Hashing

I thought i would try to explain my adventure this weekend, but i find that Wikipedia would do it much better. I went to my first official Hash this last weekend and it was one of the hardest things i have done thus far in Grenada.

At a Hash, one or more members (Hares) lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the Pack or Hounds). The trail often includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, and splits. These features are designed to keep the pack together regardless of fitness level or running speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the "true" trail, allowing stragglers to catch up.

Members often describe their group as "a drinking club with a running problem," indicating that the social element of an event is as important, if not more so, than any athleticism involved. Beer remains an integral part of a Hash, though the balance between running and drinking differs between kennels, with some groups placing more focus on socializing and others on running.


This weekend was Grenada's 650th Hash and was met with a record number of people, somewhere around 300 people. We started out on a paved road for about 20 minutes and i thought to myself "this cant be that bad". Then as we started to get off the paved road and climb the mountain and realized that i wasn't ready for this type of physical activity. The other volunteers had been doing these hashes twice a month since we got here, but i knew i needed to lose weight before i would even consider it.


Well...27 pounds down and i still struggled up that mountain. We climbed around 1300 feet up the mountain and at the top were met by the organizers and a cooler of ice cold Carib, our national beer. Although I never seem to be able to turn down a beer, i gladly gave mine to another volunteer while i chugged the last remaining drops of my water. I felt extremely accomplished as i reached the top and was ready to descend back down the mountain, since down has to be much easier then up right? WRONG!!!! The way down was much harder then the way up, as the slope was more steep, the path less cleared and the ground totally muddy. As many who know me understand, clean shoes to me are mandatory. My poor shoes were covered in mud, along with most of the rest of my clothes and body.



After skiing down the mountain part of the way i finally reached the end where more
cold refreshments were waiting and felt really good about myself. Although I'm so sore i can barely climb the stairs to my apartment, i enjoyed the experience and might consider going again. Grenada hiking is BEAU-tiful.