I've lived in Oakland for 6 years, yet even I had never been to the amphitheater in Mosswood Park. As the night began, I was sure that the ghetto would be my friend.

I began whispering that I'd found a safe way through to the first point. But when the game began, it seemed that a great many people had the same idea. At least 40 of us went out the rear of the park, then scattered left and right. Those who went through the tunnel to the left made no sense to me. We went off down 33rd, with many other small groups around us. Up 40th, changed to 41st, then end around on Piedmont.

A few quick moves and cutting through a parking lot, and we ended up on Lynda. She went all the way to the rose garden.

We decided to take a cut up a hill at the rear of the park, and it turned out to be the right choice. At the top of the hill, we saw Chaser Rubin, on his bike, orange streamers waving from the handlebars.

But he did not see us.

Down the side of the hill he went, and we followed, never seeing him again.

Into the park, and stamped by the mouse, we noticed many folk had been caught already on their way here. They milled, despondent at the checkpoint in Morcom Amphitheater. We tried not to attract their attention. By now, there were seven of us now, and I had become the Oakland sherpa for this pacel of San Francisc-agoraphobics.

Up the side of the rose garden's hills, I found a new street, devoid of chasers. It lead us down, over the freeway, then around the top of Adam's Point. We asked locals "Seen anyone with orange arm bands?" No one had.

We came out on 27th, near Lake Merritt park. The whole area was a safe zone, so we walked up to the Colonnade, through armies of angry fatty geese. We found the unlikely fisherman, and had our maps signed again. Our group reformed, though some had been caught, and were here warning us of the ensuing gauntlet around Lake Shore Drive. It was a desolate, mazelike area. We decided to double-back around the other direction, and go around Lake Merritt from the opposite side.

It took time. A couple joined our group, now of only 4 of the beginning 10. Dissent in the ranks came from the new couple, who wanted to take a bus to 3. We opted to walk to BART, then hustle over for the safe-zone on 18th. We crossed past Laney College, then into the Kaiser Center parking lot, past homeless people. The whole time, I felt like a tour guide, explaining to people local scenery and fauna. The average San Franciscan hadn't spent this much time in Oakland before.

Onto 12th, then up to 3rd and over to 18th. When we got to the checkpoint, we found 2 of our original party, who'd made it, but no sign of the bus people.

We got stamped at the tennis courts, then headed back the way we'd came. When we got to the Kaiser Center, we saw a group of three women ahead, and we suspected chasers. We tried to cut through the park on that side, but my companions felt uneasy about passing by a dark bush with people inside it. We turned around. one of the people in the bush shouted at me "Hey, come back! Got any smack?"

I shouted, "No!"

They replied, "Wanna smoke some Chronic?"

"I already got some. I'll come back later," I shouted back.

"You see?" I said to my companions. "Oakland isn't scary, people here are just really friendly in a hostile and loud way."

Kinda like me!

As we were exiting the Kaiser building's parking lot onto 10th street, we saw a chaser. One of the females. She charged us, and my party scattered. I stood and stared her down, standing in the median strip of the parking lot. She charged slowly, couldn't pick a target. I waited.

As she came close, I broke past her and ran for 10th St. I made it, but saw another chaser on the outskirts of Laney's campus. Another of the girls. She came after me and one other companion. We beat feet... swollen, painful feet at this point. We made it to 9th St. a safe zone.

In Madison Square Park, we found a Minotaur's labyrinth and some scotch. The folks manning this station did a great job, but I was so tired I couldn't speak.

After waiting for our party (Including the repeatedly lost, then running-up-to-us-in-the-dark-and-scaring-the-piss-out-of-us-found Miloh) to get signed, we mustered, and headed toward Jack london Square, and the largest safe zone in the game. We noticed an umbrella, but decided to stay away from it, for fear of it making us into a target.

Into Jack London, past Heinhold's Last Chance Saloon (Awesome ancient bar), and down to the 5th checkpoint. Harry Truman's boat was packed with a galla ball behind the girl's study, twice.

We pooled our efforts, and spotted 12 things different between the two studies. Mikolaj actually spotted that the teas were different in the two mugs, even though I'd looked once already and saw that the tags were the same color. We got extra special stickers for that, and were told a bottle of Jameson's awaited us upon our arrival at the end, as a reward.

My feet and legs were screaming at this point. We'd gone over 9 miles already. We cut down to Martin Luther King Blvd. then up to downtown Oakland. I could elaborate upon our specific route, but the truth is, the rest of the evening was uneventful. We saw chasers only at point 6, hobnobbing. We stuck to the Oak St. Safe zone, then up San pablo to Grand to Telegraph and to 27th again. Then into the park, and safe completion of the Journey.

All told, my team made it through with 5 people safe, counting me. My sherpa-ing was safe and effective. Thankfully, because I could not have run another step.

The cops took our Jameson's.