Hashing Again

This week’s invitation for a Grenada Hash House Harrier’s (H3) walk/run #743 said, “Trails:  Walkers about an hour, not too hilly.”

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

I feel that they prevaricate.  Note the gentleman attempting to lower himself into the valley using a vine.  I attempted the same maneuver and discovered that the vine was not rated for 180 pounds.  Therefore, I am going betray the ugly secrets of Grenada H3, or as one of our minimum wage workers once said, “spill the peas.”

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

Most hashes start with a berating from diabolical Hashmaster known as “Soft Wood,” who promises the survivors of the hash an opportunity to buy beer and chicken.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

But, before we are thrown into the jungle, Soft Wood and his minions search the hashers looking for unsuspecting victims whose only crime is wearing a pair of new shoes to a hike.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

The victims are then forced to drink a beer from their left shoe as some sort of voodoo-science breaking in ceremony.  Hardly the way one wants to receive a free beer.

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

Other hashers, much younger than your poor author, experienced difficulty with what was advertized as, “not too hilly.”

 

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

The victims of this cruel ruse soon discovered that the trail not only led you into the valley;

 

But, then you had to climb back out.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

The victims of this subterfuge are generally nice people.  They stop and pet puppies.

 

 

Obviously the organizers of this abomination had little regard for our personal hygiene.  

 

Some however fared better than others.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

Upon safely returning to base camp, the “virgins,” or first time hashers were encouraged to give, Wendy, a young lady whose only crime was visiting from Orange County California, a group hug.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

At which time they were summarily doused with copious amounts of beer in some sort of barbaric cleansing ceremony.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

As if that was not enough, these two fine young men were called out and berated in front of the crowd.  The one on the left’s crime was taking his mother’s empty bag from her box wine of Cardboardeaux and making a CamelBak hydration system.  The other gentleman’s crime was simply choosing to run barefoot through the jungle.

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

For their alleged transgressions, they were renamed “Queasy” and “Camel Toe,” and forced to drink beer from a urinal and chamber pot while beer is sprayed on them.  The most undignified ceremony I have ever witnessed. 

 

Photo courtesy of Brian Steele

Now that I have spilled the peas, I am sure the Grenada H3 organizers will shape up and fly right.  Even if they are not sufficiently shamed by this posting, I will return next week because hashing is a great way to see the beautiful island of Grenada.

Hash House Harriers

Hash House Harriers originated in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur.  A group of British officers and expatriates noticed they were getting a little thick around the waist from excesses provided by the hash house.  They began meeting to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British “Hare and Hounds."

Harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer, ginger beer and cigarettes.  Today, harriers are satisfied with just beer, socializing, food, and more beer.

According to Wikipedia there are almost two thousand HHH chapters in all parts of the world, including two in Antarctica.  The Grenada Chapter tries to gather on a weekly basis, however that sometimes slips to bi-monthly, or monthly.  In Grenada, hash events are open to the public and require no reservation or membership.

Fellow Cruisers Kathy & John

Cruisers are encouraged to join what is describe as "a drinking club with a running problem."

At a Hash, one or more members ("Hares") lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the "Pack" or "Hounds"). The trail periodically ends at a "check" and the pack must find where it begins again; often the trail includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, back checks and splits.

These features are designed to keep the pack together regardless of fitness level or running speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the "true" trail, allowing stragglers (us) to catch up.

Hashing has not strayed far from its roots in Kuala Lumpur. The hare(s) mark their trail with paper.

Special marks may be used to indicate a false trail, a backtrack, a shortcut, or a turn. The most commonly used mark is a "Check", indicating that hashers will have to search in any direction to find the continuation of the trail.

Trails may pass through any sort of terrain and hashers in Grenada may run through rain forest, alleyways, residential areas, city streets, farms, or take the “Iron Man Route,” which we avoided.

Along the trail, we encountered numerous goats that found us to be annoying and quite strange.

As did the local kids.

Because we would be hiking through farms, we were told not to pick any of the fruit along the way.

 “Sweepers” were available in case any of the hashers failed to return.

Newbies, like us, were referred to as “virgins” until we finished our first hash.

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun"