found leading down east and, worryingly, directly away from the beer. Meticulous paper-followers kept going east then down to the road for a long run in back west, while the infinitely more intelligent Krishna turned straight down and back to arrive first at the cars. It was at this point that Hus Bahadur and The Dog had the argument which the dog took nuclear.

The approaching dusk persuaded the GM to call the circle to order before all MIAs had been accounted for. The hares received a 9.8 for a great run. (Mad Cow had obviously not been up all the false trails.) Newcomer Song was welcomed; as she had arrived too late to actually run the GM promised that this down-down was only a trial. Then the return of Megabyte, Premila, Mikael, Courtney, and Heather was celebrated. At this point Kate, Bethan and Chris arrived back and were immediately transported to the centre of the circle. Bethan stayed in for her virgin's mug, Kate for not returning the hashit last week. This had deprived 69 of his full prize and he pleaded with the GM to get a hand on it. He got more than that as the circle unanimously re-awarded it to him for complicity in the plot to deny cold beer to Hash 1186.

Thoughts of censuring Leyla for failing to meet today's challenge instantly disappeared when she laid a tray of bitsa pizza and scrumptious dips on the tin table. Despite being well after dark the hash did not disperse until the tray was empty.

OnOn

Jedi and Rotter