This was not the first time we attempted the ascent, and this description of the route from 2008 is still reasonably accurate:
On Sunday 28th May [2008] a small but intrepid band set out from Base Camp at Haughty and Culture's, undeterred by a storm that had swept the summit shortly before. The route followed the south-western arete to the saddle, where a short but tricky northerly traverse above the cliff line took us onto the upper snowfields. From here an ascent following a diagonal line led to the summit ridge. In the great Australian tradition, any climbers who felt ill were left for dead.Here's this year's Oz Day group - "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi! Oi! Oi!" (thanks to Topless for the photography)
Competitors in the thong-toss dispute the distances thrown:
And a young competitor receives some coaching:
It was good to welcome Superhacker, back from the Old Country (or what an older generation of Aussies would have called "Home".) We also welcomed a number of visitors, including Diarrhoea - all the way from "Home" (on his last visit he joined us for our 21st Birthday Run.)
A Japanese visitor celebrated her birthday with a Lamington cake - what could be more Aussie than that?
In honour of the occasion, Hash Cash provided some Aussie sparkling wine (produced by a UK-based, South African brewing company.) This complemented the home-made South African sausages (produced using a German-designed, Chinese-made sausage machine) as well as the meat pies (bought from a German supermarket) and the Chinese-made Aussie shirts and flags:
In preparation for our 25th Birthday in February, we've been reprinting some early run reports from 1991. The following excerpts from the "Samford Hash International Times" describe Run 4. This started at "Haus McDowall", which I'm told was in the somewhat hilly area behind the Samford Transfer Station. Those who have run on those slopes are invited to compare them with Mt. Lawson....
The first hill, sorry elevation, that the pack had to tackle was the driveway at Haus "Roddy" and "True Blue". It was no mean feat getting the car to the top but well worth it as I could then watch everybody else attempt the same. From the view of the huge balconies to the breezes and the gathering dusk it seemed as though God was in his heaven and all was right with the world and somehow I was lulled into a feeling of eagerness to get started on the night's gentle stroll. Meanwhile of course God was building a cliff immediately behind Haus McDowall and covering it with small pieces of cardboard sporting arrows! I am absolutely convinced that the cliff was not there before we arrived.
It was time to leave and that nice friendly "Roddy" chap was actually showing us the way, which was, naturally, up the only HILL in the run (one hill, easy run, 3 Hold Checks.) The pack charged eagerly at The Hill and fought to maintain a steady pace for almost ffteen metres. At this point we were distracted by a family of wobblies who disdainfully hopped around The Hill (I am sure there is something to be learned there). And so 'on up' we ventured, supported by the hare's cry of 'This is the worst part' and 'nearly there'and 'only one hill' and sundry other lies.
At what appeared to be the top was a hold check again pointed out in advance by our hare (maybe he is nice after all) at which we paused to allow our bodies to acclimatise to the meagre oxygen levels. Here was a decision, left or right? Well obviously as there was only One Hill and the way left appeared to go back down and our friendly hare led the way, we all turned right. Here we explained to our new runners Paul and Pauline that this was not a lack of faith in the hare but simply a defect in the language of the Scots concerning the definition of 'hill'. Following the track we ran up a mound, two ascents, a small rise, a wee brae and some rising ground but no more hills. There seemed to be no real decision to be made (apart from how can I buy some of this land?) and we crawled up to hold check 2 once more abetted by the hare who even told us which way was 'on' as we arrived. I could not believe the generosity of the man.
After a brief rest we all powered along in the allotted direction with "Fu" leading the way followed by "Roddy" and your scribe plodding along with "Arctic" and "Stud"; we met a mount, a knoll or two, a hillock, a gentle rise and just the one tor followed by a tiny eminence but no more hills! At the last of these elevated locations the hare returned to form and called ON BACK much to our dismay and we said things like 'Dear Me 'and 'Oh Gosh'.
Thundering back down the now descending plains we managed to convince Leslie Heap, who joined us this week, that we did know where we were going and was it nice to be leading the pack? All the way back to the second hold check where we met this week's walkers "Rattletrap" and "True Blue" brandishing large sticks presumably to fend off tumbling hashpersons. ON ON past hold check 2 down a gentle slope, and a precipice or two until the hare called an impromptu Hold Check in case anybody missed the arrow nailed to a very distinctive piece of tree placed very clearly on the floor next to a small forest of distinctive trees.
When we regrouped the run was back on and down past a very familiar looking road which seemed to be where we started (and I think I spotted God dismantling a cliff but it could have been a trick of the light). We ran along sealed roads (Ah luxury) for about 1 Scottish kilometre or seven sassenach miles to Hold Check 3 clearly marked in letters almost 3 millimetres high and nailed to a post at about the height of the average leprechauns kneecap.
From here we were told was a very simple run past the Samford Environmentally-Friendly-Unwanted-Articles-Recycling-Outstation-Facility along a soon to be completed driveway and were we met with the sight of the Hash beer lurking across a small ravine the two high points of which were NOT HILLS.Back in 2016, our next run will be a Pot Luck Mitchelton one!
Next run details
When: Sunday 31st January, 5 pm
Where: Teralba Park, Mitchelton (meet at the Scout Hut parking area on Pullen Road. A map!
Hare: M. Promptu will set the run. Potluck will cater (please bring something to share)
On, on!
