What you should know before cuming for the first time?
Being a Virgin, (someone who has never cum to a hash), there are a few things you should do and know:
Rule Number One: There are NO Rules, only Traditions!
Rule Number Two: Memorize Rule Number One
Great, now that you understand the rules, familiarize yourself with the History of the Hash House Harriers so you know why we do what we do. And YES, there will be a quiz at the hash!
Hash Day
The start time of the hash is 2:00 pm HST (Hash Standard Time) sharp in the winter, 4:00 pm HST in the summer. Check the Hash Calendar for the current start time and location. You should try to arrive a few minutes early or right on time. Why? Get to know your fellow hashers. They will be your only protection over the next few hours. If you are running a few minutes late, don’t panic to much, it is not uncommon for us to actually start the run 30 minutes late.
When you arrive at the Start, locate the Hash Cash. This person will take your $7 (usual hash fee) if you have hashed before and your name. Since you have not hashed before you will not pay for your first run, but the Hash Cash will get your name and some personal information from you so we can keep you informed on our future events. You might want to bring some extra cash as we usually (always) go some place after to continue the fun.
Preparing for Hash Day
There really isn't anything you need to do prior to the day of the hash. Exercise, don't exercise. Nobody cares how fast or slow you are.
Bring extra clothes, shoes, socks, and/or other things that you may need at the end of the hash. It gets chilly sometimes. A vehicle (Shag Wagon) will be at the end with the bags, so you can pick it up there. Put your keys, wallet, purse, tampons, mobile phone, exotic pets, etc. in your bag. You don't want to run with them. The extent to what you bring varies on the day's weather and the hash. The hares usually will tell you the necessities before the hash begins.
If the run is at night, you may want to bring a flashlight. Many trails are not on the road and traverse through various kinds of shiggy. You are responsible for your own safety. There hasn't been an injury to date and let's keep it that way.
The last thing you need to bring is a good attitude and an open mind. You've never seen anything like this!
Basically a Hash consists of three main parts, none of which have anything to do with the illicit drug
The TRAIL
A trail is laid by one or two of the Hashers (the Hare/s). The trail is marked with chalk marks, flour marks, and, pieces of toilet paper depending on the terrain and/or the hare. The Hares will explain their marks to the pack, be blessed by the Religious Advisor (R.A. for short) and will take off to mark the trail. At a given signal, (fifteen minutes after Hares-Away) the rest of the hash, (the Harriers, Harriettes, hounds or pack) set off in pursuit of the trail. The idea is that the pack stays somewhat together and this is achieved by setting false trails, back checks, checkpoints, and any thing else the Hares can think of. The runners will often do twice as much running as the walkers but quite often everyone finishes the run at the same time, because when the runners hit a checkpoint, they go looking in all directions for which way the trail is going and by the time the walkers get there, they have usually just figured out the trail, thus saving the walkers the trouble of figuring out which way to go. The length and difficulty of the run depends on the hare and the terrain but will typically be between 3 and 5 miles or about 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
The CIRCLE
When the run is over the Harriers gather together to drink beer and observe their religious ceremonies which consist of drinking more beer, this time ritualistically. “Down Downs” are awarded for violations that are real, imagined or blatantly made up and the recipients will most likely be nominated 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 committee. Hash honors distinguished hashers with FRB, DFL, and the Hashshit. Common Violations you will see are Backsliders (Hashers that have missed 2 or more hashes in a row), Technology on Trail (Cell phones), Canoodeling (getting a little frisky with other hashers), New Shoes, and anything else we can think up. The ceremonies can last a couple of minutes or half the night depending on the level of religious fervor of the hash. The hash ends when someone nominates its close and the nomination is seconded. Then hash then sings “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and then it is over.
The ON AFTER
After the circle is over, many hashers still want to socialize, but usually they need food in their belly to fight off the effects of all the beer they’ve drank, so we have an “On After” this is usually at a Bar/Restaurant but occasionally can be located at a hashers house as well. This is just a chance for the hashers to get their grub on, drink some more beers and relax after a hard day of hashing. The On After is not a mandatory obligation, it is completely optional.