GFH3 Run #1,791; 17 January 2015

Several people commented that this year's Boom Boom Birthday Hash was not nearly as unpleasantly cold as it has been since the tradition began back in 2011, when she was just 99 years young.  Temps being well above freezing, Big Balls on Deck had to include the warning, in his brief, that some of the mud was thawed, and therefore treacherous in different ways than in the still-frozen sections.  He also had to warn about watching out for arrows, in order to ensure avoidance of un-permissioned private property, and offered a special graffiti treat!

While 14 walkers hung back for special instructions, 30 runners got themselves down the hill to the first check, and a whole bunch of them checked to the right while the rest hung around waiting.  Eventually, everyone charged off to the left and found their first arrow, pointing them downhill.  Was it Cock in the Crease who complained that starting with a downhill just meant he'd have to climb back up later in the run?  Reassurances that this was an all-downhill trail did not seem to help.

Away we go.

Then there was some confusion in the middle of the trail.  Remember the graffiti treat?  Phoenix Rising, working backwards and early, found it before the others, and found a law enforcement officer on the site.  The L.E.O. informed him he was trespassing, and after a bit of reasoned discourse, with PhR making some salient points, the L.E.O. offered to write PhR a citation.  They both agreed that would not be nearly as much fun as finding a different trail -- which PhR did, eventually bumping up against the main pack and recommending a judicious detour.  So Sean and Not-Jennifer (sorry!) were the only two to run the true trail, as they'd gotten far enough behind not to witness the hash careering off onto false trail, and the L.E.O. was gone by the time they arrived at graffiti central.  Nipple Knocker has promised a photo of the graffiti (he helped BBoD and Paddle My Candee Ass to set).  When he sends it, I'll post it.

No known explanation for any of this.

So eventually everyone made it back to the On In, where Norm was grilling bratwurst, PMCA had finished making gravy, and Jill had filled every horizontal surface in the house with food.  We're talkin' pork, we're talkin' chicken, we are talking about several potato salads and a crock pot full of mulled wine and cheesy casserole and scalloped potatoes and something like chili.  We are talking, ladies and gentlemen, about enough food to feed 90, and sufficient beverages for 150.  (In addition to the 48 hashers, there were about 10-15 friends and family, so while doggy bags were available, there were significant inroads made.)  At last report, no one had attempted the bottle of Wisconsin cranberry wine.

The Associate Mufti, or Mufti Pro-Tem, played his M.C. role to the hilt, lauding Jill and her myriad helpers for the feast, and demanding an on-key rendition of the happy birthday song.  He may actually have blown a kiss to the birthday girl, who looked spry and happy despite all the shouting strangers banging about around her.  "I hope they're not drunk," she acknowledged at one point, but expressed delight at seeing, and hearing, the young folk enjoying themselves.

Here's to 103 more!

And enjoy themselves they did, as shown here.  Thanks to PMCA for additional photos.

GFH3 Run #1,769; 3 September 2014

Walks on Water's stretch of Arlington contains some decent hills, but he and Mini Schlonga and Eric made the choice to eschew the most challenging of them on this hot and humid night.  Instead, they sent the pack on a non-Death March (remember the last time we were here?  Minivans carjacked to haul hashers out of the depths of the Potomac in the dead of night?) through pleasant parks, along Donaldson Run, and back through the less-undulating streets of Cherrydale and environs.

Nonetheless, while MinS insisted true trail was a (to him) paltry five miles, most of the 16 runners short-cutted in one way or another.  The holdouts?  Chip Off the Old Dick and Matt stuck with true trail, bashing their way through the second woodsy bit in the dark, and marking the checks assiduously.  Probably Bad Dog did, too; if he's made it in by now, you can ask him.

Once you've bonded like this, you've got to run the full trail.

There were 30 of us total, including Melisande without a crutch but not up for running yet, Paula abandoning the charms of Charm City for the evening, and Howard floating free of Space City.  It was, of course, well worth the trip.  The walkers got a proper trail, incorporating stretches of the runners' trail, and everyone got bratwursts and beer and WoW's family-recipe spud salad, which is delicious with or without the bacon.  Plus Tofu Pups for at least one of us, and the delightful Mo declined to be added to the roll but kindly provided us with two super-delicious and homemade cakes, moist and dense and the vanilla one filled with fruit.  Cake!

With the Mufti off doing surveillance on the Outer Banks, and the Associate Mufti performing reconnaissance in Croatia, the Assistant Associate Mufti was entrusted with the official roll, thumbing exasperatedly through the 2,006-name C List to find the couple of Mount Vernon regulars who joined us.  Also getting a tiny bit of something just a little bit sticky on the B List.  Sorry, Mufti.

Lovely view on a bit of false trail -- makes it worth the extra distance, right?

We welcomed Dana from Tampa, formerly of Arlington and soon to be of San Francisco, plus Anne, for their #1 GFH3 runs, and Chris for #2.  See if you recognize them in the photos here.  Given the early dark, you'll find fewer than usual.

See you at Zipperhead/Zipperbody and Phlashback's at 6:30!! next week.  That's right, 6:30pm next week, half an hour earlier so the Phlashheads and Dances with Bulls have a little extra daylight in which to shove you through the woods.  Fun!