Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	Aerial
726	2011-12-04	Bouncer - A27 East past Hammerpot exit 'Patching only'	Patching - The Fox Pub	TQ078058

It's not often that we have a visitor hare, however as Bouncer was laying a trail for the Brighton mob on Monday night, he kindly arranged for us to try it out first, a good example of recycling. Knowing this tempered our disappointment that the turnout was modest in comparison with recent runs, perhaps the venue was on the boundary of how far some were prepared to go on a damp, cold, uniformly grey, flat calm, nose dribbley, blah! sort of a day.

We were helped by Stitchup who brought along his mother Renelle and brother Alex and a visit from Splitpin who normaly runs with Henfield HHH.

Before letting Bouncer tell his lies, Dogwhistle made a plea for someone to volunteer to help Snake Charmer lay her first trail (next run). As usual there was a deafening silence until Dogwhistle volunteered herself.

Bouncer told us that the trail was laid in wood shavings just like the good old days and that some of it might not be there any more because Worthing Striders had just let hundreds of wannabe hashers over the same ground on the Duck Pond Waddle.

After a short falsie right by the pub we were faced with a pack stretching sprint down the road west to a check at the Cottage Rough underpass and then a slog north up the muddy trail by Oliver's Copse with the roar of the A27 receding into the background behind.

A short regroup was necessary before we parted company with the walkers and headed west and then north through the Stud Farm with the afore mentioned brothers seeming to choose the right way at every check ending up far far ahead by the time they reached the Monarch's Way.

Meanwhile Bouncer was doing his best to keep the rest together excepting for Snake Charmer, Canman, and Max (I think?) who found their own way home from here.

Now we turned south leaving the lovely soft leaf littered trails and running down hill through Stonyland Copse, going faster and faster on the slick slurry surfaced rock hard flinty track, faster and faster until AAARGH!.... Old Faithful is suddenly doing his imitation of the Pope kissing the tarmac and then lying flat on his back moaning like Emmanuelle. Flashbacks to run 724 had us discussing whether or not an Air Ambulance should be called, however with a little help OF managed to get to his feet and do some limping on his badly grazed leg about which the leggings flapped in tatters.

Most of us then pressed on leaving OF to limp back along Selden Lane, while we continued east across the open fields towards Patching. At last the brothers made the wrong choices and ran almost into Patching while the diminished pack found true trail through Jewshead Wood and then continuing south to the B road before a short sprint west back to The Fox after one hour and thirty three minutes of bracing hashing.

At the circle our JM talked about bird watching with Soapbox and Herons and suchlike and then presented the Hashit jointly to Snake Charmer and Canman, something to do with making arrows from fallen branches. Was it only I that noticed SC was dressed in a dress over jeans and boots ?. The pub was obvious.

Bambi.

P.S. Old Faithful was more seriously injured than it appeared, as well as a badly cut knee he has a broken ankle and will be in plaster for weeks.