Henceforth to be known as Back Check Billy, this week’s Hare was nowhere to be seen when the first brave Bandh-breaking Brits (Mark, Towed and respective families) arrived at the site. Thanks to the hastily arranged Bandh, there were few others that had turned up by the appointed hour of 15.00 but at least The Fox had returned to provide the run briefing. Eight checks were announced, with 4 and 7 holding and, other than that, nothing much else at all. First paper was off up the road to Phulchoki.

The trail continued up the road through Checks 1 and 2, both back checks on side trails and to Check 3, another back check but this time leading on to a trail climbing steeply up the west side of the valley to Holding Check 4 at a lovely spot in a saddle, where five options for the trail gave the pack plenty to think about.

The trail from here, when eventually discovered by Grumblewald, contoured around the valley first south, then east. Checks 5 and 6 were in similar vein to 1 and 2, back checks on small side trails, before we reached the road again and holding Check 7. After waiting around for five minutes or so the four FRBs - Rotter, Grumblewald, Lost Ark and Towed - decided to check it out. The first three decided to check the trail of paper leading straight out from the check and down the road whilst Towed set off on the continuation of the trail across the road and was soon on paper heading down what looked like the old main trail.

The walkers were soon caught up on this steep descent before Check 8, behind the temple was found. From here most went straight out onto the road and home, ignoring the parallel in-trail carefully laid by the Hare. On reaching the On-In we found latecomers Rodent and Kilroy awaiting our return so they could open the beer.

The rest of the proceedings are barely worth recording. This was to be one of the most classically mis-managed circles that the GM has been proud to preside over. It started with him telling Kilroy to shut up - a fairly pointless request in anyone’s book. The miracle was that it worked for almost thirty whole seconds. The Fox was called in to the centre and after a few brief comments from the pack was thereafter ignored by the GM. Not content with being ignored, The Fox proceeded to accuse Towed and the Master of private partying. A score of 9.9 was subsequently awarded but no down-down was given and The Fox was left clutching his mug whilst the proceedings carried on around him.

The four FRBs, Rotter, Grumblewald, Lost Ark and Towed, were duly chastised for not waiting for the other runners at Holding Check 7. Virgins Fiona, Nick, Rebecca and Sarah visiting Helen, Rabbitt and family were welcomed but by this time The Fox was becoming so bored that he started handing out hash snacks in an effort to liven up the proceedings.

This astute move appeared to have failed when a number of hashers decided to leave, so the Master quickly awarded latecomer Rodent the Hashit before he left. Rodent’s excuse for being late - that his flight from Pokhara was four hours late, he had to walk from the airport to his house to collect his bike and then cycle all the way out to Godavari was not accepted. Returnees Mark, Tom and Louis also had their departures delayed and finally the Hare was awarded his well deserved down-down.

Other late down-downs were awarded to:

Thanks to the Hare for an excellent run and to Mrs Rotter for the balls.