Misdirections for this week's SH3 run are:
OK, we now have Egghead and Beavershot's photos from the walk. (By the way, has it occurred to anyone else that "walk" doesn't quite describe whatever it is we did up there?) If the rest of you could be so kind as to get your shots to Beaver, so to speak, within a few weeks you will be rewarded with a shiny new CD of all the best stuff . . . perfect viewing for those long leechless evenings of your golden years.
Well Egghead's certainly changed his tune! Here he is on the trail on Tuesday, begging the heavens for an medevac out!
The vital statistics department gives you the facts:
"The Stoics did not shun worldly goods and pleasures or embrace discomfort out of masochism or to pursue spiritual atonement or purification, as was the case with the Greek Cynics or, in more modern times, by various religious ascetics and sects. Rather, the Stoics advocated occasional, deliberate use of temporary poverty, voluntary discomfort, and refraining from pleasures in order to quiet their appetites for material goods and sensual pleasures, increase the sense of appreciation for what they already had, and — most importantly — to “immunize” themselves against future misfortune and develop the courage to take on difficult challenges. In The Discourses, a set of lectures transcribed by his student Arrian, Epictetus advocates the intentional use of hardship as a form of active training to build up one’s strength, and he acknowledges that this is a gradual process: But neither a bull nor a noble-spirited man comes to be what he is all at once; he must undertake hard winter training, and prepare himself, and not propel himself rashly into what is not appropriate to him. (TD, Book One, Ch. 2, p. 10)
One criticism that has been lodged against the use of voluntary discomfort or hardship is that it is just too hard and too unpleasant for the average person. Some people may be born with a higher threshold for pain, but for most of us this type of self-inflicted discomfort does not look very appealing or fruitful. To this, Irvine has a good answer:
What the Stoics discover, though, is that willpower is like muscle power: The more they exercise their muscles, the stronger they get, and the more they exercise their will, the stronger it gets. Indeed, by practicing Stoic self-denial techniques over a long period, Stoics can transform themselves into individuals remarkable for their courage and self-control. They will be able to do things that others dread doing, and they will be able to refrain from doing things that others cannot resist doing. They will, as a result, be thoroughly in control of themselves. This self-control makes it far more likely that they will attain the goals of their philosophy of life, and this in turn dramatically increases their chances of living a good life."
Just what we need before our second assault on Khao Luang! The sanitized trail above measures 7.7k but if you are keen enough to find all 7 F's and the 2 X's you'd need to add almost another 2k, plus whatever searching you do at the 6, 360's. 
Here, finally is the location of next week's walk which will start at Prom Khiri, about 25k North West of Nakhorn SriThammarat. The route from the Ko Yo intersection is shown and is 236k long so, Softcock, allow 90 minutes. Everyone else allow 3 hours!
Courtesy of Yardo, here's his run from Saturday, SH3 #1557. Despite its small, misshapen appearance, the pack agreed that it did give satisfaction.
Just to start setting the mood for our 3rd annual (almost) Hillwalk, here is our de facto organizer, Stick Insect. Not on a hillwalk per se, but on a short exploration of various waterfalls and bits of southern jungle a couple years ago. Click to see it big!
No word yet from the Pussy Palace on where our supposed run will be tomorrow. Rumor says Yardo will be laying . . . ?
The Online Scum has just learned that Sunday's Hatyai Hash (see misdirections below) will be a charity run for Southern Thai flood victims, with all registration fees donated to relief efforts. Any additional personal contributions will be welcome as well!
