Well congratulations! You're ready to try your first hash. We've all been there before, so here are some simple tips to help you prepare for your first hash.
You should be in decent shape - if you can't WALK at least five miles you need to get in shape before trying a hash. These can be pretty exhausting to the unprepared!
Always bring a gym bag with a change of clothes - warm DRY shoes and DRY socks are worth their weight in gold after a couple of river crossings. Sweats, gloves, sandals etc. - these are all gonna be your buddy and/or pal, dependent upon the weather. Not to worry, we always have hash support that will bring your gear to the ending spot (called the On-In). Expect an outdoor ending, but sometimes there is an "indoor" type ending.
Oh, in the Summer, bring rubbing alcohol, calamine, ivy block, etc.. to get rid of poison ivy. Also bring a small towel to apply it without making a mess. In Winter, sweats and/or tights will be your pal. But don't wear new running shoes. Trust us. If you don't believe us, just read the next paragraph....
DO NOT HASH IN NEW RUNNING SHOES - if you do, you'll be chugging a beer out of them. YUMMY!
At your first hash, we will give you a buddy to run with you on trail, which we call a virgin bunny, and it could be something that ranges to a lil stuffed bunny, to a head of a mannequin. Now on trail and until the end, you need to hang on to this virgin bunny with your life and do not let any hasher take it, or else you will get a quick lesson on how to do a down-down, well actually it doesn't matter cause you will get that lesson, that will just call for a follow-up lesson.
What is a down-down? I hear ya asking that question, well here is what it is. It starts out with a raunchy song that the pack will sing to you, then you are expected to chug around a 12 oz beer (or water, soda, or whatever else we have to drink) as soon as we start singing "Drink it down, down, down." You can take as long as you like, but THE MOMENT that cup parts your lips, even if it is before you finish drinking, the cup gets turn upside down over your head. Yes, that means you might be going home smelling like a brewery, but that is better than any perfume or cologne you could ever buy in the store! MMM MMM Good!
At the hash, we have many colorful names, some you can find throughout this website, and if you aren't scared away at your first hash, after a minimum of 5 hashes (maybe sooner if you do something to deserve it), you will get your very own hash name and your "nerd name" will forever be forgotten among hashers, or else whoever says that name will be honored with a down-down.
Here are a few traditions you should know about (they aren't rules, cause there are none at hashes, and don't let that word come out of your mouth ever, unless of course you want a down-down!)
Don't wear road racing (that's another forbidden "r" word) tee shirts, shorts, hats, etc../ and expect us to be impressed - you're just asking for a down-down.
Expect profanity - lots of it. We all have to be nice and polite at work - this is when we make fun of one another and fart in each other's general direction. If this sort of behavior disgusts or offends you, tough titty - we ain't changin'.
Expect to get muddy, cut by briars and understand that you can get hurt doing this. Bones will get broken, ankles will get sprained, fingers get dislocated all of the time and egos can get bruised. If you get hurt, it is your own damn fault, but we'll do everything we can to help each other out.
Your first hash is free of charge, unless it is a special event. After that it will be $5 a hash, which includes your beer and munchies at the On-In. Also after your first hash, you are expected to wear hash attire. This is basically anything that has something to do with the hash on it. So you could take a t-shirt and write ON-ON on it and it will qualify, but if you want something better, we have haberdashery that you can buy.
A typical hash trail has us shuffling off at 3:30PM, hashing a 3-5 mile trail for between 60 to 120 minutes. Then we socialize over beer and munchies as the stragglers come in. When they get there, we do a vehicle run to get the cars, and go back for the On-In circle and down-downs, which can take up to an hour to complete. Then it is to an optional "On-After". If you do all of this, you could be home late. If you skip the On-After, and you could be home as early as 6PM.