First, the "rules:"
Do not lay trail in or through parks, preserves, or otherwise protected areas. Most parks have rules and regulations, some of which would be broken with typical hashy activities (alcohol, straying off official paths, etc.) We may not all agree with the rules, but we need to follow them.We have had several recent incidents with park personnel, and we cannot afford to build up ill will in the community. This rule does not apply to public wildlife areas / hunting lands... those are great hashing territories!
You are responsible for getting the leftover supplies You MUST attend the hash prior to yours and take home the coolers and leftover stuff. You don't have to hash, but you should be there at the end of circle.If you absolutely cannot attend the hash before yours, try to find someone to ferry thhings for you. Bribes work well. If all else fails, you must get in touch with the hare and let him/her know that you will not be able to pick up the hash stuff. YOU are responsible for making sure the previous hare doesn't have to schlep the stuff home.
You are responsible for getting thetrail information to the Hareraiser no later than 4 days before your hash. At a minimum, this information should include the following: date and time (of both meetup and pack-off); location (consider providing a link to a map and/or detailed directions if it is not easily GPS-able); and what people should bring (always $5 hash cash, dry clothes/shoes, and virgins; make sure to point out anything unusual, like have cash on trail, shiggy vs. urban, bring a light-emitting device, etc). It's nice to let people know if dogs are ok or not.
And now, the guidelines/tips:
Hash Cash is $5 for regular beer/snack hashes and $10 for food hashes (must prearrange with mismanagement first). Limit of reimbursement for any hash is $150 unless approved in advance by the GM, and in general, you will spend much less (depending on what's left from the previous hash). Please be frugal--we need to make a few bucks on each hash to fund some of the functions that are covered by the organization. If you made the AGM or hare party, you may remember that we did not collect hash cash, but we did provide a keg and food. If we blow the budget on each weekly hash, we will not be able to cover events like this without asking for more $.
Booze: When estimating the amount of beer, figure on 4-5 per person. For a regular hash, you can expect about 20 hashers; that's 80-100 beers / 4-5 cases. Remember, we can always make a quick beer run if necessary. Steer clear of craft beer; hash beer is supposed to be cheap and/or crappy! Think PBR, Yuengling, Natty Light. Limit light beer to one case, avoid glass bottles. Innovations and variety in cheap beer are appreciated! Having liquor on trail is up to you, but please keep the cost and the potential hazards in mind... we usually reserve shots and cocktails for special hashes.
Sodas/Water: For sodas, estimate 1 per hasher and get a mix of cola/non-cola; store-brand cheap stuff. During summer fill the SWH3 water cooler with tap water and ice, provide cheap cups. Other times, bring two gallon jugs of water and cups or 10-20 bottles of water (small ones are best).
Munchies: For snacks, 3-4 bags of chips / cheesy poofs / pretzels and 2 bags of sweets (Oreo cookies, M&M's, etc.). Don't get too much as left-overs don't keep. Avoid melty stuff in warm weather.
Misc: Bring trash bags for garbage/recyclables, a recycling bin if you can, some cups (if there aren't any left). Do not spend too much money on ice. 1/2 - 1 bag per cooler is plenty, during fall/winter you may not need them.
Coolers: It's a good idea to drain and rinse the coolers out the same day you get them to avoid the dreaded "dead skunk" smell.
Start locations: Hares should be sure to scout locations, especially for circle and beer breaks, ideally at the same time and day of the week as the actual hash to ensure the location is "hash safe" (few or no people or security). Stay clear of any buildings with security cameras on the outside; someone might be looking at them and need to chase us off to justify their existence. Especially in RTP... they tend to be serious about tresspassers. Avoid private property and look at the online county GIS maps to find "safe" routes (sewer lines, infrequently used rail-road tracks, streams are typically good connector options). Use common sense... what little you half-minds have, anyway.
See the SWH3 Official
Hare Marks... Feel free to be creative with your marks, but you'll need to explain any unusual ones at the pre-trail circle.
Trail considerations: Generally trails are 3 to 6 miles. If you want to lay a long trail, consider offering a shortcut for walkers and the out-of-shape (great excuse for a turkey-eagle!). Almost all of our trails are "dead," meaning that the hare pre-lays the trail (as opposed to a "live" trail in which the hare gets a head-start to lay trail before the pack sets out). For "dead" trails please plan on sweeping the end of the pack to avoid losing hashers and marking checks for late-comers. When the pack sets off, mark the direction the pack went and time with a hare arrow so that late-cummers can find us. For evening/night trails it's impossible to use too much flour/shredded paper/toilet paper as folks will have a hard enough time finding marks. Keep full moon hashes on the shorter side.
Trail start times: Any deviations from the start times below must be approved by the GM or Hareraiser.
- On Sundays in the fall, winter and spring, we meet at 2:00pm and pack-off around 2:30.
- Between Memorial Day and 2 weeks after Labor Day, Sunday hashes meet at 5:00pm and pack-off around 5:30.
- Full-moon trails meet at 6:30pm and pack-off at 7, year-round.
There is some leeway with "special" trails--holidays, traditional ones like Business Person's; if you need to adjust the time of your trail, just run it by GM and Hareraiser first.
If you would like to go outside the guidelines (example:
you would like have the hash all rent rollerblades for a hash or a bike
hash) just talk it over with Mismanagement to work out the details. It should be fine.....
Remember, we are only asking $5 per person for hash cash. This being said, we are not providing full meals or enough beer to re-float the Titanic. If you decide to go beyond the basics, this will be your call and out of your pocket. Many Hares have added their own personal touch, be that fresh baked goods, "prize beer," etc.
Hope this causes confusion. Happy Trails!
Your Mismanagement
(last revised 02/07/2016)
