An urban run that didn't seem that way at all

Here in Chiang Mai we are a bit blessed with being in a big city that has almost anything you can imagine available in it, but also being just a short distance from untouched or at least, quiet nature nearby.

That doesn't mean that we always have the time to take advantage of the nature though and this past week we had about as urban of a run as we ever do here.

you wouldn't be able to tell how close to civilization, and even a very busy highway, that we were based on select photos though because even in these areas that have been taken over by residences, there is still some level of what appears to be country roads even though the hustle and bustle is just about 100 meters in any direction.

This is pretty typical when you get close to the national parks no matter which direction you head towards but in the case of being near the west side, which is a rather tall mountain, the government took control of most of the land and it is a protected reserve. Why? No idea! But I am glad they did so. It might have something to do with Doi Suthep, which is one of the most famous temples in the entire country.

In this run we had our usual 6km or so but we also had a wimp/rambo trail although you can't tell it from the satellite photo because the person walking / running this only did the Rambo trail.

Wimp/Rambo trails can be a lot of fun for everyone because the Rambo side of things is normally some sort of terrain that has been selected specifically because it is difficult and for many, this can mean they are going to get muddy or perhaps have some difficulty on some intentionally chosen incline followed by a decline. There have been very few instances of anyone getting injured during these things but at the Hash we leave it up to you to decide if you are a wimp or if you are a rambo. If you are wrong, well, you only have yourself to blame. We'll look after you and probably make fun of you unless you get seriously injured.

It was a decent turnout and how could it not be when our member "Wanksgiving" was the sole Hare that made this trail.

This one was pretty easy to predict because it was a rush job since we had no scheduled Hare team to make this one. Normally we make it a point to get our runs out further in the countryside than this but in a pinch, we will take what we can get. We pleaded with the members for people to step up as Hares at the circle meeting and a lot of people volunteered. Since most of our members are retirees, there is no reason why they shouldn't.

We are still doing at least 3 runs per week and membership is not required. All are welcome to join us just by turning up at the Tha Phae gate McDonalds at 330pm to get on the bus. Find out full details at our official and poorly made website. Come one come all!

On On!