(1997) A HELPER'S LOT Putting on a rally is hard work and usually involves a lot of hassles; fortunately, there is often a lighter side, and this year's Hurtwood Trek on 16th March provided us with a mad moment to beat most, writes Cynthia Mann. Set & Ready Martyn had marked out most of the Sections when Richard and I arrived on Saturday afternoon. Our job was simply to set up the tapes for the Timed Section at the Start, have a look at the route generally and that was it, all set and ready to go. No Mud Except for the Mud Pull. Naturally enough when you schedule a Mud Pull, there hadn't been any rain and the Mud Pull wasn't (muddy). Richard made suggestions, "We could move it lower down the hill where it might be boggy." "No." said Martyn. "We could scrap the Mud Pull and do something else." Water "No." said Martyn, "I will bring water up the hill." Martyn went home in his van and returned with two water barrels and a dustbin full of water, a hosepipe, buckets and watering cans. We connected the hose to the tap on the first barrel and Richard took the end down to the Mud Pull, or rather, he didn't. "Too short." he said, and it was, by about fifty feet! Martyn and Richard went into a huddle to decide what to do. Spectators Dutch and I had been chopping back the rather vicious gorse that encroached on the trail and we went back to it. Some walkers came by. I saw them giving Dutch an odd look. She was wielding her shears with consummate skill, trimming the wild gorse as if creating a topiary in a stately home. I felt their gaze wandering my way as I swung my long loppers in the direction of another spiky branch. I avoided eye contact and turned to look down the trail and caught sight of my husband. Caught Short Silhouetted in the late evening sun, he was standing with his back to me, astride the path. Between his widespread legs and slightly in front of him a small trickle of water sparkled in the evening sun. The trickle of water stopped and he turned around. Clutched in his hand was a little..............................old metal watering can. Sorcerer's Apprentice He raced back up the path, dipped the can in the dustbin until the can was full and ran back down the path and emptied the contents in the Mud Pull that wasn't. Martyn followed with a bucket. Dutch and I went to look. As fast as Richard and Martyn poured the water in, it disappeared. They ran faster. Back and forth they ran. I was reminded of Disney's sorcerer's apprentice. I didn't dare turn around to see if the hikers were still watching. I thought they had most likely decided we had escaped from a local 'establish-ment' and were perfectly harmless. Mud, at Last Eventually, Richard and Martyn created mud but I'm sorry my son wasn't there with his new video camera, or maybe, I'm not.