Another Yogi Hare classic - the promised one and a half hours turned into well over two, a section of canyoning with no fixed ropes and a lot of trails so well worn that they were about two metres below ground level, so that even Jim couldn't see over the top!

With the Master once again out of town, Towed called the circle to order and appointed Griot as stand-in Master for the day. Clearly a man born to the job, Griot managed to remember that he was supposed to call the Hares into the circle and not much more. A number of checks were announced with 3, 5 and 9 being holding checks. First paper was back down the road towards Kathmandu.

From the road, the trail swung south, then east and up through a small settlement, along the ridge and to Check 1 looking down into the next valley. Then it was further east along the road, with a few SCBs (Run Crafty, Grumble and Towed amongst them) managing to end up in front. After a left turn at a T-junction, the trail then swung back to the north, allowing a host of stragglers to catch up via a massive short cut before Check 2 was encountered at the side of the road. Up to now this had all been in relatively familiar territory from previous runs at this site.

The trail then looped back and along the ridge to Holding Check 3 from where we had a wonderful view of the walkers on the road below. We dropped down to join the walkers on the road, and followed this uphill to find Check 4. The obvious way from here seemed to be up, so that was where most of us went, led by Grumblewald and Keeled Over, with Run Crafty, Steffan and me in hot (well warmish) pursuit. Clearly the trail had to head west from here so we peeled off one by one on a variety of trails heading in that direction.

I rediscovered the paper somewhere after Holding Check 5 and, after checking out what I thought was an obvious spot for a holding check some 100 metres higher up on a shoulder that offered superb views to the south, I heard the dulcet tones of a front-running Night Owl down below. Night Owl continued to lead the way over some thin trails to Check 6 before Grumble and Keeled Over led on from there, with Keeled getting well ahead by the time we reached Check 7, and staying there to guide us to Check 8.
Holding Check 9 was at what we thought might be the top of a stiff climb, but that was not to be. Run Crafty, who had failed to observe the third circle, ran on through, continuing up the hill despite exhortations from the rest of the pack to return. He was to be heard alternately crying "on-on" and "lost paper" from afar, but at least we knew where the trail was heading once the rest of the pack caught up and Yogi instructed us to "check it out". After a bit of a climb the trail turned off to follow a khulo for a while before we hit the canyon. This was a mad scramble and slide down a steep gulley, strewn with large, wet and slippery boulders. We eventually emerged and continued to contour round to the west, after hour and a half thinking we must be due for the Home Run, but this was not to be.

Keeled, Steffan and I had continued even further up from Check 9, when we should have gone down, so were by now at the back of the pack having had twice the length of canyon to negotiate, and arrived at Check 10 to see most of the pack trudging back up the hill in response to Yogi's instructions, having headed downhill on a false (or imaginary) trail.

Then it was through all the gullies for a while, and things became a bit vague from here as fatigue and limitations on memory began to set in. Check 11 was, I think in a little valley and Check 12 was the holding check the Hares forgot in their briefing (and which we all ignored as it was getting too cold by then to stand around in the shade). Check 13 was found further down the road by FRB Run Crafty and at last it looked as if we were headed for the home run. This check fooled no-one but me, who went off through another couple of valleys looking for an alternative to the road all the way home.

All in all an excellent run. and just what I needed to make me about 90 minutes late for the wedding of a colleague's daughter that we had to dash off to just as Griot called the circle to order.

In the absence of Rotter there was a lot less shouting and general clapperclawing in the circle this week. Yes it was quite a civilised circle with Griot 'in-charge' ending up soaked in beer.

The hares were given a good score and and Shiva -- who misled the walkers -- got extra recognition for being a virgin hare. The returning Dead Dog's Dad, and Deputy Dawg, (and Carmi), preceded leavers Dead Dawg and Deputy Dog in getting a beer whilst dogs Midge, Lao Lover's mutt, and Julie got no recognition whatsoever.

An innocent story by the stand-in GM about body parts was rudely interrupted by Grumble. Itchy got done for itching and Keeled and Night Owl were down-downed for being athletic in a dramatic sprint finish to the run. Bigfoot nearly scalped himself and got a down-down for bleeding on the hash for the second week on the row. The Hashit inevitably went to Grumblewald.

It was announced that as a bandh was scheduled for the next Saturday that Hash 1368 would be an inner-city hash starting from Ever Ready's. Little did we know what the next week had in store!

Delayed posting due to the Royal takeover on 1 February 2005. Approved by the Hash Censor.