LSW 2075 Wednesday 17th August 2016

 

King George V Park, Kowloon
Hare - Just Add Alcohol
Write up - Wai Chee Kok
LIT Facebook photos here

When I arrived at King George V Memorial Park by 7.05 pm (I know, I was late again), the squally showers started picking up again. I expected the pack had already set off, but instead I found everyone taking shelter under the Chinese pavilion in the middle of the park. The co-hare Toilet Spray was there, but where was the other hare Just Add Alcohol?

By 7.20 pm, the socked-to-the-skin Just add Alcohol returned to the Pavilion with ice. “I set the trail 3 times! But when I went back the last time, the trail was gone!”

“We will get lost”, many of the hares thought. I guessed some had already started planning their own routes in their head.

JAA dropped the ice and started taking stuff out from her bag: bank note sized colored paper with one corner cut, a handful of dice-sized colored paper, flour, chalk and pink ribbon. She laid the trail with a mix of everything, in the hope that some of them will stay where they were through the night. The pack rushed out as soon as JAA finished her short briefing on the marking, trying to find the trace before they got flushed out by the next squall. No luck, the rain started again as soon as we run out of the Chinese Pavilion.

The pack picked up a bit of the marking out of the park, and found more towards the underpass at the junction of Jordan road and Canton Road. Soon we found the first check, which is close to the exits to Jordan Road towards Kowloon station, Ferry Street or Wai Chung Street. Anal Invitation and Gobi Lo Ho checking the last 2 exits, while I checked the exits towards Kowloon station. I ran up the steps and looked around in the heavy rain. Nothing. I ran back to the check and see the pack was searching all directions, including the exit to the Austin Station and the exit towards the start. After running around the underpass for another 5 minutes or so, I went back to check Ferry Street and Wai Chung street exits again. Not sure how the others would have missed it…. But there was an arrow at the corner of Wai Ching street! I shouted On-On and led the pack out of the maze.

Down Jordan Road for another 50 meter I found another marking pointing towards a back alley. I was not sure if that was the right trail as someone seems to have crossed it out with a chalk. I let Come into my Tunnel to pass me as I thought it is about time to get back to the marking. Then I heard CUMT called trail. The rest of us came to the end of the back alley and now were back to the main road. Soon we came to another check on Ferry Street, one to the police station while the other to the Jade Market. The pack spent a good 10 minutes at the check, searching every inch around it. Lately GLH and I found the trail near the Jade Market, but lost it when we were at the traffic light of Temple street.

The search-the-trail, found-the-trail, lost-the-trail pattern repeated itself every 3 minutes, until we finally made our way to the stairs going up the King’s Park. But that time, the pack size has already reduced by half, with CIMT, Lubricated Trojan, Cheesy Flying Fox, GLH and myself at the front, followed by Mr and Mrs Pole Dancer, and Tight Lips. This area has more trees for cover, and the hare started using my colored paper for marking the trail. From then on it was relatively easier to follow the trail, until we hit the open area at King’s Park Rise.

Finding the marking in an open space is challenging, but finding them in an open space when it rains like dogs and cats is next to impossible. With very little marking to follow at that point, the pack split into 2 halves, with PD, Mrs PD, GLH and myself sticking together.

After searching for the trail for a while, we heard GLH calling trail up in the park next to Kings Park Rise. Mrs PD and I walked towards the “marking” and found it stink, only to discover that it was not a trail marking but cat vomit. We were disappointed and went back to the road, thinking what to do next as we had already exhausted the area. Then we heard GLH calling trail for the second time. Thanks goodness this time was for real, and the 4 of us were happily following the trail towards Wylie Road.

We thought we were on the right trail until I found the paper marker at the corner of Wylie Road and Princess Margaret Road. The paper marker is directional, and it was telling me that we were running in reverse direction. At that point I was giving up, as I thought finding the true trail from that point is going to be hard. After discussing with the rest of the pack, we decided to return to A on our own route.

We ran down Wylie Road, passed the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and guessed what? We picked up trail marking again! We were pleased to find out that we were indeed on-trail, and ran down the road at full speed with joy. Then we picked up a clearly intact On-on marking under Gascoigne Road flyover, and I called On-on loudly even I knew the pack we lost up in King’s park would not have heard it. We followed the marking to run down Chatham Road, Austin Road, \ the back of the Kowloon Cricket club, Jordan Road and finally back to A. We saw AI, Burning Lust and Sweaty Snailglobber and Free Willy were already there. We celebrated our safe return with cool drink while waiting for the rest to return.

Later that night we discovered the 4 fo us has missed out 3 km of the true trail, which was found only by CIMT and LJ that night. We also learnt that BL (Free Willy too?) returned to A in 10 minutes, missing almost all the trail JAA has set, because he was afraid to get lost in the city. The night continued with an excellent seafood bash in a dai pai dong near Yau Ma Tei, and a circle with almost everyone throwing in a down-down without a GM.

Down downs by everyone

BL-- back to A in 10min

The Hare-- a great run in such weather condition

Free Willy -- back to A in short time

CIMT, LJ -- the only hashers followed the whole trail!

The Hare-- mark the trail 3 times!

Kate -- no hash name

Tight Lips -- live in Sai Kong

Wee Chee -- got lost??

Pool Dancer-- regular hasher?

Big top - travel from She Kou to do LSWH

Toilet Spraiy -- order chinese food for Gwelio?