Cheat Sheet
Las Vegas HHH (vlv!) Trails:
- A-A or A-B
- 3-5 miles max
- 2 drink checks max
- Walkers should be on-in within 2 hours max
- Update the cops, Hash Hotline, and the Calendar by the Wed prior
Sin City HHH Trails:
- A-A
- 2-4 miles max
- 1 drink check max
- Walkers should be on-in within 1.5 hours max
- Update the cops and the Tyrant by the Friday prior
- Update the Hash Hotline on the Sunday prior
How to Post Your Trail’s Info
Being a rule-less society, even the suggestion that there is a “right way” to hare a trail raises the hackles of many a hasher. If you travel to other hash houses, you’ll see that even though there are vastly different traditions out there, the fundamentals of a good hash trail are the same wherever you go. While there may not be a “right way” to hare, there are definitely time-tested techniques that will make your trail better. This Hare Guide will not tell you the “right way” to set a hash trail. But, when considered during the planning and scouting phases, this guide will improve the quality of the hashing experience for everyone involved.
Who Should Hare?
Everyone should hare. If you are new and have questions or need hare help or to sign up to hare, contact the Hare Raiser, GM, or Tyrant. These folks can also help you find a suitably experienced co-hare to help guide your way in this fun and exciting process.
Why Should I Hare?
Haring is the ultimate hashing experience and until you hare, you can never truly appreciate a well-laid hash trail. The adventure of finding a new hashing location, the challenge of crafting a fun and exciting trail, and the thrill of laying a live trail while being hunted down by a pack of thirsty hounds are all part of the fun. Plus you will meet new people and hopefully you will get that much closer to earning that Hash Name. Hares hash for free, but must buy their own Hare Products (flour, chalk, beer, water, ice, etc…).
Where Should I Hare?
You can hare a trail just about anywhere you want. If you want good attendance, you should set trail no farther than Corn Creek area (US-95) and Apex (I-15) to the north, Mountain Springs (NV-160) to the west, Hoover Dam (US-93) to the east, and Sloan (I-15) Boulder City (US-93) to the south. The best trails have lots of shiggy in virgin territory. A good shiggy trail is better than a good urban trail. Urban shiggy is a good compromise. Running on paved surfaces for an entire trail sucks (including tunnels, drainage channels, and industrial parks) and being lost on them is even worse. Virgin territory, even if urban, always makes for a good run. It’s a lot to ask for you to find an entire trail of virgin territory, but try to pick a place where there hasn’t been a trail recently and get out of your car and find something new. Also, remember that from the hare’s perspective, short-cutters like to hash in places where they know every park, school, walking path, green belt, and tunnel in a 10 mile radius because they are trying to catch you! Avoid starting and ending in places with children, nuns, prisoners, homeless, gangsters, police, or other such things. We swear and we drink illegally and we are loud. Minimizing attention is almost always a good idea. It is always best to start and end in secluded areas with ample parking. Think carefully about how circle will be situated. Go to the end on the same day and time as your run the week before to see if there’s any security activity. Be aware of posted no trespassing, no parking, and no alcohol signs.
The Box
You can start almost anywhere. Make sure there is enough legal parking, a good place for The Box and Chalk Talk, and a place where the pack can openly drink beer without fear of The Man. Try to situate The Box so that the pack can not see you run off at Hares Away. Avoid starting where families and children gather. If your trail is not A-to-A arrange to have a B-Van driver for beer, bags, and snacks.
Depending on the hash for which your haring, trail should be about 2-6 miles. If it takes the entire pack 45 minutes, it is too short and if it takes them 2 hours it is too long. If trail is longer, harder, wetter, darker, or otherwise different from normal, the pack needs ample warning. Make this known on the Hash Hotline and in your trail info, not at The Box. Have at least one drink check on trail and if it is a hot day or long trail, have more than one place on trail where water is available. A school or park with a drinking fountain counts. If you have an unmanned beer check, make sure you go back later to pick up the trash. Avoid private property, unless you talk to the owner. Avoid high-security, high-density, and high visibility areas, including casinos, shopping malls, and the Fremont Street area (security likes to sweep away marks and have been known to detain hares). Do not deviate from these trail marks.
On-In
Easily accessible but remote is always good and uninterrupted beer drinking with spectacular views is preferred. Don’t end near someone’s home or anyplace that is heavily patrolled by security. When circles are broken up, it’s usually because someone complained, not because a cop found us drinking beer in the desert. Consider that concept when deciding about a fire for On-In, ambience is important. If it’s a hot day, have some shade available. If it’s dark, have some light available. Depending on the hash your start and end can be far apart, but the hares are responsible for making sure everyone, the beer, and all hash bags get back to The Box after Circle is over.
Scouting
The best trails are scouted by foot. The hole in the fence and the secret back alley are hard to spot by car. The more time you spend on this, the better your trail will be. Start early enough so that you have plenty of time to scout your trail before posting the Hash Hotline and posting your trail info to the calendar. You don’t want to base your trail on a start location; you want to pick your start based on a good trail. Before you choose a start or end, try to find some interesting things that you want to take the pack through (shiggy, hiking trails, water, tunnels, bridges, etc…). These are what people will remember about your trail. Look at Google Maps or Google Earth to find other interesting places and connections that may not be obvious from walking the area. Remember that long streets are boring, while short streets are merely uninteresting. Once a good trail is found, find a good Box and On-In. Rehearsing your run is a good idea and can alert you to potential problems, it is also a good time to decide where you’ll lay your checks and marks. Some hares like to rehearse at the same time and day as the hash to check for security guards, locked gates, crowds, etc… Remember that it usually takes the pack a lot longer to run the trail than you because you know where you’re going. Remember to look for public water stops or interesting side features while scouting. If you are a virgin hare, run with a co-hare so they can point out the fundamentals of trail design.
Hares are responsible for getting all hash bags, beer, and snacks from the beginning to the end and for getting hashers and all hash gear from the end to the beginning. The best way to do this is to have a dedicated person “beer running” for you. There are a lot of helpful volunteers. If you need help, contact the Hare Raiser, GM, or Tyrant. If one of the hares is going to drive the B-Van, make sure the beer and hash bags will be secure until they return. Hares must have a map to the end and place it in an easy to find place that someone won’t drive away (i.e., don’t put it on the B-Van). Update the Hash Hotline and calendar with directions to The Box. If there are any special instructions that the pack needs for trail, like bringing money, flashlights, or a change of clothing, include them on the Hash Hotline and the info on the calendar. Hares should draw The Box and trail marks for Chalk Talk and be ready for Hares Away on time. You may have to wait a few minutes for the hounds to get organized, but the pack should never have to wait on the hares! Make sure you bring flour, chalk, and everything else you’ll need on trail.
To maximize your body’s adrenalin, you should always be live on trail and for best results, set the entire trail live. Being a live hare is absolutely the best hashing experience there is! Trail should be easy to follow. An easy-to-follow trail does not mean your trail can’t be tricky. That’s what all the different hash marks are for. You want the pack to work for True Trail from a Check, but don’t try to be too tricky. If your trail is too hard to follow, everyone will shortcut and miss the rest of the trail that you spent the last couple of months perfecting. If your trail changes directions, the change must be clearly marked. Use a lot of marks when setting trail. I never heard of a trail that had too many marks. You might want to stash some flour out on trail so you won’t have to carry all your flour from The Box. Have cold beer (and water) ready for the pack when they arrive at the finish. A hare is vulnerable to snaring until there is beer at the On-In!
After Trail
The hare is responsible for finding any lost hounds on trail. A good idea is to have a volunteer sweep trail by being the last person and making sure all checks are marked correctly. Make sure the map to the On-In remains posted until all hashers are in. The final hare responsibility of the evening is to know of a nearby bar that has good beer and good food for the On-After.