Here's yesterday's run as it was laid. Expecting rain, I kept it short (6km) and flat (total ascent: 125m), and made sure the out- and in-trails were in opposite directions. I put in lots of checks to keep everyone together but tried to make them easy. And having had most of my paper squares washed away in last Saturday's torrential rain, I switched to shreddy and put out huge amounts of it. It took just 1:30 to set and I was pretty sure we could run it in about 50 minutes.
For the first 5.5km or so it all worked to plan. Despite the expected rain, it wasn't too hard to follow the paper. Led by Sex Sprinter and Tsunami, two of the guys lost for hours on the long run last week, we quickly made it to the last check in about 45 minutes.
That's when things went wrong. The final check required a hard left turn, something that's completely unintuitive on a clockwise run. Plus the rain was still pouring down and the paper was getting scarcer by the minute. And so we ended up too far to the right and managed to start running backwards up our own out-trail.
At this point was a certain amount of group improvisation, which is to say running around like headless chickens. Even Sex Sprinter, who we always count on to know exactly where the runsite is, seemed at a loss. But eventually we got back to the junction where the short run headed back to the runsite, at which point the hare resolutely took charge (admittedly after having been totally useless up to then) and led the entire pack back home. We all came in together at 1:11, which as Jim and I agreed actually made for a better run than the original 0:50 plan would have.
As best as I can figure it, our actual track was just over 8km and went something like this:
What we didn't know as we cracked open the first beers and congratulated ourselves for all getting back safely was that Gan Yao and Softcock were still out there. They'd both arrived late and boldly headed off on what remained of the paper about ten minutes behind us. Fortunately I'd broken all the checks . . . well, until the last one, where we all went astray.
The exact wanderings of this unlucky pair will remain a mystery, but from the sound of it they did pretty much as we did, finding themselves going around in circles and the darkness rapidly closing in. There's a certain Bermuda Triangle kind of quality to this area, with no distinguishing hills or other landmarks and a constant sense of "Didn't I just pass this way a few minutes ago?" Not a good place to lose your bearings in the light, never mind the dark.
Meanwhile back at the site we were huddling under umbrellas in the dark, drinking beer and wondering, as usual, who was going out to search. In the end most all of us did, with a total of two groups walking the trails and four cars sweeping the roads. And then finally, some time after 8 pm., a call came in from the prodigal pair, in a village just down the road (bottom right of the above map).
And so SH3 maintains its perfect record of never losing a hasher permanently, though it has to be said that Gan Yao certainly pushes the limits. Really guys, with proper therapy the flashbacks and panic attacks should fade within a year or two. In fact the only real traumatic memory of the day is likely to be when we realized that Only a Yolk had pissed off home and accidentally taken the rest of the beer with her. A few things really aren't forgivable.
Actually, Only a Yolk was performing a public service by removing the few last remaining cans of beer from the run site before the searchers became so pissed that they too got lost, and in the process ensuring that when Softy and Gan Yao were found, there was some beer for them to drink, albeit that they would have to visit Egg Towers in order to do so. Sadly Gan Yao had another engagement and could not join the beer, but happily I was able to stand in for him and Softy and I were able to clear the remaining 19 cans or so (ok, Only a Yolk may have had one as well!)
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