The recent HOTHAM HANDICAP gave the runners the opportunity to do their thing in the cold, open, and brightly lit
sheep paddocks around Wandering. And run they did, obtaining scores not seen since RED ROO, two years ago!

In contrast, this year’s Spring 24 hour rogaine sees a return to the familiar surroundings of the State Forest. Our course is
just north of the Brookton Highway, and overlaps that of 2001: A ROGAINING ODYSSEY. So those who competed in
that event, or even in the more recent Autumn 12 hour DEJA DOO, will know what to expect. But for our newcomers,
come prepared for a walk, as long or as short as you care to make it, in gently undulating, mostly open terrain, through
wandoo and jarrah bushland, but with the occasional parrot-bush thicket there to keep everybody honest. You will also find
lots of tracks, but we’re afraid that they are there mostly for our benefit and not yours. However, if you arrive early and plan
your route carefully, you will be able to put quite a few of the tracks to good use.

In racing parlance, the weight carried by a horse in a WELTER event is determined not just by the horse’s age but also by
its previous performances. So the best horses carry the heaviest weights! We have tried to introduce the welter concept into
this rogaine. While saner competitors will have a thoroughly good time picking up perfectly respectable scores while
strolling through pleasant bushland not too far from Hash House, those with higher ambitions will have to venture much
further afield. The steepest, most challenging region of the course is in the far west, and naturally we have placed quite a
few high-value controls there. So many, in fact, that teams wanting to finish in the top ten will be hard pressed avoiding the
area! So while most of us are safely tucked away in our sleeping bags after a hot meal eaten by a blazing fire, our intrepid
adventurers will be braving a cold winter’s night, clambering around on slippery rock faces. Each to his (or her) own, I
guess!

According to the Oxford dictionary, there are other meanings for the word welter. But in the current climate of uncertainty
about insurance against accidents, we won’t even mention them, let alone makes jokes about them. You might want to look
these up for yourself, and make your own judgment about their appropriateness for rogaines. And as for the name
‘WOTNOT’ – you’ll figure that out when you get there.

So come along, set your own challenges, and have a great time rising to meet them!

Setter and Vetters : Ross Taplin, Ken Harrison, Gordon Birch, Linda Liebenau and Robert Kettle.