The Long Awaited Run 1111

Sunday 11 November 2012

Sunday 11/11/11 + 1

Priory Marina, Bedford

Hares: Legs 11, Rapid & Ringer

HASHERS: 30  ANKLE BITERS: 4  MUTTS: 2  NEWEE: 1  APRES: 2

After months of meticulous planning, the day before the Great Day arrived; the Hares made a quick re-run of the route so carefully crafted to bring untold joy and pleasure to the expected throng - a run with Many Checks and eXcellent Initiatives. What do we find? Ducks swimming down one of the main footpaths!! Oh duck, we thought as a Plan B was suddenly needed. Still at least the weather forecast for the morn was promising. And what a day it proved to be; one of the finest November days Pongo could imagine.

Resplendently garbed pirates assembled, together with a couple of others - Forkin' was one - who were trying to flog dodgy copies of DVDs [pirate copies geddit?]. Joined by newie Shopaholic, we circled up for the customary two-minute silence at 11 o'clock, preceded by the reading by Submissive of that very fine war poem Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, after which the circle was rudely interrup...

Cap'n Whinger [with dodgy accent]: Right you scurvy dogs, listen up. Cap'n Rabid and I have captured this 'ere fair maiden [Legs 11] and are holding her ransom until you lot find the treasure; you'll need this map to help find it.

Cap'n Rabid: ...oh aarrrrrrrrr, and to make sure none of you goes missing, you're all going to be electronically tagged [distinctive green wrist bands bearing the legend H5 MCXI 11/11/11 + 1 were issued to all Hashers]. Keep a look out for Pieces of Eight as well you scurvy dogs. [btw guys, the solution to pirates' scurvy problem is to eat the fruit and veg – simples!]

Cap'n Whinger: and another thing, due to the delayed start [11.11am], the tide in now in, so you land-lubbers are all likely to get your little tooties wet.

And so, it being 11.11am precisely, the pack set off in search of the treasure. Along the side of the lake we went until we diverted off to the Labyrinth. Now while the majority followed the pathway inside, some Hashers of slender proportion decided to squeeze through the gaps between the planks forming the labyrinth – SCBs! A check at the exit led to the first of the, shall we say moist stretches, and some fine shiggy. Following along by the side of the river we came to a clearing marked with an X-check; X marks the spot...find the treasure. Underlay came up trumps, spotting the marker stake in the ground and the nearby wooden chest, which when opened was found to hold a trove of gold and silver [chocolate] coins.

The next section involved the first of what would turn out to be a series of 8-to-the-back checks [Pieces of Eight yea?], some wading – Twicza and a couple of other wimps found a way round, but it probably wasn't a lot drier – crossing the path of the old railway line - which of course Fat Controller eagerly pointed out - and a couple of bridges; more later on the bridges. Leaving the country park we ventured onto pathways around the local houses. How did you manage to get into (and out of) that storm ditch Pecker? [btw never let Skippy and the Peckerettes loose with a sword]. The planned return route would have taken us back by the river, where a walk-the-plank rum stop had been intended, before the ducks took it over. So we had to keep to the road a bit longer until we could get back to water meadow again. Careful marking enabled us to re-use a short section of the out-trail back across the second bridge, where a game of 'Ankle-biter Sticks' – throwing them off the bridge and seeing which one comes out first – was firmly resisted by Skippy and Knotch – shame; an alternative version with Madge was similarly resisted. The former railway line led us back towards the country park car park and the On Inn.

Before the circle, the Hares produced a very fine island cake made by Cap'n Rabid's own hands [don't tell anyone, but it was actually Golden Globes who made it]. RA Depth Charge had plenty of material to work with, and all down-downs were taken stood on 'the plank', but ex-RA Rapid Withdrawal took his eye off the ball briefly, allowing a 'Gorjoyce Special' to score a direct hit.

The MCXI acronym competition attracted entries such as Martin's Cataclysmic Xylophone Instrument, but the clear winner was Count Roadkill for the innovative, if risky, Mekon Clitoris X-ray Inconclusive. Priceless!

A select group dined afterwards in the pub, where Capt Fantaastic was brought the 'ribs' [see pic] he had left outside. May Captain eXhibit Innovation in setting the next run from the White Hart, Campton.

So thar it were Jim lad!

Cap'ns Rabid & Whinger

THIS IS THE WAY THE GM RAN (and being a Hare he didn't overdo it). You'll notice that the route was 8-shaped. Clever eh?