Hello Folks,

Of course this publicly available blog wouldn't promote the use of illegal substances so we must be talking about a different type of hash, which of course we are. Since making our way down to the Caribbean we have heard people attending these strange sort of running/ drinking events called a "Hash" so we have been anxious to give it a try. We did just that last Saturday evening by participating in a hash during the full moon and it was a different experience. This hash was put on by the Grenada Hash House Harriers which is one of thousands of these hash groups around the world. The hash groups are self described as a drinking club with a running problem which sounds about right to me.
To provide a bit of background/ history I'll cut and paste from that infinite pool of knowledge Wikipedia:

"Hashing originated in December 1938 in Selayang Quarry, Selangor, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia), when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British paper chase or "hare and hounds", to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend.[1] The original members included Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius "G" Gispert, Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett and John Woodrow. A. S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" after the Selangor Club Annex, where several of the original hashers happened to live and dined, known as the "Hash House".
After the end of World War II, in an attempt to organize the city of Kuala Lumpur, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a constitution.[2] Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer and cigarettes.
The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950:
¥ To promote physical fitness among our members
¥ To get rid of weekend hangovers
¥ To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
¥ To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
Hashing died out during World War II shortly after the Invasion of Malaya, but was restarted in 1946 after the war by several of the original group, minus A. S. Gispert, who was killed on 11 February 1942 in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters by an annual Gispert Memorial Run.
In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the second chapter in Singapore. The idea eventually spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, North America, expanding rapidly during the mid-1970s. He was widely credited with bringing hashing to the United States and lived out side of New York City, where he continued to hash until his death on August 21st, 2015.[3]
At present, there are almost two thousand chapters in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines and organizing regional and world hashing events. As of 2003, there are even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica."

So there's the background but there are other oddities about this club. Prior to commencing, several lucky first time participants are selected to demonstrate the waterproof capability of their running shoes by drinking beer out of one. The lead photo is a prelude to the shoe drinking ritual and below is the action shot.



Despite this hash taking place in the dark of night it was no walk in the park, but rather a slog through steep muddy hills and across rivers and streams. Here are before and after shots of our running shoes to provide some kind of indication of the terrain that was covered.





That said, it was a neat sort of challenge that wasn't easy but at the same time not ridiculously difficult either. The trail covered about five kilometers in distance, but due to the hilly nature of the route we figured we walked closer to eight km in about an hour and a half. Here's a pic of some of the runners or "hares" on the trail.



Once we completed the trail and made it back to the starting point it was time to have a few beers and relax but not before we were initiated into the group and formally became a member of the Grenada Hash House Harriers. The newbies were gathered together and the proclamation below was read to officially remove our virginity with respect to the world of hashing.



Once the words were read it was time to christen the newest hares with what else but a beer shower.



After the beer shower the remainder of the hash returned to its roots which included drinking beer, eating BBQ, listening to the music and meeting new folks from yet another social circle that has opened up. Not bad for a bit of mud, sweat, water and beer.