Run No.149 28th November 2020

Scribe: Wiggy

Event: Hayama Hash 12th Anniversary Hash

Tag line: 2020 hashing - more alcohol through hands than mouths!

Time: Saturday, November, 28, 2020

Location: Tsukayama Park, Yokosuka

Rendez-vous: Anjinzuka Station, KK line

Trail: A to A, tunnels & hills, 10km eagle and a socially distanced turkey for the SCBs

Hare: Cliffhanger

Supervisor: Sweetie

Hounds: 30ish

Weather: Overcast, dry, wind on top, 20C

Covid: A few pre beer coughs and sniffles, but no formal testing for this event

Another year, another anniversary. This year, 4H celebrated its 12th anniversary in the hills of Yokosuka, weaving through tunnels and up and down the trails and roads that describe the areas of Nishihemacho, Nagauracho, Anjindai and Tsukayama Park. This is a historical place, home of the “blue eyed samurai”, William Adams, who arrived on the shores of the peninsula in 1600, in the pre Covid era.

Despite the pandemic, the anniversary event was well supported, with about 30 to 40 hashers (if you include those who hung around the beer stash.) We left the start near Anjinzuka station at around 2pm and the no name FRBs raced off to chase down the false trails and check backs, mapped earlier by our hare, Cliffhanger. The theme was tunnels and the trail led us through a few (although it seemed like we missed more, as we went over the top of many hills!)

Highlights of the trail included a crazy staircase in a wooded area around Tsukayama Park, with a hundred steps made out of chicken wire, down which we descended. Miraculously, no one broke their neck or twisted an ankle and everyone felt much more alive afterwards, having “staired” craziness in the face and realised that it looks pretty much like a mirror image of oneself. Another cool moment was the viewpoint up on top (“Good On Top”!) in Tsukayama Park. We had a great view of Yokosuka Bay, with dramatic clouds and orange dots of persimmon orchards along the side of a hill.

Overall, the trail satisfied it purpose – people got lost, then found themselves, short cutters short cutted, we run up more hills than down, temples were visited (I remember Kashima Shrine), elder hashers popped up out of nowhere then disappeared only to pop up again 30 minutes later, everyone finished with legs on fire and a thirst for beer. Good job. A big shout out to Sweetie, for guiding Cliffhanger so graciously in the setting of the trail! :-0

Amazingly, all hashers were accounted for at the circle and despite the cold, hashers celebrated theirs efforts with beer and fine Covid era sandwich packs. Hashers received a great t-shirt to mark the moment, which is a cool colour and a good fit, although on Cliffhanger it looked shrink wrapped. Anniversary hashes are always a special moment in the 4H calendar and, in this bizarre year, 4H succeeded to record another milestone in this hash’s history.

Next month Gerbil Stuffer will organise his annual Jimmy and Jesus has. More fun soon.

Wiggy