Walking the line of nicety

Last Saturday, like every 3rd Saturday of May for the last 30+ years, The Wayfarers Association ran organized, the Blackstairs Challenge: a 33 km up hill and down dale yomp from Killanure to Glynn via Mt Leinster [780m] and Blackstair [735m]. In earlier times, the route took in Knockroe [540m] with walkers lepping off the S face of the hill and tumbling 300m in less than 1km horizontal. That hard-chaw route is now deprecated and everyone [N=180 this year] comes down our lane. Last year and most of the previous 20+ years, we have serviced this worthy endeavour: first with a) water, then b) seats, then c) flapjacks. There is no doubt these trifling courtesies are used & appreciated:

. . . especially on years like 2025 when the weather is cloudless because shade trees are absent.  The hike starts at 07:30-08:30 and there is a 13:00 ½-way checkpoint just South of us. If you're not there, by then, you are obliged to bug out. The first runners trotted past our gaff at 09:30 and the sweepers paused to finish the flapjacks at 12:30. The sweepers are super fit Effectives with calves like knotted cords who ensure that nobody is left behind in the hills.

In that window, the participants came through in pairs and clumps, not all of them stopping to bide-a-wee in our yard. In between groups, I nipped out to make sure the tap was shut and there were still flapjacks in the tin. Imagine the mortification when, on such a foray at ~10:30, I noticed a jam-jar full of coins beside the tap. Donations have been made before and they aren't refused, but someone had put a "Trail Fairies" label on the jar, which echoed the "Trail Fairies" I put out on the >>Water>> sign several years ago. The shame that walkers might think we were soliciting money for water like it was transactional!! I was instructed to disappear that jar forthwith. Which solved our face-saving issues but put subsequent walkers to a dilemma . . . solved by putting folding money [as L] under a weight on the flapjack table. The jar? enough for 4 trips across the Waterford toll-bridge!

I, for sure, do not spend the morning chatting with the walkers - they have things to do and places to go. But I was caught at the tap by a feller who said thanks for all the fish cookies: "It's not about the cookies; it's about being seen and received" which I thought was a very gracious way of putting the trail fairy relationship. Being on the tramp (Blackstairs or Santiago or PCT) can be lonely and exhausting, so it's nice to be cared for as you might be at home.

Shortly after the hullabaloo faded away, a delegation from The Wayfarers materialized in the yard to present us with a bottle of whiskey; which is getting to be a habit with them. Even without being a boozer, a bottle of Paddy is always handy to have about the house . . . in case someone faints, like. I intend to make a batch of whiskey marmalade with the frozen sevilles left over from this year's marmalade jamboree.