投稿日: May 26, 2018 2:55:58 PM
Scribe: Just Cumming
Course: A to B
Weather: Rainy
Starting Point: Kinugasa Station
On-In: Kinugasa Sakaecho Park
Hare: Gerbil Stuffer
Trail: Live
For the May hash we were all proud to have another chance to chase Safety Last and Whiplash…no wait…For once a rainy run wasn’t hared by those two foul-weather fiends. Instead we were honored by the mighty Gerbil Stuffer for one of his strenuous live hare trails.
To kick off this run we were all blessed with some steady drizzle. Everyone being thoroughly moistened by the rain, we set off to catch our devious hare. Not one to stick to the asphalt trails of Yokosuka he quickly took us to the nearest patch of grass and dirt he could find near the start. After a strenuous 10 yards of trail running through an alley we made our way through the neighborhood of Koyabe. After ticking off just 1.5 km, Gerbil Stuffer was up to his usual tricks of dragging the hounds through the hills. Quickly making for the trees, we knew the bamboo forest we were hoping to enjoy would be anything buy enjoyable.
The hounds chased their hare through the woods of Kinugasa Yama Park. The hills, were steep and the bamboo was thick at first. The hounds stretched out as the FRBs pulled away and left much of the pack behind. A few of us left behind lost the trail in the woods and spent precious time trying to find just one small puff or one arrow amongst the rain-soaked leaves of the forest floor or the drenched bark of the trees. Eventually the scent took us back onto a trail as we reached the peak of the mountain park. The next phase of Gerbil Stuffer’s devious plan was to slam our legs down an unending series of rough-cut stairs snaking through the forest.
Slips, trips, and slides made the downhill portion of the park quite an interesting journey. One had to short-step constantly to keep from over-extending your stride or taking one too many steps. At the bottom of the hill, Gerbil Stuffer’s mercy was granted and after a short 2.5K we were granted a beer stop. Unfortunately many hounds didn’t recognize Gerbil Stuffer’s mark and ran right past it. Despite being horribly drenched after an hour (yes an hour to run so little distance) of trudging through the rain and mud, a quick refreshing drink made it all worth it. Nobody was sure how much was left, however.
Here the trail took the a split as the turkeys went west and the eagle (just me unfortunately) went east. Dread of more mud, hills, and forests turned to laughter, however, as looking to the right, the turkeys could be seen running the same path only on the roadway instead of the forest trail. After a short 100 yard dash, the turkeys and eagle re-merged and it was back after the crafty Gerbil Stuffer. A quick cut across the highway and we saw the mark letting us know it was back into the woods with the lot of us.
Once more into the mud, trees, and trails we raced up into what we would later realize was the far end of our out and back loop. Having almost no awareness of where we were it was at least refreshing to see prepared trails instead of the rough and treacherous wildlife trails that had greeted us the last time we entered the forest. After a short 1K dash through the woods we were back onto the road we had crossed before (though further down it) and back up the hills into the neighborhood of Hirasaku. For the first time in ages, this hound was glad to be on asphalt. By this point the rain had soaked through every inch of clothing and the insoles of our shoes were scrunched into the toe boxes.
The rain had continued for the entirety of the run. However, we seemed oblivious to it as we were mostly covered by trees. Now in the open streets of a suburban neighborhood, the full force of a steady downpour could be felt. The one satisfaction taken from this wet chase was that nobody overheated in the early spring weather. The rainy season is definitely upon us in Japan and Typhoon Gerbil Stuffer was a cruel harbinger of the summer runs yet to come.
After reaching our finish line in Kinugasa Sakaecho Park we were greeted by a mostly dry hare. He was uncaught and smiling from ear to ear. As stories of lost trails were shared we came to realize that the FRBs had actually passed the hare at one point while checking trail only to come back to their intersection and find that he had passed by unnoticed. The hare won the hash and the FRB, Cliffhanger, was robbed of his chance to catch him. Despite the fact that poor crippled Cliffhanger claimed to be injured, he was still able to outpace every one of us. It’s not clear if this is because his worst day of health is still better than our best, or we just weren’t trying that hard to win. For Cliffhanger’s sake, we’ll go with the former.
After everyone got changed into dry clothes and we had a few post run refreshments, we made our way to the On-After at the nearby Red Sun Chinese restaurant. The menu consisted of a typical Chinese dinner. Our courses started with some sliced pork, tofu and sprouts followed by glazed shrimp, fried pork, glazed stir-fry chicken, boiled cabbage, egg rolls, spicy tofu, and fried rice. The wait staff was cordial and polite as this raoucus group held circle indoors. Unable to levy fines, as the hare had already departed unscathed to celebrate Mother’s Day with his patient bride, the hash happily enjoyed their well-earned repast and emptied their glasses as quickly as the waitress could deliver them. Another live hare makes for a great time despite the weather.
On-On,
Just Cumming