LSW 1935 - 35th Anniversary Run

 

Park Place, Wong Nai Chung Gap
18 January 2014
Exactly 35 years since the first LSW run
Hares - Park'nShop, Parky, Hopeless

A near record turnout, in recent times, though only comparable to an average run in its spy based heyday, for the LSW 35th anniversary run, Hared by The Parkies and Hopeless. But because it was on a Saturday, there is no scribe per our convention of scribe being next week's hare, as Indy, next week's hare, has already prepared the write-up for last Wednesday. Your humble scribe for this prestigious event is therefore Cyclops, nobbled for the task by the "virtual mismanagement" of Hopeless and Indy.

70 odd hashers convened at Park Place, Wong Nai Chung Gap for the advertised 4 pm start. Perfect Hashing weather, dry, cool, sunny, even clean(ish) air. There were old hashers, young hashers, many long time absent LSW hashers, plus visitors from Ladies hash, Southside, Kowloon and Wanchai hashes. And the full Macau Drunk/Barbie family. Four run/walk options were on offer, which primary hare Hopeless outlined, including the kilometrage of each as recorded by his GPS wristwatch. Two walks (W1 3.5k and W2 4.5k) and two runs (Wimp 6k and Rambo 8.5k).

At 4.15 Hopeless called the off, and we headed out along Sir Cecil's Ride. After various bluffs to keep us on our toes, and to keep the front runners in the middle of the pack (successfully, well done hares, hard luck FRBs), we headed up a shiggy trail to the right and up through pleasant woods up to a catchwater. Here trail went right, an amazing number of hashers having wrongly opted for left (well done again hares, hard luck again FRBs), and along to the first split. W1 walkers contoured along to Parkview and down to Park Place.

All others went along and up the steepest and most difficult of the options that connect to meet the Hong Kong trail. But being dry, if a little sandy, it was no problem to LSW H3. On joining the HK trail just below its peak at Jardine's Lookout (the real one where Jardine's staff looked out for incoming mail boats, not the one well below, now over-run by skyscrapers and McMansions) with the hardier walkers, W2, heading right and back down along the HK Trail to Parkview and on home.

Runners took the HK trail left, up to the top and all the way back down to the R/W split. The Rambo looking a bit Duke of Yorkish I opted for the wimps, sharp left along the catchwater. On to an open check, and seeing flour ahead I marked it straight and followed Britney beside and into the catchwater. After a while we noted the lack of flour and cursed the hares for their laziness and lack of markings. On further and we began to get a bit uneasy. Had Hopeless taken us down the steep shiggy to Mount Butler road? No surely not, he even balks at that himself, he wouldn't route wimps there. With no more markings found even further along, we decided we'd better do the hares' job for them and mark it on home connecting with the out trail and coming in along with walkers W1.

OK, so the real trail went straight down the steps by the quarry, along Mount Butler Road and wended its way between skyscrapers and McMansions back to Sir Cecil's Ride and on in the same way that we went out. Who'd have guessed? Emma Royde, Macau Drunk and most of the rest of the pack, apparently.

Rambos continued along the HK trail almost all the way up to the top of Mount Butler, but a cunning Check Back pulled Breon back and into some earlier shiggy. This shiggy came out on The Wilson Trail, and the inevitable route to "the aerials". Another cunning Check Back away from the Telco buildings pulled the FRBs back again and into the riverbed for a technical section to get onto Sir Cecil's Ride. (Same riverbed Amah Perks dislocated his shoulder on, many moons ago). Then left down Sir Cecil's, joining the Wimps just past the quarry.

Back at base, Hopeless was busy allocating "100 Hopeless LSW Runs Laid" cool yellow running vests whilst Hash Cash was allocating LSW backpacks to those who had ordered them. Great organization. Keg On Legs a major unspoken actor.

So whilst the run largely speaks for itself, unfortunately as far as the Circle Report goes there was no-one recording the combined wit of Parky, Hopeless, Indy and others from the floor … only various fingers pointing all over the place with comments such as "I thought you were doing that". In sum, contrary to convention, the hares kicked off the circle, Parky followed by Hopeless. This did not go unnoticed by Indy, who duly threw them out of the circle only to call them back in for the hares' downdown. Various unrecorded downdowns followed, given out by all and sundry until the beer ran out, only too quickly.

Hashers then retired to the Thai delight in Lockhart Road, and elsewhere, mostly ending up in the Queen Victoria.

OnOn Cyclops

35th anniversary run