Closely-spaced contours

Anyone familiar with the Clear Mountain area will know what any trails look like on a map - they run at right angles to lots of closely-spaced contour lines. In other words, wherever you go you'll be perpetually plunging down into gullies and then climbing just as steeply up the other side...and then doing it again. Up and down, up and down....Great exercise, and a wonderful navigational challenge. This last Sunday all our navigational skills were brought into play as we followed the runners' and walkers' trails on a couple of maps, carried (fortunately) by the skilled navigators Nipliquor and Eweshggr.

There were - we think - 27 of us at the meet, including 7 runners (which is a bit of a record for recent weeks.) We all enjoyed the beaut appearance of the country: after several wet months the woodland was looking more lush and green than it ever has, and it was loud with birdsong. So both runners and walkers enjoyed a very pleasant though challenging outing, and on proceeding to the hares' enjoyed an extremely pleasant pasta and salad meal. Many, many thanks to Charcoal and Strine for planning the map-set trail, for feeding us so well, and for their hospitality! And, as always, thanks to our Beermeisters and Winos!

Here, courtesy of Snappy, are a heap of photos from the occasion:

We have a couple of special events coming up in the next couple of weeks. On Saturday the Hash Femmes are frocking up for one of their elegant p*ss-ups, this time at Southbank. And then next Thursday (Australia Day) the crack Samford Hash team will be defending their record at the Dayboro Beer Mile - more participants and support crew members are welcome!

Next run/walk details

When: Sunday 22nd January, 5 pm.

Where: The historic Old Nundah Cemetery, Hedley Avenue, Nundah. A map!

Hares: Le W*nk and Lax

Please bring chairs! (And look out for ghosts!)

On, on!

Into the woods

A while back, when we first started to run and walk around the developing Surrey Farm Park area, we were going between some newly-planted seedlings and sapling trees. What a difference a few short years have made! The developing forest makes for a really enjoyable and scenic trail - and this last Sunday's one was excellently marked as well!

Twenty-five humans turned up to enjoy it, and no less than seven canines - who preferred to keep their distance as we gathered in wide array for the chalk talk:

It seemed a good occasion for one of our occasional Doggy Portrait Features:

It was good to welcome some folk who haven't been around for a while, due to pressure of work and travel. Greg joined us - all the way from Sydney - to make up a running group of six (which is a bit unusual these days, and nice to have)....

Back at the park, both vegetarians and carnivores tucked into an excellent spread. Many thanks to our hardworking hares!

Sad to say, there were a couple of serious and serial short-cutters on the run. Both they, and someone identified as a Crashing Bore, were awarded down, downs. Some mug shots of the offenders, and a drenching:

It's back to one of our traditional venues next week for a map-set trail. Wonder if the passage of time means that the hills are starting to flatten out at all?

And thanks to this week's photographers - Leave Pass, Cash Converta and Culture.

Next week's run/walk

When: Sunday 15th January, 5 pm

Where: Corner Buranda and Clear Mountain Roads, Cashmere. A map!

Hares: Charcoal and Strine

On, on!