Besides the Hash, which I’ll get to in a minute, I spent some time in the kitchen yesterday. I made the usual double batch of crockpot chili and it sold out again. A captive audience of hungry Hashers helps in that regard I suppose. I also baked a carrot cake, and that turned out to be a real treat. Now, I’m no Kevin Kim–I make hardly anything from scratch. I was very surprised to find a carrot cake mix at the grocery store, it’s been literally years since I’ve seen one. It was a brand I’ve never heard of, Maya, but what the hell, pseudo-bakers like me can’t be choosers.
I see now from the fine print on the back of the box that Maya is a local producer of flour and baked goods.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, being a Pillsbury/Betty Crocker kind of guy, but I was pretty damn pleased with the results. The only real difference from the American brands I’m used to was that the contents did not include the carrots. Grating 1 3/4 cups of fresh carrots would be a real pain in the ass, but luckily, I have a domestic helper to do the jobs I don’t want to do.
I discovered the timer on my oven isn’t working properly, but I checked it early enough to avoid disaster. Actually, I’d say it was baked to near perfection!Slapped on some cream cheese frosting from out of the can and had me a cake to enjoy.I was happy with the light texture. Quite flavorful as well. I bought another box of cake mix today. I want to add some nuts and raisins to the next one.
Alright then, are you ready to Hash? Leech My Nuggets was the Hare and he’s another one of the guys who prefer a very challenging trail. Always marks them well though and that’s something I really appreciate. He also gives our “sane” group a map of the route in advance, which facilitates our shortcutting. Yesterday’s trail had three big climbs (and of course, three descents). Our group did the first up, and then came down the mountain on the path that was Leech’s third up, thereby avoiding the worst part of the trail (anytime there is a rope involved to get over a rock, I ain’t interested!).
So, I’d never done the up we took at the beginning, most of the middle was over the familiar My Bitch trail, and we modified the end to avoid having to cross a wet rice paddy. I’d call that a win-win–the trail was as hard or as easy as you wanted to make it. I’ve got some pictures, of course.
The trail as the Hare intended.The sane group heading out with our customary 30-minute headstart.Making our way through the winding back alleys of Barretto.A right turn, some steps……and then the real “fun” began.Steep it was……and seemingly endless.I looked up and saw the terrain ahead of me and I almost despaired……but then I looked down at the path directly in front of me and saw what I assume was a message from the Hash gods encouraging me to PUSH onward and upward. And that’s just what I did.Nature has its own rewards.Sometimes looking back on where you started makes the effort seem more worthwhile.Perhaps I should rename her “Inspiration Mountain”.Hikers in the high grass but not high on grass. Promise!Chopping wood for uling (charcoal). Hard work on the mountaintop.Love this pic of Anal Receptive (taken by his girlfriend) attempting to avoid the hazards of the rice paddy.Meanwhile, the sane Hashers did a walkaround.The final uphill to our On-Home in the Alta Vista community center.Our newest named Hasher, Arrested Development. I had suggested Spins Like A Top but was voted down.And as yet unnamed Martin joined us for the first time. He’s a big guy but kept up with us sane Hashers without a problem.The view from our On-Home left no doubt that it is indeed burn season once again.And that’s it for this Hash post. If you are interested, the markings indicate that this is run #1461 and those lines advise that there is a right turn ahead.
What time is it? I have darts tonight.
Oops, wrong watch!
Sometimes you come across something and think, yeah, I can relate…
Or maybe that’s just some half-assed opinion…
Can hardly wait to see what happens next!
4 thoughts on “Push up and push on”
“Grating 1 3/4 cups of fresh carrots would be a real pain in the ass”
Oh, come on. That takes maybe a minute—two max. Surely, that’s no effort compared to walking 6-10K.
Also: I don’t think I can manage those steep hills. I still have balance issues with stairs, which I can negotiate fine when there’s a banister, but which I’m terrible at when there isn’t. So if I ever visit you in the PI, I won’t be able to do steep trails. I might be able to do stairs if I had a trekking pole with me; otherwise, I’d need a banister.
“Oh, come on. That takes maybe a minute—two max”
Well, you also have to peel them. The last thing I grated was cheese. Wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Maybe I need a bigger/better grating tool.
For sure, the steep hills are a challenge in the best of circumstances. For me, the balance issues come into play more often when going down a steep hill. But yeah, there are lots of scenic options that don’t require a hard climb, so you can still have fun during your visit.
Get a food processor. Most come with a grating attachment. Boom, and you’re done. (Peeling a carrot also takes only a few seconds.) Have your housekeeper clean up after you’ve used the processor.
“Grating 1 3/4 cups of fresh carrots would be a real pain in the ass”
Oh, come on. That takes maybe a minute—two max. Surely, that’s no effort compared to walking 6-10K.
Also: I don’t think I can manage those steep hills. I still have balance issues with stairs, which I can negotiate fine when there’s a banister, but which I’m terrible at when there isn’t. So if I ever visit you in the PI, I won’t be able to do steep trails. I might be able to do stairs if I had a trekking pole with me; otherwise, I’d need a banister.
“Oh, come on. That takes maybe a minute—two max”
Well, you also have to peel them. The last thing I grated was cheese. Wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Maybe I need a bigger/better grating tool.
For sure, the steep hills are a challenge in the best of circumstances. For me, the balance issues come into play more often when going down a steep hill. But yeah, there are lots of scenic options that don’t require a hard climb, so you can still have fun during your visit.
Get a food processor. Most come with a grating attachment. Boom, and you’re done. (Peeling a carrot also takes only a few seconds.) Have your housekeeper clean up after you’ve used the processor.