Dates: 18/19 April 2015
Hares: Deeper and Prickly Bush
Location: Mt Baw Baw
The Runs
After drives of between three and six hours from Melbourne on Friday evening most had a good rest and plenty of food/booze before assembling outside Gafia Lodge for the obligatory photos – lucky it was only slightly cold.
The walkers stayed behind with Prickly Bush whilst the runners headed off down and across the creek, just like last year. It was, of course, just an on-back and after tangling with some nature loving ramblers we were back to the lodge and set off again behind the walkers. After two more on-backs in the village it was around to the base of the Summit t-bar and a long run/walk up following the tow. But we did not go right up and it was off left across the territory of the endangered Baw-Baw frog ending up at the Five Ways, an obvious place for a check. It was not the obvious ways but eventually Sweaty Box found trail up a new bike trail through the scrub. There was a lot of running on the Macmillan Track. The route was well marked with chalk arrows on the stones or flour on the grass/bog.
All good things came to an end at Macmillan’s Flat with another well placed check. Trail was found but ended with an on back. All obvious routes were checked out and then the non-obvious ones through the prickly, calf ripping, bush(es). Some bright spark eventually found trail backup from where we had come and it was up another mountain bike trail. Then up and down and around until we reached the Summit. With the departure of the fog beautiful views across the Latrobe Valley were now visible. Met the walkers here. After photo ops and a scramble up the Von Mueller memorial cairn it was onto the 5km ski trail again. On a slight downhill grassy slope an unkind piece of slippery bark took down Sweaty Box resulting in a really damaged knee. She made it back with the help of a wooden pole plus the shoulders of Prickly Bush and Jaywalker. Lube Oil just did a graceful fall onto her bum.
For the rest it was a really good run totalling up to 8.24km or an energetic 6km for the walkers.
The recovery run on Sunday was preceded by snow and instead of eight degrees like Saturday it was minus one. Almost everyone turned up, even Sweaty Box. There was a marked trail that did not take us up Tank Hill but that is where we went because we thought pink ribbon was actually red ribbon! Eventually redirected by the hares, so all headed off downhill on the road back to Melbourne. Runners found the check and returned to the lodge along the pretty sewerage pipeline track! The walkers talked their way through that check and eventually realised their error before reaching Tanjil Bren. After all that exercise it snowed heavily so we had lunch, cleaned up and waited for the snow plough to do its job. Non hashers were not so lucky as one car came off the road and ended on its roof – followed by two mates. We all made it safely.
Saturday Circle Charges
Visitor Free Beers
Hares Prickly Bush and Deeper with an amazing run score of 1655 out of a possible 1660.
Sergeant Charges:
Special Runs Barbies Box 20, Astro 444, Colours…Infinity.
Big Ears Short cutting.
Sweaty Box (Look-a-like Cut Loose as real charge was horizontal) For damaging the trail.
Lubang Oz, Astro, Deeper Watering the trail.
Big Ears, Free Beers Nookey in the van before the run.
Lube Oil Slightly damaging the trail.
Barbies Box, Sweaty Box, Astro Menage a trois.
Cut Loose For claiming that Barbie was watering the plants on the trail.
Lubang Oz Fantasising that two nameless hashers were engaged in nookey before the run.
Big Ears For breaking lodge glassware.
Colours Trying to pick up a rambler whilst on the run.
Blood Sucker Not going on the recovery run.
Nickel B As a 75yo, running, without a resulting sore back.
Jaywalker Coming to Baw Baw because there were no marked pedestrian crossings on the trail.
Punch and Kokup Low profile.