I have cursed him many, many times when we’ve been staring face to face into a mass of impenetrable bracken some of which is trying to wrap around our legs in a “frond” boa constrictor like embrace. Where are we? On some direct route avoiding paths and, of course, roads, at all costs. Or splashing through sometimes thigh-deep bog between giant tussocks which have never seen any human activity until now. All this and listening to enthusiastic descriptions of bog asphodels in full spring and summer orange bloom.
And that’s only in the summer months, in winter, the water we enjoy is colder, deeper with a high bone chill factor, with, if we’re lucky, in these climate change days, a frosty ice crust. Whilst snow may now becoming a fading memory, we have frozen our toes until they’ve lost all feeling, wading through rivers and drifts and suddenly sinking up to our waists in both.
All this has been named by the Serious (Slow) Warts as Harmerian terrain often encountered over routes devised by chief Wart Andy Harmer. And so it was on our latest outing, the Hunter wreck night race, devised and organised for many years by Andy. Starting from the gas station and going to New Cross (Remains of), then to the wreck and finally to the summit of Emlin. Andy has already written two accounts (email and Whatsapp) of the race (27 runners) which was won by Tom Saville in an astonishing 46 minutes. To put things in perspective, the Serious (Slow) Warts took 2 hours and twenty minutes. It’s worth noting that the average age of our four-man group was about 50 years more than Tom’s age. Admittedly, we all had to fight the same bracken and heather, so, really, no excuses, apart, sadly, from oldish age.
Our next obligatory “check point” was the pub, this time at the Plough in Bradfield which comfortably accommodated us. There was frenzy of results analysis which were announced by Andy (who else?) to great applause. Congratulations to all. This was the last Hunter Wreck that Andy was going to organise. He has been gradually handing over all his races (Margery Hill, The Crookestone Knoll (summer and winter), the Olympics (also summer and winter), the Cakes of Bread, the Cutthroat relay and many others. He also planned many of the Serious (Slow) Warts Wednesday outings, mostly all with a significant dose of Harmerian terrain, of course, for which we heartily thank him, with the occasional garumph! All this confirms him as a local legend. Thanks Andy.
Graham
