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A DRINKING CLUB WITH A
RUNNING PROBLEM
The Hash House Harrier roots extend back to the old English schoolboy
game of "Hares and Hounds," in which some players, called "hounds," chase
others, called "hares," who have left a trail of paper scraps along their
route across fields, hedges, streams, bogs, and hills. One of the earliest
Hares and Hounds events on record was the "Crick Run" at Rugby School in
Warwickshire, England, first held in 1837.
Hare and Hounds as an adult sport began in the fall of 1867 with a
group of London oarsmen who wanted to keep fit during the winter. Also
called "Paper Chasing" or the "Paper Chase," the game became very popular
after its introduction on Wimbledon Common in 1868 by the Thames Hare and
Hounds. Early clubs called themselves "Hare and Hounds" or simply
"Harriers."
THE HASH IS BORN
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A.S.I., "G" Gispert (1903-1942) As far as we
know, the only hasher to ever wear a tie. |
The Hash House Harriers as we know it today was founded in Malaya (now
Malaysia) by Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert, an English chartered
accountant.
It was sometime during 1937 when Gispert (or simply "G" as he was known
to his friends) acquired a taste for the paper chase with the Springgit
Harriers in Malacca (also in Malaya). Shortly after being transferred by
his accounting firm to Kuala Lumpur he gathered together a number of
fellow expatriate businessmen to form a harrier group. The first run was
held in in December 1938 and the founding members included Cecil H. Lee,
Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Eric Galvin, H.M. Doig, and Ronald "Torch"
Bennet.
The group's name came about primarily because local authorities
required legal registration of the club. While the "Kuala Lumpur Harriers"
would have appeared a logical choice, "G" decided instead to use the
nickname for the Selangor Club where a number of the local harriers both
lived and took their meals. It seems that due to its lackluster food, the
dining room was commonly referred to as the "Hash House."
Basically a hash consists of three main parts, none of
which have anything to do with the marijuana or hashish:
The Run (aka Trail)
One or two hashers, called the hare(s), lay a trail. They mark their
trail with chalk arrows, shredded paper, flour, or pieces of toilet
paper hanging in the bush, depending on local tradition or terrain. They
might pre-lay trail a day or a few hours before the hash, or they might
lay the trail as "live hares," running ahead of the pack with only a
short (15 minutes is typical) head start. At a given signal, the rest of
the hash (the Harriers, Harriettes, hounds, or pack) set off in pursuit
of the trail. The idea is to keep the pack somewhat together and this is
achieved by setting false trails, cunning checks, and sneaky loops. The
fitter front runners will often run twice as far as the more slothful
members, yet still finish the run at the same time as the rest of the
pack. The length and difficulty of the run depends on the hare and the
terrain but will typically be between four and eight kilometers, or
about 45 minutes to an hour of running with checks, false trails, and
shortcutting.
The Circle (aka Religion)
At trail's end hashers gather to drink beer and observe religious
ceremonies . . . which consist of drinking more beer, this time
ritualistically. Circles may be led by the hash Grandmaster, the
Religious Adviser, or by a committee of mismanagement. Traditions (and
the degree of rowdiness) vary from hash to hash, but in general the
Circle consists of awarding "Down-Downs" for misdemeanors real,
imagined, or blatantly made up, and the recipients will most likely have
been dobbed in by their fellow hashers. Visitors are always given a
Visitors Down-Down as are Virgins (first-time hash runners) and anyone
else who comes to the attention of the Circle. The Circle can last a
couple of minutes or half the night depending on the level of religious
fervor of the hash. With changing times drinking has lost some of its
importance and most clubs now modify their ceremonies to cater to
non-drinkers and those stupid enough to think that hashing can improve
their health.
The On-On (aka On-On-On, On-Afters, or Après)
Some hashes suspend ceremonies for awhile to consume food provided by
the hare(s). Other hashes, at the conclusion of the Circle, repair to a
nearby restaurant or pub. This is the social part of the hash, and the
party usually breaks up afterward. In some hashes, however, religion may
continue during or after On-Ons, with the telling of jokes and singing
of songs, and all members, visitors, and virgins should come armed with
at least one joke or song lest they be called upon.
 | The above article written by Steve "Modess" Trinka and stolen
from the
Hunter HHH page
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| Additional information on starting and conducting hashes can
be found at
Harrier Net |
Advice for the First Timer...
Well congratulations! You're ready to try your first hash. We've all been
there before, so here are some simple tips to help you prepare for your
first hash.
You should be in decent shape - if you can't WALK at least five miles you
need to get in shape before trying a hash. These can be pretty exhausting to
the unprepared!
Always bring a gym bag with a change of clothes - warm DRY shoes and DRY
socks are worth their weight in gold after a couple of November river
crossings. Sweats, gloves, sandals etc. - these are all gonna be your buddy
and/or pal, dependant upon the weather. Not to worry, we always have a bag
car that will bring your gear to the ending spot. Expect an outdoor ending -
although we sometimes head inside a warm bar - only silly folk expect things
to go their way.
Oh, in the Summer, bring rubbing alcohol to get rid of poison ivy. Also
bring a small towel to apply it without making a mess. In Winter, sweats
and/or tights will be your pal. But don't wear new running shoes. Trust us.
If you don't believe us, just read the next paragraph....
DO NOT HASH IN NEW RUNNING SHOES - if you do, you'll be chugging a beer
out of them.
Speaking of which, after your 1st and, if you come back, your 5th hash(es),
you can expect to take part in the down-down ceremony. Here you'll be
introduced to the pack, we'll sing a raunchy song to ya, and then you'll be
expected to chug a 12 ounce beer. You can take as long as you like, but if
that cup parts from your lips before you finish your beer, it gets dumped
over your head. Ya got that? OVER YOUR HEAD. That means you go home smelling
like a brewery.
Don't wear road r*cing tee shirts and expect us to be impressed - you're
just asking for a down-down.
Expect profanity - lots of it. We all have to be nice and polite at work
- this is when we make fun of one another and fart in each other's general
direction. If this sort of behavior disgusts or offends you, tough titty -
we ain't changin'.
Expect to get muddy, cut by briars and understand that you can get hurt
doing this. Bones will get broken, ankles will get sprained, fingers get
dislocated all of the time and egos can get bruised. If you get hurt, it is
your own damn fault, but we'll do everything we can to help each other out.
So, you've decided you want to give hashing a try, but you have no idea
what all of our silly markings mean. Don't feel badly, we've gotten strange
looks from virtually everyone who has seen any of us set these marks.
In a nutshell, most of our trails are set in flour, chalk, Toilet Paper
or other ways by one or two volunteers, which we call "hares". The runners,
those of us who will be following this trail to the end, are called
"hounds." Get it? The Hounds chase the Hare's trail. and at the end, all
that great beer and food that you've heard about is waiting for ya....
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Hash Marks - Almost all
trail marks will be set with the same flour your Grandma used to make
her cookies. It is cheap, bio-degradable, and not a whole lot of folks
are using it to set running trails, so chances are good, if you see a
pile of flour on a hash, the hare put it there. Ideally, you'll be able
to see one mark from the next. On the left, you'll see three marks.
Imagine that they are about 25 yards apart.
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Check Marks - Of course, just running
and following blobs of flour would be almost as dull as regular running.
So, to spice things up, and to make the trail mentally as well as
physically challenging, the hare will occasionally leave a mark like the
one on the left. The three dots mean that you have reached a
"check-point" which means the trail can go in any of 3 or four different
directions, only one of which is the true trail. Your job is to find the
proper trail...
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Back Tracks - So, how are you supposed
to figure our which trail is the right trail? When you get to a check
mark, look for a blob of flour nearby, and keep following until either
you have reached the fourth mark AFTER the check, which means you are a
smart puppy who found true trail, or you'll run into three parallel
lines like those on the left. This is called a back track, and means you
picked the wrong mark. Head back to the check mark and try again! D'ohhh!
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On-Over - Some times the trail will
take you to a fairly congested area or a body of water, which may make
it impossible for the hares to lay a trail in that particular area, but
that is the direction you're supposed to go. In these cases, the hare
will mark the trail with an arrow with two "o"s at the base. This means
you are to go "on-over" the obstacle, and run (or swim!) in the
direction of the arrow until you see trail again |
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Whichy-Way - Only used occasionally,
some hares like to offer you two ways to the end of the trail. Usually,
one is much more challenging than the other. Will the hare tell you
which is easy and which is hard? Maybe. Maybe not. Life can be that way.
Try to be strong, pick a direction, and live with the results.... |
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Water-Stop - Okay. Sometimes it gets
pretty hot , so your more compassionate hares will set a water
stop about halfway through the trail. Usually this will be a couple of
jugs of water, and some dixie cups. Don't be a pig, as there may be
other folks behind you. |
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Beer-Stop - Again, this isn't
something you'll see on every trail, but some hares are such great folks
that in addition to, or instead of a water stop, they will have a beer
stop. Again, these are generally about halfway through the trail. so
don't drink too much. Remember, there's plenty of beer at the end of the
trail! |
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You've Been Fucked - You NEVER want to
see this mark. Trust us. Generally this will hurt those who decide to
try to short-cut a trail. After you've hashed for a while, you will
notice that some hares tend to set trails in the same areas,and sometime
even using the same ending point on multiple trails. As this happens,
and people short-cut to the end, the wily hare may change the end point,
and leave a 'YBF' mark for the short-cutters. Hah hah, sucks to be
them!!!! |
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Count Back "X"- A count back on trail
means that you have to count back the number of marks indicated (in this
case, "Count Back Six" Marks). Once you get to the mark indicated, it
acts just like a check mark, so read the description for a checkmark to
see what to do next... |
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Beer Near - Everyone's favorite mark,
even for those who don't drink beer. This mean that the trail is just
about finished (you might have another 1/4 mile to go), and the beer,
food and your hash bag full of all the warm clothes you brought with you
is just a few yards away.... HOORAY !!!! |
We will be hashing one weekend a month at 1630, 4:30.
One weekday a month at 1900, 7:00.
Times, dates, and directions will be posted on here as well as the
yahoo group.
| Hash Names are given on the completion of
5th Hash. |
| There will be a circle before
every hash conducted by a member of mismanagement |
| There
will be a circle after
every hash conducted by a member of mismanagement |
| There will be a beer check.
Hopefully several! |
| There will be a Religious Ceremony after
completion of every run. |
| Hats are required to be off of head when
taking down down. |
| Persons blowing thru boob, song, package, whistle,
clothing, naughty, DFL, checks. will be punished!!!!
Severely!!! |
| Severe violators can be sent to the spanking machine.
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| Each hash member is expected to set a
hash periodically. Runs should change geographical locations regularly to
avoid overlapping previous trail |
| The rule of the pack is called the "Whim
of the Pack". Basically, if enough of the Pack desire something to be so,
it will be! |
| If you do not follow true trail
you can not snare the hare(s). Short cutting/ zenning is allowed but you
must be on true trail to snare. If you are found guilty of zenning that
would mean you blew through CHECKS. See tradition 7. |
| No arguing, fighting, being an
ass, dominating the hash, whining, bitching, etc.. if found guilty you may
be asked to leave. FOR GOOD. |
| every named hasher must have a
whistle. |
| All named hashers will have a
drinking vessel. |
| All named hasher will have there
longevity. |
| Dead trails are allowed,
discouraged but allowed |
The Run
The hares are given a head start of twelve (12) minutes prior to the
pack starting. The pack will walk three (3) minutes and then start
running. The pack can work together to make the run an easy fun run for
all involved. Each person in the pack may carry chalk to mark the trail
(see " Pack Arrow"). When a mark made by the hare(s) is spotted (distance
between marks should be no more than 50-100 meters) the individual can
either say "on-on" or give two short blasts on his/her whistle. This
alerts the pack that they are on trail.
 When a "CHECK point"
(or intersection ) is discovered, the front runner's/ walker's mark their
direction from the "CHECK point." If a "BT"
(Back Track, or Bad Trail) is spotted, the individual will give one long
blast on their whistle and wave his/her hands in an X pattern over their
head and shout "BT" or "Bad Trail," alerting the pack to return to the
last decision point and mark the BT. If a Check back is
discovered the finder returns to the decision point and marks the
direction with "ON CB". This procedure is followed until a true
trail is found. Harriers should mark a "?" at a check point if they searched a direction but gave up on it
without proof of it being a good or bad trail.
Thus from a decision point, hares can lay four types of trails:
1. Three hash marks or fewer - this means it is a Bad Trail;
2. FOUR hash marks or greater - this means it is the true trail;
3. Any number of hash marks followed by a bad trail mark;
4. Any number of hash marks followed by a check back.
Beware of marks; they can be made with powder or chalk, etc. and can be
on sand or gravel, or on the road, sidewalk, telephone poles, curbs,
trees, signs, building, fences, under vehicles, on walls and on other
structures. Also the trail does not necessarily have to go straight, and
the hares can use a "turn on powder". That is, the trail can take off at
any angle from a hash mark.
Hares may also draw a map or write a message to indicate the trail
(normally to change directions or cross open areas or roads). For example,
"Go to the third building and go left."
Remember that members of the pack can mark the trail with an arrow for
the slower runners if there is doubt of the trail direction. No one except
the hares can mark true trail arrows.
Short-cutting is leaving the trail and trying to find the trail by a
shorter distance -- taking a short cut. These individuals usually get lost
or return to the start because they were outsmarted by the hares. However,
if a hare is spotted still marking trail he or she may be tagged and the
spot marked by a sign indicating
Hare Snare: Time: _____ by: ____.
The hare will be totally embarrassed, degraded, verbally abused and
lose his or her hare license. However, the hare must be released and given
a ten minute head start to finish the trail.
When the finish is found by the pack they can expect to see the proud
hares waiting and with refreshments for the ceremony.
Use of Whistles
Every Harrier, after his or her first run, is required to have a
whistle at all hashes (except hares.) Also everyone is encouraged to use
their whistle.
| Harriers will give two short blasts on their whistle as they spot a
mark on the trail. |
| Harriers will give two long blasts on their whistle when they see a
"decision point" or a "
true trail arrow " Additionally, either CHECK or TRUE TRAIL is shouted
after the whistle blast.
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| Harriers will give one long blast when they find a back track or
bad trail . |
| Harriers are required to blast their whistle when a whistle check is
conducted after the
"Down-Down Ceremony." |
| Harriers will use their whistles to assist fellow Harriers. |
Down-Down Ceremony
After the last runner has come in, not to include those who are Dead on
Trail (D.O.T.), the Hash Master will signal the beginning of the Down-Down
Ceremony. A down-down is the chug-a-lugging of a twelve ounce beer, soda,
or water. Once the signal is given to begin, the Hasher
may drink until the mug leaves the lips or the beer, soda or water is
depleted. Either way, the mug immediately goes upside down over the head
(who said Head?) to demonstrate to the Pack which is the case. Down-Down's
are normally given in the following order for the following reasons:
| First run. |
| Fifth run (for the Hash name) |
| Last run. |
| Hares who get caught |
| No whistle (for second run or thereafter) |
| No hash attire for a named hasher |
| New shoes, color coordinated clothes |
| FRB, DFL |
| Any assorted hash violations at the whim of the pack. |
Hash Awards?
| Any run divisible by 10, hash streamers |
| Haring 10 times, consecutive awards for 20, 30, 40 is that possible.
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| 69 hashes A mug. |
| 100 hashes you achieve the title HASH GOD. You only get to proxy a
down down.
you can wear head gear and you don't have to wear you whistle,
longevity,
have a drinking vessel. However you are not in charge and you don't run
the hash Mismanagement does. And the pack votes on rules you don't get
to make them
up at your leisure |
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