How wonderful was yesterday’s Hash trail? Well, it inspired me to steal write a song:

All alone at the end of the Hash trail
When the hiking is replaced by brews
I was thinking 'bout a pathway I love to take
But I seldom use

You know I've always been a hiker
(Spent my life walking 'round)
And it's so hard to change
(Can't seem to just sit down)
But the hikes I've seen lately
Keep on turning out and churning out
And climbing out the same

So put me on a Hash run
And let me follow the signs
And take it to the ridgeline one more time

Yeah, I won’t quit my day job. Even though I don’t have one.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was sipping a cold one at BarCelona and looking out at Kalaklan Ridge, I got to thinking about how long it had been since I’d last hiked up there. So, when I heard from 18 Kilo Ass (who Hared along with Leech My Nuggets) that we’d be doing the ridgeline, I was glad, even though I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy trek.

The up, as expected, was challenging, but I’ve had worse climbs to the ridge. Once we reached the top, Leech and 18 Kilo did a down trail, but my group didn’t fall for that ruse (you go down and then do ANOTHER climb back to the ridge); instead, we continued walking the line knowing our path would once again cross the Hare’s trail further on. And then, I encountered a dilemma. There was a visiting Hasher in our group, and he was slow and ill-equipped to handle a Leech level of difficulty. The first climb had kicked his ass to the point where even walking the relatively easy ridgeline required him to rest frequently. Now, unlike our Wednesday/Friday hikes where we stay together, a Hash is more of an individual endeavor. So, no matter how fast or slow you might be, you can just follow the trail markings to find your way. Except since we had shortcutted to avoid that first down, we weren’t on the Hash trail, and there we no marks to follow. Experienced local Hashers know ways to get back to the On-Home, whether the trail is marked or not. This new guy wouldn’t have a clue and so leaving him behind was really not an option. On the other hand, standing around waiting for him constantly was really killing the joy of my hike. So, Pubic Head and Buddy Fucker stayed behind to wait on the slowpoke (and if I’m calling someone that, you know they must be like molasses), and I moved on alone.

Now, I knew where I was and pretty much knew how to get where I was going, but I’m never really that comfortable hiking alone up in the hills. Too much can go wrong in a “one false step, and you are in a world of hurt” kind of way. That’s why I like the Hash and group hikes; otherwise, I’m pretty much confined to the streets. So, when I came to a path I was familiar with and knew it was not overly difficult, I decided to forego the reunion with the Hash trail and just make my own way back to Barretto. And then, about fifteen minutes later, lo and behold, my path intersected with the Hare’s trail. Crazy coincidence and I wasn’t going to challenge fate, so I followed the well-marked path of the Hares. I’d never gone that way before, and it featured a climb and a couple of rough spots, but I kept my eyes wide open and hiked as safely as possible. Before too long, I ran into a group of non-shortcutting Hashers, and my lonely vigil was over.

I got a little chuckle later in the hike as we did the final down into Barretto–Pubic Head and the new slow guy were actually AHEAD of me on the trail! A masterful job of shortcutting, to be sure!

To the pictures then:

Here’s the way to Relive the hike if you so desire:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO7J3GDVKv

And now for the rest of that song:

You can spend all your time walking backroads
You can spend all your hikes wasting time
If you fell down that ravine tomorrow
Would you still be fine?

And when you're looking for the chalk marks
(Nobody seems to care)
And you can't find the trail
(Can't find it anywhere)
When there's nothing that's worth seein'
Still you're coming back, you're running back
You're coming back for more

So put me on a Hash run
And let me follow the signs
And take it to ridgeline one more time

And it goes without saying that I offer my sincerest apologies to the Eagles.