We are a 21+, adult hash. No minors.
What is Hashing ?
Hashing is a world-wide semi-athletic / drinking / social club based on the old English schoolboy’s game of “Hare and Hounds”. It is centered around drinking and is non-competitive. I often describe hashing to my friends as “a bunch of grown-ups playing hide and seek with beer.” Others say we’re a drinking club with a running problem. Running is loosely used to mean running, jogging, walking, crawling or any other means of conveyance. Every Hash and every Hasher is unique in their own way, a good attitude, personality, thirst, humor and a sharp wit are important attributes. There are 3 parts to a hash, the “Hash,” the “On-In,” and the “On-After.” These are explained later in this article. We charge $6 for all hashes to help pay for supplies.
History
The Hash House Harriers received its humble beginnings in 1938 from a British expat named Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert, in Malaysia. Having a fondness for the game, “Hare and Hounds”, he gathered together a group of friends to form a running club in Kuala Lumpur that would later become a world-wide legacy. The fraternity received its name from the Selangor Club Chambers, which due to the lackluster food served there was commonly referred to as the “Hash House”.
This peaceful endeavor was eventually cut short with the advent of the Japanese invasion of Malaysia, of which several hashers distinguished themselves. Captain Gispert died in the Battle of Singapore, but a fellow Hasher, Torch Bennett, re-established the hash after the war. He also successfully sought war reparations for 24 enamel mugs, a galvanized tin bath and two old bags.
In 1947 a few surviving members of the original Hash House Harriers started operations in Milan Italy, but ceased for several years. It wasn’t until 1962 that the next group was formed in Singapore. The Singapore H3 was slowly followed by others until by the Mother Hash’s 1500th postwar run in 1973, there were thirty-five known hashes around the world. This figure climbed into the hundreds by the eighties and there are now probably well over five thousand active Hashes.
Hashing Rule Number One: There are no rules, only traditions!
What Happens at a Hash?
The IndyScent Hash House Harriers (indyhhh) normally get together on the first Wednesday, second Friday and last Saturday of each month for a run which is called a “hash.” We also have special occasions (check our calendar for details on dates and times), always in a different place to avoid monotony. This is what happens at a hash: Two hashers are the “hares” and will set a trail for the “hounds” to follow. Several different methods may be used to lay the trail, the most common being with flour and chalk. The Hare is traditionally given a 10-15 minute head-start before the pack starts after. The Hare uses various marks to indicate direction and deviously tries to outwit the pack. Hares often leave beer on the trail to slow the hounds down (it works!). The purpose is for the pack to catch the Hare, if possible, and avoid getting lost. Eventually everyone makes it to the On-In where running takes a backseat to socializing. The hashers, already a little tipsy, form a circle. The Hares gets abused for the trail they laid, usually by being made to drink small cups of beer called “down-downs.” After the circle we usually go to a bar or pub to eat, drink, and laugh. This is called the “on-after.”
Hash Names:
To protect ourselves from each other, experienced hashers have nicknames like “Blown Ranger” or “Bush Driver.” The reason for this is that many of us are doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc., and we’d rather not have our mother-given names public. Also, some of us don’t like to mix our “hash lives” with our personal lives. You will be assigned a hash name on or around your sixth run, and you will have no say in the matter.
On your first hash, you are a “virgin.” After your first hash you are officially a “hasher.” You will introduce yourself as “Just John” or whatever your real name may be.
Where do we Hash?
Hashing takes place in the city and in the country. In malls, thru backyards, across highways, during the Indianapolis 500, under highways, over hills, thru woods, trees, bushes, shrubs, thru culverts, across streams, briars, thru swamps, over rocks, over fields, construction sites, parking lots, abandoned buildings, sidewalks, roads (paved and unpaved) and anywhere else the half-witted will follow the Hare. The more difficult the terrain, the better the Hash. It is quite possible to have a good trail set in the middle of a city. We do restrict trails to always stay on public property unless permission is otherwise granted ahead of time.