The Magnificent 7
There is a rule of thumb in hashing that a series of checks with no flour between is indicative of either a live hare in a panic or one who is lost. Add in a series of conflicting arrows leading into a field of adolescent cattle and long stretches of tarmac and you have a recipe for revolt. It had started so well with a delightful charge to Chertpit Lane, behind the pub and up through colourful meadowland. It was over the top to Rolley Low where contact was lost with Desperate Banana and Shunter and we had said encounter with cows whilst we tried to figure out the trail. Anywhere but down the main road might have sold it but just as we were tempted to backtrack up onto Longstone Moor came the unwelcome return of the lost trailfinders with bad news.
Triangulating the meadowland by several roads we departed briefly for a foray through magnificent lead rakes, the skylarks were trilling and all was forgiven until we hit the road again heading towards White Rake with the aptly named Foolow visible in the distance. As it turned out we were the fools as, wherever it was, the trail wasn't down the road. Mincer and scribe were reminded of the time his, newly introduced to the hash with a run in these parts, friends lost contact with the pack which led to them being brought back from Wardlow to Longstone by a farmer. Strangely, we never saw them again.
Road respite came with a skirting of old settling ponds and warnings of quicksand; perfect hash territory, with or without flour. Owls were hooting and hawks were circulating menacingly. In the distance a farmer could be heard practicing for sheepdog trials with a unique call of "come here you bastard." It was all shaping up nicely, then Mincer went off on one, the farmer turned up in his Ute and we had to ask him to use his undoubted communication skills to call him back.
All reunited and agreed that mutiny was the order of the day in spite of the fact that we had no trail to depart from. Thus we charged up High Rake and back down the moorland road towards Great Longstone. At some point on the road flour appeared as if by magic. Your scribe stopped to check a message from the hare to advise that the pub was shut and lost touch with the pack. That is how he found the true trail back through Dale Farm, through fields and to the Hash Home near the replica stocks and became the only one to complete the trail. Other actors, including Donkey's Ass and Crystal Tips may disagree but this assertion was verified by Trunks.
Top landscape, just a pity we lost the trail. Thanks to Sticky Shaft and his family for keeping us going at a time when we were all hoping to be back in the boozer at last. O
On On, Smittie
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