The House that Hash Built

“No sh*t, there I was …” is considered the ideal start to any Hash House Harrier’s story, so here goes.
No sh*t, there I was … trudging through swamp water and stumbling through tree brush in the middle of a downpour, all the while wearing a $171 suit. But I wasn’t about to complain, for that day I was among the infamous Hash House Harriers and therefore, among friends … Seriously though, how’d I let myself get talked into this?
The Hash House Harriers are an international social, non-competitive running and drinking club.
Seasoned Hashers will often describe the group as “a drinking club with a running problem.”
There exist more than 1,700 Hasher chapters (or kennels) throughout the world. Odds are, there‘s at least one in your own town (follow the trail of beer and vommit.)
Generally, the average trail (if there is such a thing) will take its members on a 3-mile trek through some of the roughest and dirtiest terrain available, with white markers to guide the hashers along. At random points hashers will come upon signs, telling them if there is beer nearby, giving them an alternative shortcut, or asking them to take part in a uh, physical inspection in which one player has to flash certain body parts to another player in exchange for directions (this is optional).
“It is more of a social group than anything else. It is an excuse to get out and do something with friends, meet new people and drink,” said Carolina Hashers Game Master, StrawberryShortC**k.
Though the Hashers try to remain as in line with the laws as they can (public intoxication aside), they choose to use only code names so as to protect those members whose jobs would frown on the drinking game.
“We’ve had members who have been high ranking military officers, doctors and even some lawyers,” StrawBerry explained. “The group has a kind of rude and crude sense of humor, but it’s all in good fun. The hash names range from the down right dirty to the absolutely funny.”
By the end of the trek the group gather in a circle and partake in drinking games, singing dirty songs and sporting kilts (minus the underwear, because otherwise “it’s just a skirt”).
“It is just a really fun way to get out and meet people,” said longtime hasher AllHandsOnC**t. “Right now, all the friends I have are people I’ve met hashing. They’re like a family.”
Once the trek was over, and the beer was passed out (it was hidden in a lake), I too felt like part of a family. A disgruntled, drunken family. Who can’t relate to that?

Hash House History

The Hash House Harriers have a rich history that stretches back to 1938 (mind you, these people are drinkers, so details are sketchy). It first began in Kuala Lumpur, when a group of British (no surprise there) colonial officers and expatriates began meeting after work on Monday evenings for a run, following a paper trail.
After a few months the group was approached by the Registrar of Societies (otherwise known as “the man”), who advised that the group take a break between drinks to toss together a constitution, and name themselves, thus the Hash House Harriers were born. The Internet has pretty much done the rest.