January Hash Report

2017 kicked off with 8 great hashes, the first being the North of Seventy Eight (NOSE) hash #149 in Morristown, NJ on Wednesday January 4^th. About 15 hashers showed up at the Speedwell Park ruins for a trail laid out by “Not in my Hair” who received his running kilt the same name for hashing 78 times with NOSE H3. The trail included lots of stairs, hills, false trails and a section of the Patriots Path. After the run we all moved to the Famished Frog for food and beverage.

 



Next up was the newly formed Taco Tuesday Hash House Harriers’ 2^nd hash on Tuesday January 10^th. Road Runner Sports generously offered up their store for a meeting location and a discount for those in attendance. Roughly 30 came out to run around Cherry Hill, NJ but mostly for the tacos at Chili’s after.

 

The next night was to become a night that the NOSE runners will not soon forget, although we’d like to. It became to be known as the night of the tickets. We had a great showing this night with 17 hashers eager to run the trails on Pyramid Mountain and so we did. It wasn’t until we were enjoying the view of distant city lights that we found out it was actually illegal to be up there after dark. We observed blue lights down by our parked cars and the night’s silence was interrupted by a voice on a loud speaker demanding we get off the mountain. By the time the night was done, Morris County had earned itself some $1207 in fines as we each were charged $71. On the bright side I did earn my NOSE hash socks for picking the NOSE 24 times!

 

The next Thursday night, January 12^th was a full moon so Princeton H3 popped up a Full Moon Hash with trail set by “Hair in my Zipper”. It was a beautiful night, especially for being January. With temperatures nearing 60 degrees and the full moon it was without a doubt the best night I’ve run in a long time. Seven hashers and one trail dog, “Flip Flop”, came out and enjoyed the trail which took us through parts of Village Park, Mercer Meadows and Rosedale Park. Two more hashers met us at the house of “Yo Hey Pauly” for pizza and beer.

 

Wednesday, January 18^th, NOSE met at the house of “A**-Q” in Boonton for a hilly run and pizza party after. Wednesday January 25^th we met at the Morristown Train Station for a trail set by “Stretch” taking us out once again to the Speedwell Park ruins followed by food at the Tavern off the Green.

 

Two nights later the Bimbos of Jersey hosted a birthday hash for “Go4Hole” in Jamesburg Park section of Helmetta, NJ. Six runners enjoyed the trails, a beer stop that included hot-toddies and Jiff Pop Popcorn, and then pizza after at Maxi’s Pizza.




Finally, on Sunday January 29^th I hosted a combination Hashrun/Pub crawl through Browns Mills, NJ. Unlike a normal pub crawl, this included 4 sections of trail and a series of clues written around town, in chalk, where to look next.

 

 

July: The Month of the Hashrun (aka 9 hashes in one month)

July was an amazingly fun month for me. Even though I had to work I was able to fit in 9 hashruns before heading to my house in Jamaica on the 29^th. I started the month off full speed ahead hitting 3 hashes over the Independence weekend, missing only Sunday the 3^rd. The weekend started out Friday the 1^st with a very humid nighttime hash in Mays Landing, NJ hosted by the Bimbos of Jersey Hash House Harriers (BJH3). It was hared by What What and included about 7 miles of road, bike paths and trail. There were 2 beer stops, one in the woods and the second at the Tuckahoe Brewing Company. We finished off the evening with dinner and a very competitive game of Heads Up.

(Tuckahoe Brewing Company)

The next morning What What made us a great breakfast and then the 9 of us packed up for an approximately 25+ mile Bike/Kayak/Bike Hash, known as the KYBash once again hared by What What. She laid a relatively easy trail with only a few false trails. The intent wasn’t to confuse the pack too much but rather to lead us to our true destination, Winding River Campground. There we rented kayaks and were shuttled about 6 miles upstream to a launch point. From there we leisurely paddled down the Winding River, drinking beer, singing songs, telling ridiculous stories of past hashes and playing kayak-soccer with a beach ball we had brought along. Our first stop was a rope swing some locals had installed at a deep hole. I won’t put anyone on blast; but, I will say some were better than others. Alright, I’ll admit I should have stopped after my first near-perfect swing because it went downhill fast from there. Our next stop was to have a picnic lunch at the ruins of historic Weymouth Furnace. We had all packed food and beverage in our kayaks so we had a large assortment of choices. Nobody tried my peanut butter and onion sandwiches so I had them all to myself. They just don’t know what they were missing. After lunch we finished our paddling and returned to our bikes for another 9 miles back to What What’s house. Once again she supplied us with a much appreciated feast. There are rumors of an alleged kayak hit-and-run but they have not been confirmed as of yet. Well that’s two days down, two hashes done, and on Sunday He rested.

(Getting ready for the KYBash)

 

(Kayak soccer on the Winding River)

 (Swingers!)

 (Lunch at Weymouth Furnace)

(Weymouth Furnace ruins)

Next up was Monday the 4^th when I made my first of 5 trips to north Jersey to hash with the Summit H3 and NOSE H3. NOSE stands for the area North Of Seventy Eight, as in Interstate 78. These northern excursions took me places like Millburn, Florham Park, Raritan and Boonton, NJ the night before flying to Jamaica. I really enjoyed these as the hashers were great people and the trails included some hilly trails which the area around my home lacks. Brag-a-deer General, Just Asia and I also travelled to the Jersey shore to hash with NOSE H3 on Long Beach Island. That course was mainly on road, which I hate; but, since the beer stop and last mile were both on the beach it ended much more enjoyable for me than it had started. In case I didn’t say it already, “I really hate running on pavement”. I also hared our McGuire Dix Lakehurst H3 (MDL H3) hash #4 once again in Country Lakes, NJ. This was a going away party hash for one of our 4 founders, BCD (I can’t write her hash name here and still keep this G-rated). Due to temperatures cresting 100 degree, I shortened the trail to about 5 miles and added a number of additional water crossings to my original plan. The only injury on course was when I got stung by a hornet on the forehead as I live-hared the second section. Luckily we were able to use BCD’s back yard for the final time because we were forced into her garage for the on-after party when a late afternoon severe thunderstorm rolled into Browns Mills pounding us with heavy wind, rain and hail for about a half hour. There were other great runs and lots of yoga but this July will forever be remembered by me as my Month of the Hash!

(Traildog Sparta helping me scout hash trails for MDL H3 hash #4)

(A quick refreshment break while setting trail for MDL H3 Hash #4)

 (Water crossing? No, water trail!)

 (The now famous Camp Run-a-Mok)

 (NOSE H3 hash #120, Long Beach Island, NJ)

(NOSE H3 hash #121, Florham Park, NJ)

 (NOSE H3 hash#122, Boonton, NJ)

 (Summit H3 hash #1738, Florham Park, NJ...crossing the Passaic River)

 (Summit H3 hash #1738, Florham Park, NJ...crossing the Passaic River again)

 (Overachiever-first on site for the Summit H3 hash #1742, Raritan, NJ)

 

 





May: the Hash Continues

On May 15^th, I ran my first race since having my left Achilles reattached and everything went really well. The Coventry Woods 10K was run in beautiful Coventry Woods Park in Pottstown, PA. Both the 5K and the 10K started together completing a short loop before heading up into the hills. The two races split around mile one as the 10K continued to climb. The first half was mostly uphill which meant the second half would be more to my liking. I’ve always been a better downhill runner than up and have been told I border on reckless. To me running downhill is almost a religious experience. In the split second I am free falling down the hill I have to have faith that my foot is going to find something solid to land on. By keeping my knees bent and my feet moving fast I feel less likely to twist an ankle and this is where I pass the most people. In fact all the times I have twisted my ankles over the years have come on relatively flat sections of trail. The race was a good test to let me know how my recovery is truly going and while my overall speed is not back yet I am very happy with my progress.

 

Other than running the Coventry Woods 10K my ambition to race lately has taken a back seat to my ambition to just run and have a good time doing it. This has led me to seeking out more Hash runs. My last post told the story of two hash runs I ran in April but I didn’t explain what a hash run is. Now if you are already a Hasher you’re probably rolling your eyes so just have a down-down (drink) and gaze at the pictures while I educate the rest.

"The premise is simple, one harrier (the hare) lays a trail of flour over a course (s)he chooses. The other harriers (the hounds) try to follow that trail to the end where we enjoy munchies and beer (or soft drinks for those disinclined to imbibe). The typical hash is 3-5 miles over hill and dale, through suburbs, woods, malls, et al. The hash isn't a race - no prizes to the swift. Following the trail is the challenge, camaraderie and beverages are the rewards" (www.harrier.net). These trails also include many false trails which aren’t used just to mess with the hounds but also serve a real purpose, to keep the pack together. While the front runners are searching for the real trail the slower runners have a chance to catch up. The goal is for everyone to reach the finish around the same time and have a lot of fun doing so. All hashes end with a circle where accusations and penalties (in the form of drinks) are paid along with announcements of future events and assigning hash names to previously un-named participants that did something memorable on-trail.

I visited the Bimbos of Jersey Hash House Harriers (BJH3) on May 27^th for an evening hash. We had daylight to start out but our headlamps were soon needed which added to the difficulty to find the true trail. Working together we found our way back to the host’s house where she had food and beverage waiting for us. When the circle was complete we gathered around the camp fire while “Rear End Wrangler” entertained us with song and jokes. Most camped there overnight as well.

 

 Identity hidden for National security purposes (doesn't want to be embarrassed about getting stuck).

 

On May 29^th I hared the second McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Hash House Harriers (MDLH3) hash in Country Lakes, NJ. We had a good turnout with 18 hashers and three dogs searching for the correct trail through the forest. I included a section thru what I named the Browns Mills Marina. It’s actually just a couple boats that have been dragged out into the woods by some locals to use as a paintball area. I took the hounds up, not across, the Greenwood Branch Creek which felt amazingly refreshing on an otherwise blistering humid day. There was a "clothing optional" section for those that dared to be bare (no photos available nor would you want them). I also included three beverage (aka beer) stops along the way to keep everyone well hydrated. Fun was had by all and that’s what its all about; running and having a good time doing it!  

A Tale of Two Hashes

I was happy to be around for the Philly Hash House Harriers (Philly H3) hash #1930 which just happened to be the annual 3Balls Birthday Hash. While there are many hashes this one is by far my favorite because it always ends with a party at 3Balls’ “Barn of Amazement”. You’ll see why I call it that from the photos below. This year’s run was held in Tyler State Park on Swamp Road in Newtown, PA. It started and finished through the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge. The trail itself was approximately 6-7 miles with plenty of false trail markings, thorn bushes, hills, river crossing, slippery rocks, and even a live band playing as our pack ran through Bucks County Community College. Alright enough of the description, check out the barn below!

We’ve started up a new hash kennel for those living around the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst area in New Jersey. April 30^th we held our inaugural event, MDL H3 hash #1, forever to be known as Brag-a-Deer General’s Birthday Hash. It also doubled as a Philly H3 event. We held the event on the trails surrounding Presidential Lakes in Browns Mills, NJ. Brag-a-Deer General and I took turns with both haring (marking) the trail as well as driving the beer sled to the beverage stops. The true trail ended up somewhere between 6-8 miles. Everyone but one found the correct way through the forest and swamps. One was lost for about an hour and had to pay a penalty (a beer shower) for the search party being sent out to find her. When all accusations and penalties had been paid, the circle closed and we headed over to Brag-a-Deer General’s house for some great food, beverage, and a sing-along around a warm fire.