Victoria Hash House Harriers Runs - 2021

The 28^th Annual 12 Stops of Christmas' Run was postponed from last year, but the hares 'pivoted' for COVID-19, and mustered an event this year.  They were a bit surprised that hashers had waited until the last minute to send in their RSVP (if at all).  Despite that only 25 hounds turned out - we had 39 at Halloween -, so supplies of goodies were only a bit tight, and they were able to manage with their normal panache.  For awhile Whoremoan had me going that there would be no 'candy cane lane' this year due to 'supply management issues'  - I love candy cane lane.  Yet the hares had deviously upended their trail, and candy cane lane came near the end (rather than near the beginning), as also did the traditional Pat Meadows Sour Apple Martinis stop - the Recipé can be found on our VH3 Hash Drinks.  I am still finding candy canes in my running jacket pockets.  Stuffer popping up at odd stops, as a non-participant hash 'groupie' - I am not sure how she did that, but it was marvelous.  At one stop there was a Christmas happy birthday song (a clean version) sung to a friend's 1 year old baby, which was in my mind a highlight - call me old and sentimental, or senile (your pick).  The tradition of a pot-luck and hidden Santa was converted into a cozy'ish if crowded outdoor deck-shared-pizza-takeout-thing, cleverly organized by the hares just prior to the run start.  Whoremoan's covered deck with heaters provide a reasonably warm place for religion, but I decided a bit too crowded for dinner, so I bailed on that, as I had a steak waiting for me at home.  I gave Temple a ride to and from the hash.  She comes from the San Diego H3 (where they have 14!!! hashes).  She is studying at UVic, so will likely be around for awhile to see how us hicks, I mean Canuck, hash.  I have no photos whatsoever, otherwise I would at least teased you with one or two, and no write-up.  Both par-for-the-course with the AGPU only having suckered-in - I mean 'elected - new Scribes and Hash Flashes a coupled weeks earlier.

The Post AGPU eVote and Teams Meeting Vote Run
Bit of a mouthful, but our AGPUs these days are no longer your mother's AGPU - well, assuming there are any Mother Hashers who's children made it a family habit.  First, about the AGPU.  This year's vote was done by Lime Survey (like last year) making use of the Mailman list, using Google Sheets to record 'other business' (propositions and questions), and, new this year, Microsoft Teams (rather than Zoom) to extend questions, and voting to hashers who - due to numbers (we had 43 vote), and COVID-19 - couldn't do a pub or home venue.  This allowed hashers to argue their case, solicit support for new ideas, and vote - Teams support private or public voting.  Click here to see the overall results.  BTW I couldn't make it to the Teams meeting, and so could not resist adding my own parenthetical comments on the decisions made (in very small pitch size, commensurate with their importance).  I was told much later that the attendance at the Teams meeting was not much greater than with a Mismanagement meeting, but under the BC Societies Act quorum for a AGM is only 3, so sized doesn't matter.  Second, the run, just like the previous run, this one started with rain in the morning, leading up to the run, but easing off at the start of the run.  Just like the previous Goldstream hash we had low 19 member turnout.  After the run any other AGPU business could come up at the on-afters at the pub, but nothing did come up.  The run circle around the neighbourhoods of Brentwood Bay and down to the waterfront.  At mid-point I was walking with Boomerang, and made our way down to a landing above stairs to beach and water access.  Boomerang first watered the rain trenched bushes, then told me he was hoping that others would have followed us down to the 'view point' to remember Cock-a-Leeky (click here to go to her memorial photo gallery), who had passed on the first of the month, and enjoyed kayaking with him off that very spot where we had stopped.  I am sure the hares were not aware of that.  In any case no one followed us down.  After a moment of solemn contemplation we headed back up to the road where we found the other waiting for us.  I told them, 'sorry, Boomer had to take a piss'.  No photos, but I hope the new Hash Scribe will come up with a write-up (alway hopefull).  Our new intrepid Grand Mattress really wants Mismanagement members to embrace their jobs.

The 26^th Annual Goldstream Park Run
We had 25 hashers showing up for this year's event.  Of those 8 people show-up for the first time, one of whom is now a resident.  That means our local attendance was 18 - our spreadsheet show we only had 19, but the photo to the right - missing Kitty Licker, Just Anne, and Hot Nuts has 22 (counting the Deep Shit who took the photo).  Not our lowest turn-out.  In 2017 the Goldstream hash had 18 hashers show.  It must have be the weather.  The visitors seem to be from colder places like the Yukon, so this was balmy weather to them, but local might think it too wet.   Last yearwe had 30, the year before that 29, and in 2018, 25.  but in 2016 Gold Steam run 686 we only had 15 hashers show up, and the following year in 2015 Salmon Run 660 had 19 showed up.  Not a lot of weather details in the 2015 comments.    We only started to record attendance on run 651.  Bolstering our ranks was Cream Card from Whitehorse H3.  This was also Bearded Lady first Salmon run, and he was from the Whitehorse H3 - now living here.  I think the Whitehorse hash had been started base on the Victoria hashes.  One could say the VH3 is infectious in a good way!  For this run the day started rainy, but had dried up by the time we started off.  I suspect hashers looked out the window earlier in the day, and made other plans.  I had forgotten to bring dry shoes and socks, but unlike earlier years we didn't cross through the stream  but over it, and the trail was relatively free of large puddles and deep mud.  In any case we had lots of the traditional fortified hot blueberry tea to go around.  We did wait a bit for misplace walkers, but finished the circle before dark.  Ma Millers Pub has permanently closed.  The history of Ma Millers is a bit foggy.  Their history web page said the first pub started in this location in 1864, but says the name came from a "...very entrepreneurial women in 1923--Mrs. May Greening-Miller or more affectionately known by patrons as 'Ma'."  The current building has been its location since the 1930s.  The pub owner were given notice by the land owner, and had to close end of January 2021.  After many year of using Ma Millers as the VH3's post-Salmon Run on-afters, this year we had to travel some distance to the next pub, and ended up at 4 Mile House.  We will miss Ma Millers.

The Halloween Costume Hash had a lot of hashers come out with their best costumes.  The attendance even surpassed our 800 run by 1.  It helped that weather was relatively mild and sunny (for late October).  One brave hasher came as a bare chested Roman Centurion with only a cloak to keep him warm.  We had attracted at least 5 visitors — Vimeo Dance Queen (we think travelled from Pennsylvania's Harrisburg-Hershey Hash House Harriers); Just Brandon, Spartacock, and Great Value (Whitehorse H3);  and Roadkill (Vancouver H3).  There were prizes to be had for best costume, which Some Bitchy C' and Blue Balls won for their expertise in fashioning cardboard into imaginative costumes.  Kudos were given to Blue Balls for running the trail in women's pumps, while carrying a box, and a blow-up doll on his back.  Hard to imagine so I actually have a video under his photo.  Like many of the costumes, the runner and walkers had a well crafted trails.  Local drivers honked appreciatively as hasher ran along the sidewalks of Hillside-Quadra and Oaklands neighbourhoods.   On-afters had 20 hasher accommodated in the covered patio of the 5^th Street Bar and Grill.

This was Piss in my Boots (first named Puss n' Boots in 2003 on run 338) second time haring a run.  Some Bitchy C has set many runs since naming in 2012 on that year's 12 Stops).  burn off some calories.  Proof that it's never to late to start setting trails!  On all accounts, Piss' first trail he set in 2018, was excellent , but I miss that one.  This time I had a family engagement, and so almost didn't turn out, but after a big lunch decided better late than never to come out an support the Piss and Bitchy team (what a team!), and to I was able to follow their well marked trail, catch up to the BC before it broke up, with many happy greeting, and Shigella saying, 'I knew he would make it to the run!'.  I noted that Jack the Tripper had returned from a 34 run gap (his last was 2020 Valentine's Day run 773), avoiding the hash ever since COVID-19 started to effect gatherings.  It was a fine day and a good wander through Oaklands and parts of Fernwood.

The 'Monkey Business' Run was Just Dave's first haring. It was a sunny day.  I arrive late to the start due to a prominent lack of parking - I drove by as the hounds circled up.  Near the start I was turned back on the trail by the walkers telling me I was on the walkers trail, and not the runners trail.  I long-cutted to find the trail in Beacon Hill park - I was avoiding following the walkers, but couldn't find a 'runners trail'.  I suspect now that at the start they shared the runners trail.  On Fairfield Road I came across an arrow pointing to a check with a '?' in the middle of it.  This was at the entrance Ross Bay Cemetery.  There was an arrow with a 'D' next to it pointed back at the arrow pointing to the check - two arrows pointing at each other.  This is what happens when you miss the initial trail instructions.  An arrow is suppose to be true trail, so two arrows point at each other is a bit confusing.  I checked for flour marks in the grave yard, but found nothing.  I checked for trail marks a block further alone Fairfield, and found nothing.  Suddenly I came to an epiphany that at the first arrow was a City of Victoria 'Detour' sign pointing down Memorial toward Dalas road - that's the 'D'!  I headed down there, and eureka, I found a check with an arrow pointing up May.  It turns out the hares had decided not to set any flour trail in the cemetery, and the '?' was for hashers to find Emily Carr's tomb stone, and perhaps some others, thus leading them through the park.  The 'D' was for hashers with dogs, as dogs were not allowed in the cemetery - it was just pure magic that the detour sign was there to lead me in the right direction.  From there the hares had left lots of handy arrows for the late-comers (basically me), catching up just as the pack was finding the BC.  The BC was at Just Dave's condo, and there we named him "I Dream of Weenie", after answering a craving for a hot dog or sausage while setting the trail.

A rare write-up of Slippery Dick's first haring (run 756) was titled July 27, 2019 Rainbow Park to as far as Panama Flats (long), but I missed that one, so one could say this was my first 'Dick' run, and it was brilliant.  Brydon Park is at the start of Colquitz Trail in Royal Oak, so predictably the trail started out in that direction.  It meandered its way though to Layritz Park, around to the PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence), where the pack encounter a lone sprinter practicing his starts.  It took the necessary kindness of the hare to show confused hounds where the trail led at Camosun College Interurban Campus, but, though devious, the trail around the Vancouver Island Technology Park buildings were clear enough to be found, but clever enough to slow down the FRBs.  The BC was in Quick's Bottom Park, where the walkers were already waiting . It was a perfect running day.  No rain.  On-Afters was at Crooked Goose Bistro.
PS Waiting on photos, I finally wrote this comment on Remembrance Day, and have yet to receive any photos since the Black Dress run in August, and no rare write-up.

This was 'Boomerang & Jonners' Birthday Run, and this year Jonners turned up!  Last year the fear of catching COVID-19 kept him away, but he did help set a devious trail.  This year they are both vaccinated, and we're happily present, allowing the Hash to celebrate their 81^st and 51^st years of existence.  They haven't gotten any more devious.  No on got lost or confused this year - not overly so.  Jonners did a great job of sweeping the trail, showing hounds where to go when it looked as if they might have to do some thinking (can't have hashers thinking).  Most important was getting to the mid-run refreshments stop before the shortcutting walkers had consumed whatever there was.  That stop was at lovely (in not more than a bit predictable) Finnerty Cove - been there countless times before.  As with last year it was a brilliant day.  I can't believe that no one took any photos, but I haven't received any, so you will have to take my word as truth about the weather, or even that the run and walk even happening.  The birthdays were inevitable.

The 1^stLittle Black Dress Run
For years the VH3, like many Hash House Harriers kennels throughout the world, have annual red dress runs. It is even mentioned in Wikipedia. Our Grand Mattress decided we didn't want to bemuse hashers, or the public, that we were campaigning for something related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, which was what artist Jaime Black was attempting to do with his REDress Project.  In any case, hashers scrambled to get black dresses, and did a brilliant job of it. The hares created a devious trail that crossed the Johnson Street Bridge twice, had a drink brake under the bridge less than 100 meters away from the start (less distance for the hares to travel to serve the drinks), led the hounds on a winding route through the streets of Victoria, and provided the runners a photos shooting opportunity to reenact Marilyn Monroe’s Flying Skirt Scene over an air conditioning vent - getting those black dresses flying.  Oddly enough none of those photos have come to me.  The hares only lost Boomerang, but found him, and had to do some last minute coordination by telephone to get the runners and walkers to turn up at the right place at the right time - it's not the first time hares forgot where their trails led (and Blue wondering if Lady Bush was going to have him sleeping on the couch that night).  They found a wonderful semi-secluded sunny location on the waterfront behind the Northern Junk Company building for religion and the BC.  This will very likely be the last, and first time, this location will be used for a BC as the Northern Junk heritage revitalization project has been approved.  We donated $640 to BC Cancer Foundation.

We had 17 hashers turned out for this wonderfully local run.  Another sunny day, running through familiar routes from Oaklands into North and South Jubilee, and Fernwood.  The runners caught up to the walkers.  Banana Flasher from Edmonton H3 was not at all too worn out by the previous nights Dark Side of the Moon run.  It was a nicely predictable run... ok I got 'side tracked' twice thinking 'if I was the hare I would go this way'.  The BC was at Alexander Park.  The on-after was at Christie's Pub.

The VH3 800th Run
Run 801 was actually the 800^th run, but for various reason we celebrated 'run 800' on the 803^rd run, and run 803 was the 804^th - best not to dwell on it.  Though their were three hares, who did a lot to organizing of a couple of fine runners and walkers' trails, they had help with Geri Bait doing a great shirt - and helping at a couple treats stop -, and a Cougarbait birthday cake put on by Pisstifferous at the BC.  We had a drink stop on the beach, a truffle chocolate stop off a tail gate of a classic pickup, and the customary BC with a birthday cake.  Their was confusion amoung the walkers, who made it to Pisstifferous' front driveway, but didn't follow their map to the back where the birthday cake and BC was.  If they had only wandered around back, ... but they didn't.  We also had a visitor from Bali Hash House Harrier by the name Pussy Pus (he picked the best time to visit).  Though there wasn't an huge turns out for a 'double-zero' run, we still had 38 hashers, which was the largest run to date (later to be surpassed by the Halloween run 809).  The weather couldn't have been better.  I have 3 sets of photos, but I am promised more, and no formal group shots - accept for the photo of the walkers at Pisstifferous driveway - missing the BC by about 70 meters.  On-afters was at Christie's Pub patio.

The 'Youbou Impromptu Hash' Run came about with no hashers in Victoria putting their names forward to set a run.  A bunch of Salt Spring (and Salt Spring diaspora) hashers, out camping at Youbou, came to our rescue, and organized, and set our first, an excellent  Youbou hash.  Camping with relatives they convinced them to join in a hash run - maybe new converts, maybe not.  They scouted out a trail, and with the aid of smartphone technology (some times those annoying little devices have their uses), they organized a spectacular run.  It was about a 1 ½ hour drive from Victoria, so we started at 2:30PM to get people home at a reasonable time.  We had a good sized rabble, and though I remember who a number of them were, we currently have no record of who was actually on that run, so the visitors remain a mystery to me.  Significant memories are:  Geri Bait greeting runners at mid-run with a tailgate Pink Margarita stop. She used a mix, but thought was too weak, so she doctored it to give it a bit more of a kick.  I am still waiting for the Recipé to add to our Hash Drinks page.  Near the beginning of the run I asked Shigella if there were any YBFs, as Blue Balls was running a long up hill portion of the trail - I didn't want to follow if it was a YBF.  As Blue was calling a distant 'on-on', puffing his way to top of the hill, with no one following him, as if to sillently answer me Shigella bent down and drew an arrow pointing in a different direction.  With an evil grin she said,'no, but I think I got a little carried away with that X'.  We had a teenage relative of Blue Balls, Dante, exuberantly running well out ahead of the pack calling out loudly 'hard on' -  we instruct newbies to call that instead of on-on - following a false trail along a well populated public beach.  I am sure the locals were wondering if he's a 'special needs person'.  The on-afters were COVID-19 safe, and out on the sunny deck of the Youbou Bar & Grill.  Sorry not having a gallery.  Sir My Cocks A' Fallen shared the group shot, but I suspect no one was snapping a lot of photos.

It was hot!  Normally foul weather was a poor reason not to come out, as the old saying goes, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing", yet here it was all about suitable preparation  - running in the nude might have resulting in sun burns in sensitive areas.  We all came with  sun screen, water, hats, sunglasses, and a acceptance that sweat is good.  Still only 7 hashers did this trail!  That the lowest turnout since the VH3 has been recording hashers' event  participation.  We started recording turn in August or 2015.  We spend good money to take trip to tropical areas,  and now the tropics come to us for free.  Stoolie commented that it was 38°C in the parking lot!  Boomerang said he is used to running in the tropics, so was there to show his bravado.  The rest of us came out to support the hares, and it was the first full hash since run 773 (March 7, 2020).   SBC and Speedy set a clever trail mostly under in the shade, but with a strategic HH at a mid-point in the run to allow the hounds to decide if they wanted to short-cut to the end, or carry-on.  The hasher unanimously voted to carry on.  The trail covered some new terrain to the hash, and even had a small amount of damp mud.   We found the BC at Speedy's motorhome, and he pulled out a couple of cold pressurize double growlers of Phillips beer, and a huge bowel of cut water melon.  There in the cool shade of the vehicle we ran Religion after munching happily on melon and sipping on cold beer (from the motorhome's refrigeration). It was a great hash.

Having been cancelled two weeks earlier in Francis King Park, run 799 was reincarnation (rather then resurrected)  in Fernwood (well, it starts with 'F'). It segregated mismanagement into one run, and all them other hashers into another.  I following Mismanagement meeting made sense to do this, but still it's a first, and seemed odd.  It actually separated husband an wife!  Lakey told me Jonners wanted to come on the run with her, but wasn't in Mismanagement so couldn't.  Seems like an excuse for having time alone from the wife, as I doubt anyone would really cared that Jonners wasn't in Mismanagement, and who's going to kick out a hasher who was GM in 2012!  Besides he probably could have carried RCMP who wasn't in Mismanagement but came anyway.       It was a sunny day's wander/run through the heart of Fernwood and parts of Rockland supposedly counting the number of free libraries (LFLs) - a contest to see who came closer to the 'real' number.  Hardhooker promised there would be hooks, and there were 3 hooks.  We invented the new hashing term the 'doomed front running bastard' (DFRB), as they knew they were coming back to pack soon enough, yet they ran ahead anyway.  I ran onto no hooks, but I suspect SBC got all of them.  It did a good job keeping the pack together, and time to wonder what a hook with a zero beside it might mean - something to mischievously drop on a trail to see how hashers treated it.  It might result in a hare being named Phantom Hooker.  Having lived in the area for years I didn't really count LFLs, so when I counted the one near the Mayors home and added 4 to my count, as a likely estimate of the number of libraries I didn't pay attention too (so 5), Hardhooker decried me as a cheat, but in my defense they really didn't make any rules on how you had to do your counting - any ambiguity should benefit those who didn't make up the rules.  In any case I believe my count was the same as Blue Balls who actually counted 5, but the Hares said they counted 6 when setting he trail, but then were not sure if some of those were on false parts of the trail, so there was no 'real' count after all for LFLs on the true trail.  A Mismanagement meeting followed the last run to make decision in what to so for the 800^th run, and COVID-19 changes likely to come.  Lakey announced there will be a 100^th bike hash this summer, but to-be-announced.  Yet another resurrection to come, or a wake. With the CRRAP is anything a sure thing.  There were also romours of a Dog Hash - RCMP probab ly made those.     

I was away for this run, and was sorry I would be missing it.  I got back to find emails suggesting I missed nothing, but a bit of history being made.  It was the first time a VH3 run was cancelled by 'officers of the lue'.  Something about illegal white stuff (flour) being dropped where it would disturbing dawg walker in the park, and not having a Park Use Permit - which I think is free.  I got this all secondhand, so I might have some of this wrong, and I am not a reporter, so its totally unverified, but I understand the Capital Regional District bylaw officers promised a $300 fine for each hasher running the trail without a permit.  That they were wearing trench coats, and had odd French accents.  If I were the Hare I would have removed the walking route, moved the start and BC to the BC Hydro lands, told the hashers to wear their COVID masks, not to stop for anyone in a trench coat, and run, just run.  As far as I can tell there have been at least 8 hashes set in and around that park.  In 1998 Squilchuk set run 188 there. Then in 2002 those scofflaws Floppy Snatch and Bushsquatter set hash 311 in the park.  The first trail I set was with Stoolie Andrews on run 375 in the park, and I botched it by shortcutting the trail on him - someone told me the goal was to get to the BC, so I was just being helpful.  The next year Itchy Buns & Floppy Snatch set run 414 there.  In 2008 Dikkus & Double Hump set run 469 in the park, but shockingly made good use of BC Hydro lands.  In 2012 we had Valentine's Day in the park with the hares Pantsdownbooty and Prize Prick on run 556 - a love and mud run.  Testicular & Pussy Whipped Blue Buck set run 618 there, probably sure they could charm their ways out of any trouble, or bribe their way free with Gin and Tonics with extra limes.  Yours truly (moi) set the last Francis King Park run 720, which was an attempt to reproduce the trail Stoolie planned in 2005.  So, sonny, we've been setting flour trails in the park for 23 years!  I think some of us might have 'grandfather rights'.

I believe Cock-a-Leeky called herself a 'consulting hare', like Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective, or ... something like that.  Goes Down Well wanted to set her first trail in Victoria, but asked for knowledgeable assistance.  Based on the success of  the May Day run groups were only schedule on Saturday, and whole dozen people showed up.  The hares had no automobile. The Beermeister gave the OnSec and Webmeister doing the bookings instructions to book him into the last group that ran.  He could then take away the BC leftovers in his car, saving himself a trip later that day.  Of course booking in theory would be automatically cut-off when the OnSec and  Webmeister left to do the run on the day of the event.  Probably at about 2PM.  The latest booking was 3PM (4PM and 5PM both were left empty).  Sadly the GM was not in the loop, and always wanting to pitch-in rather then remain as a figure head, booked Kitty Licker (or Kitty Litter as he named him) and Just  Annie into the 4PM slot.  It might have seemed strange to them that there was no hares greeting them at the start of the run, but things really  got disappointing when they arrived at the BC with no refreshments there.  Always a resourceful person KL knew where Cock-a-Leeky lived (he didn't know where the other hares lived), and knocked on her door looking for what wasn't at the BC, which of course she didn't have.  Following that Mismanagement instituted a registration cut-off for the next COVID-19 runs, thus prevent future uncertainty.  The run had some interesting uncertainties with myself and Boomerang doing the walking trail.  We had to giving up on the trail confusing and  seemingly contradiction trail marks near the Bay Street bridge, and no trail mark at Vic West Park (holy arrows and check-backs Batman!).  Maybe what happens when you use a consulting hare .  Fortunately it was a warm and sunny day, and we knew where the BC was, so we just headed toward that.  Goes Down Well bought some Okashi (the first group devours wasabi balls,  but some matcha flavoured treats remained) from Oni-Oni, a store specializing in Onigiri, Kakigori, Okashi, and Nomimono (drinks). 

The Annual Gin and Tonic, May Day Run
Last year I convince our hosts to have physically distanced Gin and Tonic run, but this year our COVID-19 worries, and the availability of a run landing on May 1st,  gave them the opportunity to have a May Day run.  The last May Day run set by Testi and PWBB was run 509 (May 1, 2010)!  This year's run had 23 hashers split into 5 small groups of 6 or fewer hashers.  No photos have come to me, nor a write-up, but I have my memories.  In the group I was with (Boomerang, Wet Taco, Pisstiferous, Stoolie Andrews) no more than a half kilometer into the run Wet Taco ran onto the NBC at the bottom of some stairs.  Lost already!  Eventually we figured out where the true trail was, but we also now knew where we would end up.  The trail ran along the curvery roads, and well tended homes and mansions of the Uplands.  Sunny and warm,  Unfortunately there was no may pole to dance around, but the small groups, sunshine, and a large area to hang out allowed for easy safe physically separation.

It was a gorgeous summer's day in spring, with temperatures closer to those in July than in April.  I put a warning out to hashers that the angle of the sun was the same as in August, and to wear sunscreen.  When I arrive at 3PM one of the hares had the signs of a sun burn.  Still recovering from a pulled ligament (probably the Lateral Collateral Ligament) I was going to walk the trail with Boomerang.  Boomerang was late.  Despite clear directions, a map, and the name of a park that he is very familiar with, Boomerang happily snagged an excellent parking spot ...at Gonzales Park, and wondered were the hares were.  I think he then consulted the website on his smart phone, and discovered Willows Beach was where he was suppose to be.  He found a crappy parking spot on a side street - so much so we had to 'find' his vehicle after the hash.  He wore his St. George's Day (April 23rd) shirt from hash 378, where he fell off his bike - back then that was blamed as a 'senior moment', but now we're all having senior moments, so it's all right (now he probably just misplaces his bike).  Walking the running trail took a long time.  We started at 3PM and arrived back to the start at 5PM.  It was predictable, making its way to Cattle Point, then through Uplands Park, then up the CamasTrail, then Carnarvon Park (with a stange VP of children playing base ball), then Willows School, and back to Willows Beach.  We had a couple opportunities to have short-cutted a large portion of the trail if I had just followed my speculative assumption as to where the trail would end-up.  On most of the Camas Trail  stretch of the trail Wet Taco's clever on-on markers pointed in the opposite direction of the obvious trail direction, and not long after that one of these arrows pointed in the wrong direction at a check!  I said to Boomer that makes no sense as I think we will end-up at Willows School in the opposite direction to the arrow, and Boomer followed my guess.  I followed Wet Taco's arrow to the end of a block, with no check-back (or flour of any kind).  Despite there being 3 hares, they were happy to lounge at the beach rather than maintain a BC at Willows School (were I would have put the BC), so the BC was at the start.  Boomer wasn't the only person who got lost getting to the start.  Pissonya and Brewkiller arrived very late.  Both unable to find the start at the park, they wander about and missed the 5PM group who gave up waiting for them.  I think they cleverly planned that, as the BC being at the start, they didn't miss the BC in any case, and didn't have walk a long trail!

The Fool on the Hill (or Easter) Run
WE HAVE A WRITE-UP.  I am shouting this, because the last write-up wasn't even from the Hash Scribe, but was from Sir My Cocks A' Fallen where he wrote about Run 758 (August 24, 2019).  The Hash Scribes in 2020 an 2019 where deadbeats, but we now have a write up from the 2021 Hash Scribe.  Dikkus told me he was thinking of having hashers run up 3 hills, including Summit hill, but he decided to give the hounds a break and had the BC at the top of  Peacock Hill Park.  I did the walking route with Boomerang, Hooter Shooter, Goes Down Well, Just Pierre, and Just Manon the last three are new to the VH3 but been here for awhile - they are now VH3'ers.  The hare scrambled with a BC that was a bit distant from the start.  It was a good walkers' trail, but those marks looked very fresh.  I gather he has some tight time management, but brialiantly made it work.

The ' Gander on the Gorge' Run
I missed this run, but I have scouted and set runs around The Gorge, so I was interests in what these most experienced hares came up with.  Dikkus was my second co-hare on run 388 the 'Sea to Sky Hash' where the scribe wrote 'Devious Dickus! Tricky Dickus!  ...This was also a trail where hashers encountered other long misplaced hashers'.  Richard the Turd has set the Dark Side of the Moon Xmas hash for a couple of decades (first online record DS 98 in 2002)'  That big long body of water, with only three crossing that a pedestrian could take, and each so far apart, makes it difficult to set a trail that isn't predictable, or having hasher running across the same bridge twice. Unfortunate I didn't get to go on this run, so I am still currious how it went.  We have a few photos from Blue Balls, showing a bridge was used.  Too few photos to be more than a teeze (as you can see here). I will have to beg for more, and a writeup from the Scribe... (beg for photos that is)

St. Davids Day Run (or Cock-a-Leeky's naming run)
In Welsh,  Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant, commemorates the death of the patron saint of Wales, March 1st, 589 AD.  Welsh hashers have long memories - the Hash is not that old.  This is one of our newest annual run days.  The leek is Wales national emblem dating back to the 6th century when legend has it Dewi Sant (St David) advised King Cadwaladyr to have his soldiers wear leeks into battle to distinguish them from their Saxon enemies.  Centuries later at the 1346 Battle of Crécy at age 16(!) Edward the Black Prince - intentionaly left by his father King Edward III of England to win a defensive battle himself, with greatly uneven odds - defeated a French army many times larger,and establishing England's international reputation as a military power. The Black Prince would later become the most effective military commander in the 100 Years War, but he would never make it to the thrown, dying at age 46 of dysentery an long illness probably from having ingested Shigella bacillus (shigellosis).   The winning of the battle was mainly due to British profesional soldier yeoman archer, many of whom were Welsh.  They fought much of the battle in a field of leeks.  To commemorate the victory a leek is worn by the Welsh on Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant.  The daffodil became significant after the revival of the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911 at which David Lloyd George, a Welsh politician mainly responsible for the revival, wore a daffodil instead of a leek.  Cock-a-Leeky was named on the first St. David's Day Run in 2014 set by High Beams and Lakey.   I beleive Lakey, or her other half Jonners, has roots in Wales, and we have done St Patric's Day, so makes sense to honour another patron saint.  Given that there are 3374 patron saints, but only 27 runs each year, we can't have runs for just any patron - there are five patron saints of brewers but only one for athletes.  I think Cock-a-Leeky setting this run was a commemorative of her naming, ... if any hasher remembered that.  This was another run I missed. We had 16 hounds booked-in in groups of 6 or less.  There were three groups on Saturday and one on Sunday.  I think after this run the next hares wanted to only book on Sunday if all the Saturday time slots were full. I believe hashers were asked to wear a leek, or clothing that carried the national colour red.  They probably could have worn a daffodil too - easy to come by as those are a blooming invasive species in many of our parks.  I believe one hasher wore a wilted leek.

I missed this wonderful adventure in Oaklands, Fairfield, North or South Jubilee, or maybe even parts of Saanich.  With where the hare started this run, hounds could be exploring parts of multiple neighbourhoods. I think I'll need a comment for our Hash Scribe, who booked into this run.  Since my last comment (yesterday) on run 791, one of our OnSecs is updating the VH3 Run Participation as I type this (the advantage of a shared spreadsheet, you can see who is in there while you are), and I can see there that Hash Scribe actually was on this run.

Another COVID-19 4-runner (or house hold) runs.  I missed the run, but that never causes me to be at a loss for words.  It had the same starting location as Boomer's run 777, where the trail on Mount Tomlie resulted in Slippery Dick and his entire family getting lost, and never making it to the BC. At the time of writing this (April 4) run 791 was the last run entered into our VH3 Run Participation database, which says we had 19 hounds on the trail, and the VH3 COVID-19 Hash Schedule database shows their were 3 starts on Saturday and three on Sunday.   Most of these starts had  non-household 4  hashers groups, with Prosucker running on her own, and Jonners and Lake making  a rare appearance to run as a household.  The COVID-19 BC Athletics guidelines change every so often, and then the VH3 Mismanagement decide what to do with them, and then the next hash modifies them again to suit its needs. Its not always clear what past events followed as a protocol - maybe call it temporary hash habit.  What we have been doing seems to work, and hopefully we'll continue to be lucky to strike the correct balance between safety, fresh air, and exercise.  I heard no stories of hashers getting lost. Slippery Dick was on the run and didn't get lost (no one mentioned it to me).  If true and he had been on the Zoom religion meeting he should have gotten a honourary down-down for that achievement.  Until we can get back into having regular small group religions I am not looking for a naming to happen on a hash any time soon - hard to do that over Zoom.  The last naming was at the Goldstream hash in mid-November. 

The Robbie Burns Day Run
At its start this run had flour leading hashers on a similar path used by a past Dark Side of the Moon runs.  I had also scouted the area for another trail, so knew many of the clever ways Preemie could have taken hashers.  I was glad that Kitty Licker and Just Anne, returning from the run as I was leaving on it, gave me a useful hint about a devious part of the trail at the duck pond at the north end of Cedar Hill Golf Course.  Kitty had to work, so couldn't set this year's trail, which is his habit, but he made time to run the trail.  Preemie came to the rescue to do a COVID-19 suitable Robbie Burns day.  I welcomed the hint, because I was running injured (that had happened in the swampy area of run 789).  Unfortunately this run would just make it worse.  The hare had given hashers an assignment to find some things at VPs on the trail, and complete a quiz at the end of the run.  I got most of those.  The beer check was in Preemie carport, and included individual shortbread cookies, individual shots of scotch, hand sanitizer, and beer.  No Burns dinner.  The trail seemed short, but knowing the areas I suspect I was just able to guess true trail at most of the checks.  Boomerang swears I shortcutted, but if I did it was on flour.

The  'Lone Wolf - Brentwood Bay Edition' Run happend over Saturday and Sunday with runners booking in to hourly time slots in house-hold group. There was the inevitable outdoor mingling of idividual who overlapped in thier leaving and arriving.  When I got there Wet Taco was just walking back from the BC to his parked vehicle.  We chatted from a distance, and he hinted to turn right at the end of the path - pointing at a path plunging into woods.  It was a sunny day, but it had rained earlier.  The on-ons took me to Brentwood Heights, right, then right through another path to Sea Drive.  I took a false trail down stairs to a beach, then backup and along Sea Drive past the Brentwood Memorial Chapel (the only building spared by the 1947 fire that destroyed the original Brentwood College School) and later becoming the Brentwood Anglican Chapel.  The after a back check the flour lead down Delamere Rd. with great views of the bay.  There it wandered by an enchanting aphorisms board at the end of neighbours driveway (people could post the favourit sayings).  Delamere deadends, but there is a path down to the waterfront path taking hasher by the Anglers Anchorage Marina ending at Anglers Ln.  It headed in that direction, turning inland up Marchant Rd. just after Blue's Bayou Cafe.  Earlier wet weather inpired Blue Balls to bend the trail to take hashers though the disc golf course 'The Shark Tank At Bayside Middle School' a flooded area behind Bayside Middle School (more swamp then path).  The hare barely could find dry ground on which to place flour. The BC was Blue and Lovely Lady Bush's new place, only block from the start.  There I bumped into Geri Bait and Shigella, the former heading out with Lovely Lady Bush to walk part of the trail, and the later heading out to the start to run the trail.  Shigella paid for my beer as I had forgot to take with me my run fee.  I probably still own her $5.   Religion was done over Zoom.

The Annual Polar Bear Run was put on ice!!! COVID-19, that heartless virus, put a crimp in our plans, and a run that has basically been around as long a the VH3 has didn't happen in 2021.  The run number pushed forward to the next opportunity.