Our first Hash

No, we’re not into dope.

“HHH” stands for Hash House Harriers, which is an international group for non-competitive runners and walkers. In Grenada, this group organizes weekly ‘hashes’ each Saturday.  We decided to check it out and give it a try….

We dinghied from our anchorage at Hog Island to Secret Harbour Marina for a 2pm bus pick-up. Guilloume & Gwen (Slow Waltz), Greg & Joe (Serenade), and Greg (Simplicity II) did the same. Curiously, there were 4 others from the same anchorage on the bus, but they had arranged their pick-ups from Whisper Cove Marina or Clarks Cove Bay Marina. Too funny.  There’s room for improved organization here.

a sheep? or goat? that we came across

The drive to the Hash location was an hour or better, but I never tire of any drive on this island, as it just has so much character. All roads wind through the lush hills and valleys; houses built on stilts are perched here and there; goats and people share the roads…. it’s very colourful.

Greg, Gil & Greg

 (waiting for the Hash to begin)

Stan, Greg, Greg, Guilloume & Gil

We stopped at a cemetery?! This was a memorial Hash, in honour of the person who started them.  There was a wait here until 4pm, the start of the Hash. When the call came for “all those with life in them” to begin, there were well over 100 of us.

The trail we followed (or tried to follow) …. I’ll let the pictures do the talking….

 the easy part - leaving the cemetery

 down, way down 

 the first of several river crossings

 behind me, in the river, and....

 ahead of me, in the river

sour sop - yet another fruit tree!

 washing off the mud

 I couldn't resist - there were three heads poking from the window

the kids ran to get into the picture ;-)

Grenadian lawn mowing

Gil & I survived it, and were happy to partake in the beer and BBQ’d chicken waiting at the finish line, to quench both our thirst and our hunger.

 "hashers" - huge gang!

we didn't let on that we were first-timers

Whew!

With the setting sun, certificates were given out to all first time hashers. The ritual is then to douse all first timers with beer!! We were spared this experience, and thankful for that, as our friends had fore-warned us …. and didn’t rat us out J - we owe them for that. Or, had they fore-warned us because we were riding home in the same bus together?

Another great day.