Hare: Baldric
Scribe: BangCock
Photos by BangCock
We are having a string of good connections with the Hash weather Gods. Today was another beautiful one and purrrrfect for a romp on the Buda side of the Duna. There was a fair turn out plus two visitors from Germany. In attendance were: meself (Bang Cock), Baldric (as the Hare of course), Run by Battery and Trig-A-Mist, Wash and Blow graced us again with her presence, Let’s Do (personally I prefer “Likes Doing” but I’ll use the name she was given) It Backwards, Cunning Linguist was first at Battyhany today and returned to the group, Smokey Donkey (Still without the smokes. Hooray for him.), Ten Minutes Late, Petra (who came back for her second Hash with us) and then there were the visitors, Wild Cat and Lame Pussy Cat from Stuttgart (they didn’t even bring us a souvenir Mercedes). That rounded out an even dozen.
Assembling as usual at Battyhany ter we coerced a tractable passerby into taking our Group Grope photo and then set off in three vehicles to Academia on the 56 tram route. Parking there we received our trail instructions from Baldric. He did warn that since he laid the trail yesterday and it rained a bit last night some of the marks “might” be hard to spot. He also clued us in as to where the beer stop would be on trail and advised that they do serve food there should anyone desire any. Thinking that all was clear the running group of Baldric, Trig-A-Mist, Let’s Do It Backwards, Wild Cat and Bang Cock set off with the remainder to follow as the walking pack.
The runners beat feet along Szilagyi Erzsebet ut (the road which the 56 tram runs along) for two blocks before cutting off to the right on what I believe is Volkmann utca, to start going uphill. Little did we know at that time that this was to be a totally uphill trail. How in the “H” Baldric managed that I’ll never know but he did. At any rate we went up the street and into an obscure little bit of woodlands which he had somehow “sussed” out. There was even a rocky outcrop for a look out from which we stopped to admire the view. While we were clawing our way up the wood’s dirt paths Trig-A-Mist proved his devious mindset by short cutting this loop and slipped on up the street to get ahead of us (HEAD! WHO SAID HEAD!).
However we soon caught up as the next check confounded him until (believe it or not) Let’s Do It Backwards (LDIB) found the true trail. She was a real FRB today (Front Running Bitch). We sometimes got a view of her “lovely” rear but for the most part she was well in the van. We did a fair amount of pavement pounding both up and down (mostly up) until we cut back in to the woods just beyond the end of the
# 11 bus line and followed the trails there. At the “Lion’s Head” (HEAD! WHO SAID HEAD!) there was a nice family enjoying the view and they are in our photos of the day. LDIB also found an interesting grotto to the Virgin Mary and its photo is also in today’s pictures. From here we stayed mostly on the main trails passing many “civilians” out for an afternoon stroll until we broke off to head (HEAD! WHO SAID… aw the Hell with it!) again up a side trail that eventually led us to the top of the hill (Harmashatar-hegy ??) where the old glider launching strips and pill boxes are. There actually were gliders making lovely circles in the sky above us.
From here it was only a very short hop over the hill and down (Yes! I said down.)
to the bar/restaurant that was to be our beer stop and where we were to meet the walkers. The name of the bar/restaurant is Rockies or something like that (advice appreciated). It is a nice little place with a most unusual décor having a Disco Ball over what could be construed as a dance floor, one normal and one large projection type TV showing the running of the Grand Prix of Bahrain, a grotesque horrible looking Halloween doll hanging on the back wall and two snakes in one of the bottles of whiskey behind the bar. That too was photographed.
We waited for the walkers and had a few beers while LDIB was breaking out in goose bumps and shivering as she chilled down. Finally we decided to eat and then have more beers. This place had some of the best goulash ever. It was rich and tasty and dirt cheap. They serve it in tin enameled bowls like pails with wire handles on them.
(I suspect they are used for chamber pots when not being used for goulash.)
Still no sign of the walkers so Baldric called them on his phone. We learned that they had missed most of the trail and had been totally lost. Fortunately Wash and Blow was with them and she knew where we were. About 15-20 minutes later they staggered in completely shattered from the uphill struggle.
Their spirits did revive with beer and some of that wonderful goulash. While we sat there with the Grand Prix occupying the background, smiles again began appearing on their faces. However they refused to move for the second half until Baldric gave more details on where they were to go to the end. He advised that there was an alternate route where they could catch a bus to Huvosvolgy and then the 56 tram back to the start.
Once more the stalwart runners set off. This time, we thought, it would be all down hill. NOT! Again that canny Baldric found a way to have us run/walk/crawl up hill before we finally started down. Now we broke off the existing trails completely and went into the bush to scramble and slide down the hillside. Going through branches and bushes and God knows what all and passing over some perfectly good clear trails and paths at length we made it to the end of the woodlands and out onto a dirt road. Here we began another beating of the feet along “civilized’ but primitive roadways. And again LDIB was out in front. Baldric did drop back from time to time to see that we followers make the right turns or at least noticed the checks. After we passed on a long dirt road through a grassy meadow we lost sight of LDIB who by this time was well ahead of our group.
Finally we hit paved roads and got down to the road where the buses were running that could take us to the Huvosvolgy terminus about 5 minutes away. Wild Cat and I decided to take advantage of this situation. We caught the bus and then the 18 tram back to the starting point where we were the first ones in. A few minutes later a TAXI pulled up with Lame Pussy Cat, Ten Minutes Late, Run By Battery and Wash and Blow on board. They advised that the walkers had gotten lost again and the rest of the walking group had taken other trams or buses to go home as it was closer and easier to do from there than trying to call another cab to get back to the start.
A few minutes later Trig-A-Mist and Baldric showed up. The question immediately arose, “Where is Let’s Do It Backwards?” She was so far ahead of us that she definitely should have beaten them in. I looked in my car and found that I did have her back pack in the trunk presumably with her clothes, cell phone and God knows what all else. We figured that she must have missed a check and hoped that she would be in shortly after realizing this and going back to find the correct trail. We decided to have the circle with our small group and if she wasn’t back by the closing I would drive back to look for her while Baldric waited at the start in case she showed up there while I was searching.
The circle recognized the Hare, the visitors and even found that offenses had been committed on trail and afterwards. For these the offenders were duly punished. About this time who should appear running around a corner and down the street but LDIB. We were truly glad to see her. She must have run a marathon on her own. Being kind and considerate Hashers we recognized her efforts by awarding her with numerous down-downs until we decided enough was enough and closed the circle.
We all hope that LDIB has no trouble catching her flight later this evening for her vacation in Switzerland and that the trip proves as good as anticipated. We also wish Trig-A-Mist and Baldric good fortune in the London Marathon for which they are both registered. We will be missing Baldric’s happy face until his return in three weeks.
ON! ON!
BC
07 April 2008 AM
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