Laying Hash Paper:
Hash Paper is typically finely shredded
paper or ordinary flour and is available from the
Trail Master. Be sure to get your supply well in advance.
Paper should be laid every 5-6 meters or as necessary
to mark the trail clearly. Care should be taken to
place the paper correctly so it will not be blown
or washed away before the run. Be mindful of kids
playing around the area as they tend to try and pick
up paper to play with. Placing the paper in rough
ground or in grass should avoid this problem to an
extent. Do not lay paper in a pile but spread it around
a bit.
Setting Checks:
A check is marked by a circle of
paper, indicating that the trail picks up in any direction.
It is used to provide a breather for the Hashers and
lets the slow runners catch up. The trail should pick
up within 100 meters from the check. On open ground
such as paddies, the trail may pick up a bit further,
around 150 meters. Make sure that you do not lay it
too far off or the Hashers will have a tough time
finding it. Ideally the slow runners should arrive
at the check just as the front-runners find the true
trail. There can be 4-6 checks on a run, depending
on the length.
False Trails:
A false trail is marked by a bar
across the path. A bar should never be crossed, even
if you believe the trail picks up ahead. The true
trail should start again roughly 50-100 meters behind
the bar. In case you lay a false trail from a checkpoint,
it should begin within 50-80 meters from the checkpoint
and not any further. The true trail should start within
100 meters of the check, in a different direction.
The length of a false trail could be between 100-120
meters, again, depending on terrain.
Loops:
A loop is where the trail circles
back near itself. Remember that the trail should never
cross itself as otherwise it might lead to confusion.
Typically the loop back should come no nearer than
100 meters of the start of the loop. The front-runners
will follow paper all the way along the loop (of course
they needn’t know that it is in fact a loop…)
and the short cutters can simply cut across and catch
up.
Doing a Recce (reconnaissance):
Unless you know the area like the back of your hand,
it is extremely difficult to lay a proper run without
first doing a Recce. Allow at least half a day for
a normal Recce. Remember that a Recce is not supposed
to be on the day of the run, rather, a few days before
it. Do not trust Recces done a week earlier as ongoing
construction and other ‘Acts of God’ can
greatly change the layout of the trail. Look for locations
where you can set good loops, false trials and short
cuts. Be mindful about marking or even avoiding laying
paper near barbed wire, unmarked wells or open manholes.
Hash Calls (Different from Cat Calls):
The general idea is to have the whole
pack finish the trail. In order to let others know
that you are on paper or at a check, there are accepted
‘Hash Calls’ that you must use.
“On-On” - you are running
on paper
“Looking” - you are
at a bar and are looking for paper, or you don’t
know where the hell you are.
“Checking” - you are
at a check and are now checking around for paper
“Bar!” - self explanatory
“On Back” - used to
tell the runners going in a wrong direction that they
should turn around and come back
“Are you?” - used by
the slower runners to find out if the front-runners
are on paper. The front-runners should respond with
the appropriate response.
“Fuck this!” - used
to express general discontent…
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