From: rdurant@rdurant.mentorg.com (Rich Durant)
Subject: Oregon Hash House Harriers
Date: 8 Jan 93 09:42:06
Distribution: pdx
Organization: engr

                          Greetings from OH3
                     (Oregon Hash House Harriers)


                           January 10, 1993
                     Welcome to the OH3 New Year

Where:  Meet at Magoo's Tavern
        275 Commercial St
        Salem, Oregon

Time:   1:30pm

Hare:   PW'd 


Advice: Wear nice clean clothing and brand new running shoes. This
        will be an absolutely dry, short, no muck, no shiggy, nothing
        nasty like dog tirds or slime holes to worry about.

PS:     Yankees (Portlanders) can meet at GI Joe's off I-5 (exit 290)
        by 12:30 to car pool. Look for Burnt Lips.

OnOn -- Woodpecker


                What are the Hash House Harriers?

Runners sometime take themselves too seriously and forget one of the
most important reasons they run.  It's supposed to be fun.  The
perennial question, "What were your splits?", really doesn't make any
sense.      

A Hash run is definitely not for serious runners trying to increase their
times by a second or two,  (although serious runners do join the Hash
to have "fun" with their not so serious running buddies).   

The Hash House Harriers (the "Hash"), is an international group of
runners (hashers) whose primary goal is to have "fun".  Perhaps you've
heard of a group of diplomats who were hassled by the KGB and forced
to run, not in the streets as any good Hasher does, but in Gorky Park?
They're Hashers!  One of the chants the Hash uses is "Join the Hash,
Run in the Streets, Fxxx the KGB"!  In London the Hash runs through
the finer hotels on a regular basis.  In Kuala Lampur, Hashers are
given the red carpet treatment; police escorts, the run of the city,
etc.  For Labor Day 1987, the Hash was invited to and presented the
keys of, Philadelphia, by the Mayor on the steps of city hall.        

A Hash is a non-competitive run where the course is arbitrarily set by
one or more hashers called hares.  The hares run out in advance of the
other hashers (the hounds), and mark the course with white flour,
and/or toilet paper, and/or chalk marks. The total distance is usually
around 4 miles.    
 
The Hash IS a running club. It can be described as a running club with
a drinking problem, or a drinking club with a running problem. If you
run in the LA marathon, you might see them at mile 21, where Hashers
dispense free beer and champaign.  But, during a Hash run, the first
person who talks about winning or asks about "split times" is roundly
hurrahed and forced to do "down-downs" (more on that later).     

The Hash began 1938 in an eatery (or Hash House) called the Selangor
Club Chambers, close to the British outpost in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
An Englishman by the name of A. S. Gispert, and a few friends came up 
with the idea of introducing a weekly dose of exercise into their
routine.  Gispert and company decided the run would be followed by a
round of high-octane socializing.  The name of the organization
reflects its birth in a "Hash House".  Hence the Hash House Harriers.
Contrary to popular belief, a Harrier is not a jet.  It's a smallish
foxhound used to hunt rabbits or hares.  

The "run" is based upon the 19th century British tradition of the
"Paper Chase" (also known as the English schoolboy game of "Hare and
Hounds").  In a Paper Chase, the runners, known as "hounds", would
gather at a local pub, down a few ales and shred paper.  After a
sufficient amount of ale had been "downed" , and enough paper torn,
one of the group, known as a "hare", would set out and lay a trail
using the shredded paper to mark the way.  The hounds would continue
drinking.  After a reasonable time, the hounds would set out in
pursuit of the hare, following the trail of paper.

Instead of paper, Gispert and friends decided to use flour to mark the
trail, which, unlike most jogging paths, can go anywhere.  Fair game
for Hash trail include streams, fields, wire fences, lakes, fields,
estuaries, (and in the city, laundromats, stores, hotels, airports,
malls), and other manmade or natural obstacles. 
      
The Hare, marking the trail with a splash of flour every few yards,
does his/her best to confuse the hounds by laying false trails
(adequately terminated after some distance) and checks (where the
trail stops and may continue in any direction within 100 yards).
The checks and false trails layed by the hares tend to keep the front
runners from getting too far ahead of the pack.  If the trail is well
marked, all the hashers finish the run pretty much as a unit.    

While on the trail, hashers call out "On-On", or blow 2 short blasts
on their whistle to signify that they are "On" [the trail].

While on a run, if you see a hasher and want to know if he/she is "On"
[the trail], you yell, "Are You?".  (This beginning to sound
embarrasing!).  The reply to this is either "On-On" (meaning, "I think
I'm on the trail.  Follow at your own risk."), "Checking" ("I found a
check and I'm looking for the trail. Follow at your own risk."),
"Shortcutting" ("I know the trail goes in another direction, but I
think I know a better way.  Follow at your own risk."), or "Off",
"No", or "Looking" (meaning, "I don't know where I am.  Follow me and
neither will you.").

The most important aspect of a Hash run, is the On-Home (or On-On) .
It's the prize at the end of the run where drink and food are found.
The Oregon Hash usually tries to have the On-Home outside.  But it can
be held inside at a pub, dive or saloon.  It's at the On-Home that the
Hash can really get down to serious socializing.  There are more Hash
songs than I can (or have the ability to) name.  An On-Home is no
place for anyone (male or female) who is even mildly offended by
liberal amounts of verbal sexual assaults (remember, it's all in fun).

Lastly, there are Hash names.  Usually these have something to do with
a persons "other life", hobbies, personality, or stupid hash tricks.
Try explaining: Burnt Lips, Hasn't Come, Original, Spanky, Pussy
Whipped, The Gimp, Mule, Yak Butt Muffy, Woodpecker, Burnt Weenie, Weenie
Roast, Moonshine, Nibbles and Snacks, Dry Ride, Snow Job, Toad Suck,
Arsephalt, Robo Dick, Where's the Beer, Stink Finger, Swamp Sucker,
Minnie Mounter, Boo Boo, etc, to your grandmother.  

Each Hash chapter is tyrannically ruled over by The Grand Master
and/or The Grand Mistress.  


A Few Hash Rules: (these can vary from hash to hash)

1. A HASHMARK is a splash of flour used to mark the trail.  Hashers 
   should call out "On-On" when they see a hashmark.  Blasts on horns,
   whistles, and other noise makers are encouraged.  Hounds asking
   "R-U?" (are you on trail?) of the FRB's (Front-Running Bastards)
   should be answered "On-On", which means they are on trail, or
   "Looking", which means they`ve lost the trail.

2. A CHECKMARK is a large X.  Checkmarks indicate that the trail goes
   in any direction within 100 yards from here; that is, the pack must
   search for the true trail. Hounds should call out "Checking" when
   they see a checkmark. (Checking is NOT Looking!)   

3. An On-Back is three spots of flour across the trail, indicating a
   false trail.  The pack, upon encountering an On-Back, calls out
   "On-Back" or "False Trail", and goes back to the last Checkmark to
   find true trail.     

4. ARROWs are used to indicate trail direction.  Hounds may use arrows
   different from those used by the hares as necessary to assist
   hounds further back in the pack.

5. Tradition requires a DOWN-DOWN (chug-a-lug) of a beer after a
   hasher's virgin hash, naming hash, and other significant occasions,
   e.g., 25th hash, 50th hash, etc.  A Down-Down is also in order for
   hares, visitors, and for any other reason that can be thought up.
   As a Down-Down could be construed as "alcohol abuse", it is
   permissible for non-drinkers to pour the beer over their head; a
   soda Down-Down or proxy Down-Down may also be elected.  The primary
   consideration of the Down-Down is that once the mug leaves the
   drinker's lips, it is turned upside-down over their head.     
 
6. THERE ARE NO RULES.


   NOTE: ALWAYS bring along a "dry bag" with a change of shoes and
         some sort of dry clothes. There will be times that you're
         going to get wet.

--
      Rich          rich_durant@mentorg.com
                   | Mentor Graphics Corp  | Phone: 503-685-7000
                   | 8005 SW Boeckman Road | Fax:   503-685-1202
                   | Wilsonville, OR 97070 |
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