HASHING was started by a group of British expatriates in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, in 1938. Originally a Monday cross-country run to sober up after
the weekend's partying, the group would fetch up at a restaurant/bar
nicknamed the "Hash House" where they could immediately resume partying.
Hashing is loosely based on the English schoolboy game known as "Hare and
Hounds." A hash is a non-competitive cross-country run set by one or more
runners called hares. The hares set a course marked by white flour, toilet
paper, chalk marks, whatever, through all kinds of terrain. The rest of
the hash the pack (of hounds) follows the trail to glory and beer. A
really good course gets the slowest hashers to the On-In (finish) first,
and leaves the FRB's (front-running bastards) stuck in shiggy (brambles,
quicksand, police custody, etc.) until the beer runs out at the on-in.
(post-run observance).


Strictly speaking, there are no rules, but the H5ers follow these fairly
typical hashing conventions:


Hashers gather at the stated location and time (more or less), dressed in
clothes suitable for running or exploring sewers. The hasher serving as
Hash Cash collects $ from each participant to cover costs of the apres
(first timers are free). Dry bags containing change of clothes are
entrusted to the hares to be taken to the On-In. After some standing around and
socializing, the hares explain the trail marks (see below) to any
new-boots (first-timers) and then the pack starts looking for trail.


The trail is marked with hashmarks, usually splashes of flour. Hashers
signal they are on trail by calling out "On-On!" when they see hashmarks.
Horn, whistles and other noisemakers are also encouraged. (Befuddled
passers-by gape or call the police; the occasional knowledgeable onlooker
will shout "On-On, you worthless scum!") Hounds asking "RU?" (are you on
trail?) on trail should be answered "On-On!" by the FRB's


Several other standard trail marks:
An arrow indicates true trail direction. A hare using arrows to indicate a
false trail may be subjected to severe abuse at the apres. Leading hounds
may use arrows to indicate true trail for hounds further back in the pack.
A check (large X, or 3 dots in a triangle) indicates that trail goes two or
more directions and the pack must determine which is true trail. Hounds
should call out "Checking!" or "On One, ...On Two" (whatever number of
hashmarks they find after the check) when checking a trail.
A false (large F or 3 dots in a line across the trail) indicates the trail
is false. Yell "False" to those following you and return to the last check
to find true trail. A hound may alter the check to identify true trail
direction for the rest of the pack. Honest and kind hares always terminate
false trails of more than 3 marks with an F. Evil and vicious hares
sometimes omit the F and just let the pack flounder in the wilderness until
they figure it out for themselves.
A check-back, a variation of a false, is marked with a check mark followed
by a number. For example, a "check 25" means to backtrack 25 marks, then
look for true trail. Note that hares don't necessarily count marks
accurately, particularly if they have been into the pre-hash beer.
A beer-near (BN) mark indicates a beer check (opportunity for mid-trail
rehydration) is near.


Some trails may split into long (Eagle) and short (Turkey) finishing
sections to the On-In, so that FRB's can do more trail time and maybe die
while decent beer-loving hashers get to the keg sooner; the hares will
explain (maybe truthfully) extra trail features such as these at the start.


The on-after/apres provides the rehydration and nutrition critical to the
post-exercise recovery of finely conditioned athletes. The hash RA-
("Religious Advisor" or "resident asshole") presides over the Circle, where
all of the stupid antics of the day are related to the whole pack
and down-downs (non-stop downing of beer while the hash serenades you;
whatever you can't drink in one try you dump on your head) are awarded for
the hares, first in, last in, visitors, virgins, and other significant
occasions, e.g. hasher's birthday or vasectomy..etc. Non-drinkers called
on for down-downs can opt for soda or water. Down-downs may also be
ordered for hash violations such as non-returners (missing too many hashes),
hashing in new shoes, Type A (wearing road-race apparel, or trying to
resemble a real runner in any way), or for any other accusations that the
pack invents. Hashers are recognized to speak by the RA by holding a beer
or a fist on top of one's head but should otherwise remain silent. Fifth
time hashers (unless you do something exceptionally stupid on an earlier
run) are given tasteful new nicknames like "Not DeTurd", "In the Rear", or
something equally as flattering.


Harrisburg-Hershey Hash House Harriers hash every other Saturday, rain or shine
and on the Full Moon. Call 810-1973 or see the H5 Hashes listed on the front page of the web site. Click the on-on foot for for directions to upcoming hashes. Bring a change of clothes and
wear clothes and running shoes you're willing to get muddy (NOT new shoes).
For more H5 antics outside of the normal runs, Subscribe to the H5 hash e-mail.