CaribSeek Kaleidoscope | Grenada Hashing by Michael DeFreitas

Grenada Hashing

by Michael DeFreitas

Late one Saturday afternoon, below the forested slopes of Hospital Hill, above Grenada's capital of St. George's, I was setting up my tripod waiting for just the right light to capture the picturesque harbor when I heard it. At first, I was not sure what to make of the racket coming from the woods above me. It sounded like the commands a musher gives to his dogs, except to my knowledge, there were no dog sled teams in the Caribbean. On! On! On!, echoed on the gentle afternoon breeze, growing louder with each chorus. I figured it must be some kids chasing some poor animal through the bush and continued to compose my picture.
All of a sudden there was a crashing of branches behind me and three crazed individuals broke from the undergrowth and dashed madly across Old Fort Road, disappearing into the dense forest on the other side. Startled my finger jammed down on the shutter release and the motor drive whirled off six shots. Just as my heart was beginning to recover, another motley group pounded by yelling "On! On! On!" I was beginning to think they were all crazed escapees from the insane asylum, when an attractive young women in shorts broke from the underbrush and asked if I saw which way the others went. Pointing in their general direction, I asked what was going on. She smiled and said "we're hashing."

Later I would find out that the first group, called "hares" were actually being pursued by the second group, called "hounds." Who would have imagined that hashing was alive and well on Grenada, and that every second Saturday, the island's forested hillsides and valleys echo with the shrill desperate calls of On! On! On!
Hashing is a kind of "hound and hare," or "paper chase" and the wild eyed hashers dashing through hill and dale are part of the "Hash House Harriers," a dedicated group of Grenadians and visitors devoted to keeping the art of hashing alive. Hashing groups, of about fifty, follow paper marked trails set down by hares, which utilize all kinds of tricks to keep the hashers at bay. Actually, the hares claim it's just their way of slowing down the group so they all reach the pub at the same time. Competitiveness is shunned upon and front-runners are usually called "FRBs," "front running bastards." Shiny new runners and pressed shorts are also frowned upon.

Hashing originated in Malaysia sometime in the early 1930s. British senior officers invented the game to keep their men fit and burn off the excesses of weekend partying. Leaders or hares would mark a trail--and many false trails--through the dense jungle around Kuala Lumpur. The hares were then pursued by teams of "hounds" vying to reach the finish line first. As added incentive, there was cold beer waiting for the winning team at the finish line. The name Hash House Harriers was adopted in honor of their beloved Hash House pub, which of course sponsored many of the events. Not much has changed, but today, everyone wins and gets beer.

Two weeks later, I was down at the Portofino Restaurant, in St. George's, waiting with about 60 other eager hashers. The leader or "Hasher Master" that day was Grenada's HHH founder and premiere hasher, Paul Slinger, who describes hashers as "drinkers with a running problem." After getting directions to the hash we piled into cars and headed to Grand Etang National Park, the starting point of that weeks hash.

Once there, we all signed the hash roster (to account for everyone at the end of the hash) and received last minute instructions from Paul. Then it was off to the starting line and what would prove to be a difficult hash. The trail started near the Grand Etang National Park entrance and skirted Grand Etang Lake, before heading southwest towards Point Salinas. The trail was narrow and it didn't take long before the group was well spread out over a mile or so of marked trail. It stayed that way until we regrouped at the first "checkpoint."
Checkpoints are usually located at the junction of a number of intersecting trails and is marked by a circle of paper on the ground. Front-runners head down each of the intersecting trails to see which is the correct one. Each false trail is marked with an "X" about a half-mile down the trail. Correct trails have no "X" so once front-runners realize the trail is not false they yell On! On! On! And the group follows.

If you plan to hash, you should know a few phrases. On! On! means you can see the trail markers, usually small bits of colored paper. When you can't find the trail but see someone else, you can ask "Are you on?" "Checking" means the trail has all of a sudden disappeared and you are trying to find it again. When front-runners reach a large "X" in the trail they yell, "On Back" to warn others not to take that trail. When you see the On in sign, it means you are nearing the finish line and cold beer.
After skirting the lake, the trail descended into a fertile valley, and then crossed a narrow side road, where someone had placed clothes on the hot road to dry. Onwards we ran through banana fields and rain forest, stopping every so often to listen for the cries of On!On!, Checking, or On Back. After three hours of heading down false trails and stumbling over tree roots, the group was beginning to spread out again, but the hares had done their job well. Near Salinas Airport our group finally broke through the heavy under brush into a cow pasture where the main portion of the group were anxiously searching for the correct trail.

Before I had time to catch my breath the call of "On!On!" came from low shrubs to the west and the group was off again. From the pasture the trail crossed over Petit Cabrits Point, then across the beach, humanely ending at the "On in" sign near the Aquarium Beach Bar. The hash had taken a grueling four hours and it goes without saying we were all dying for a cold Carib beer.

Without a doubt, the most important aspect of the hash, is gathering at the pub afterwards. Here you rest aching muscles and swap exaggerated tales of the chase with anyone who will listen. The difficulty of the hash is directly proportional to the amount of beer consumed, and the better the hash, the taller the tales. The hares had done a great job that day, so the tales were tall and vast quantities of beer was consumed.

Hashers come in all shapes, sizes and ages (I'm living proof), and the Grenada chapter attracts a good mixture of locals and visitors. Worldwide there are some 700 HHH clubs with over 80,000 members. The Grenada chapter meets every other Saturday and for a $1 donation (which usually goes for beer) you too can dash off madly through the forest yelling "On!On!On!"

GUIDE BOOK
For more information about hashing in Grenada you can contact Paul Slinger at his home (473) 440-3243 or work (473) 440-3343. There are HHH chapters on other islands including Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua and Guyana. Antigua's HHH also meets twice a month and the contact is Neil Keeling at (268) 461-0565 or (268) 460-4523. On all other islands check with your hotel or the local tourism office for contact details.

If you want to find out more about the organization and their chapters, contact their international headquarters at, Harrier International, GPO 1670, Bangkok, Thailand, 10501. You can also try any British embassy.

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