Typed on printer paper
Dear mom, This page is a repeat of what I already wrote.
Hash on the island does not refer to drugs. Hash is an activity or game, sort of a hare and hound game that the haoles do here every Saturday afternoon. Everyone meets at the same place at the same time and the two “hares” tell everyone where the starting place of the run is. So we all get into the truck to go where the hares say the starting place is, this starting place is called the “box”. The box can be anywhere on the island and it’s different according to where the hares want to start. The hares get a ten minute start on the “hounds” out of the box so the purpose of the game for the hares is to get to the “on home” without getting caught by the hounds. The purpose of the game for the hounds is to catch the hares and strip them of their shorts. After the hares are out of the box for their ten minute head start, the rules of the game are explained to newcomers (FNG’s). The hounds follow the hares by a trail that the hares leave for the hounds; this trail is marked by flour or colored flagging or surveyors tape. A single dot of flour or one tie of flagging tape is an “on on” meaning if a hound comes across an “on on” they are on a trail and they let the other hounds know this by yelling “on on”. The next marking is a cross made by flour (rarely by tape) and this is called a “checking”. At this point, the trail can go in any of the four directions that the points are pointing toward so the hounds have to “check” each direction to see which one has “on on”s and which is the true trail. See, at a checking, the hares can set false trails for the hounds meaning there can be “on on”s past a directional point for a long way and the hounds think their on a true trail but the “on on”s either disappear or the hares set three “on on”s in a row, and this is an “on back”. The hounds get upset at.this point because they’ve been had and have to backtrack back to the last checking to try a different direction. So if you’re a fast runner, you may get to a checking and go along a false trail return to find the slower runners went down a different trail and are now ahead of you. Once a true trail has been determined, the checking is marked on the point of the cross that the true trail leaves from.
There are no rules for where the trail can or can’t go. The trail can even go through water if it’s marked well enough for the hounds to follow. Basically there are three kinds of trail: a road trail meaning a paved, public road; a boonie road trail meaning a dirt road but it’s usually overgrown and cars can drive on it; and a boonie trail meaning jungle that has been cut away for the hash (water trails would be categorized under boonie trails). The “on home” can be anywhere also left up to the whims of the hares. There’s a beer truck that leaves the “box” at the beginning with the hares and the hares tell the driver of the beer truck where the “on home” is so there is transportation back to the “box” where people have left their cars after the evening’s festivities are over. More importantly though, the beer truck has coolers of beer and sodas/water plus snacks for the runners after the hash. A fire is built and there is “religion” (hash ceremony) with the FNG’s being introduced to the hash community, with honor being given to the hares, with a time for courtesies, jokes and hash songs. Often many go for dinner afterwards.
I was finally a hare after months of chasing other hares. I did this quite begrudgingly since I did not want to be a hare (I felt I didn’t know the island well enough to find a trail that was really good and I didn’t think I could run fast enough not to get caught. At “religion” a few weeks ago, I was volunteered to bare but I refused. Then the week after, l was shamed into finally being a hare for the 313th run.
The adventure of being a hare began the day after I agreed to do it … I had a week to find a trail. I couldn’t find a co-hare originally because everyone had some excuse not to do it (wimps).
So with the real possibility of single haring, I started my search for a trail early. A regular hasher finally agreed to be my co-hare and he had an idea of a good trail. Our plan was to have the box near the public golf course, take them on some false trails, and then follow the creek bed up through a betel nut farm, along a road boonie trail and then up near Mt. Topotcbau (the highest point on the Island). So we set out Sunday morning near Kt. Topatchau … we were going to work backwards. There was a lovely road boonie trail on the way to the betel nut farm that had fruit trees all over but was very muddy (that’s half the fun in messing with the hounds). When we got to the farm, we asked permission to go through their property down to the golf course and they hesitantly said yes. Soon we found we were being followed and the man asked us not to tag our trail (with flagging tape) since he did not want anyone to be able to find their farm (betelnut is a cash crop for locals and didn’t want any stolen). He also told us not to follow the creek bed and there was a better trail up on the ridge of the valley down to the golf course. We agreed that on our way back up we’d pull down the tape we’d already used and set off in the direction the farmer had put us in. Bad move. We ended up way at the top of the ridge with no trail. We had to scale the side of the valley down to the creek bed again and it was pretty steep (at one point I accidentally loosened a rock and it bounced down, and down, and down, and down. I was pretty scared at this point. Once in the valley, we had to cut a trail with machetes since this was a virgin trail. Now, I don’t know if you know proper etiquette and style in using a machete but it was my first time wielding one of those puppies. I don’t remember ever learning how to use a machete: never recall a Girl Scout badge that required a machete; there were never any college classes in boonie stomping with a machete; I don’t recall any sorority seminars on the subject; and it just never came up with any of my clients. So how was I supposed to know how to use one? There were pressing questions, like: how far ahead should your co-hare be in front of you before you swing such a large blade? How do you bold it while you’re walking, cutting, scaling a valley? Is it OK to hold it by the blade if you have gloves on? So I learned everything the hard way. Taro leaves cut very easily, vines can be difficult at times and coconut/palm fronds are impossible to cut. We went through bamboo groves, under thickets, over vine covered flat areas, through tall reeds, and up/down rocks. Can we say “exhausted”? I never thought we’d find the golf course. We got a ride back up to the truck because we were running out ol light and I wouldn’t have been able to make it back up (there was also no way I was going to scale that valley.
Monday we headed out again to cut the rest of the trail from where we came off the ridge up to the farm. This time we started at the bottom and followed our nicetrail up. It was an incredibly beautiful trail. All the foliage was lush and all we could see in some parts was the valley walls going straight up on either side. Sometimes when we came up out of the creek bed, we saw the top of the boonies and it was Just an incredible view. (I want to go back up in a couple weeks with a camera) So we cut the rest of the trail up to the farm and then walked back down timing the walk at an hour through the boonies.
Saturday, the day of the hash, we went to set the false and true trails, to find our box and to see if the farmers were there. We set a false trail that was maybe 3/4 miles long with an “on back” and a smiley face in flour. This was done to give us more time to get up the trail without getting caught. Some spiders had re-spun their webs over the trail so we got rid of them as we set the true trail (there were literally 100 or more spiders along the way). The farmers were there so we didn’t set the trail along there and hoped that they would be gone by the time we came through several hours later with the hounds. We then did the trail down (the filth time in a week). Now, this was a tough trail,requiring a lot of stamina and strength since you can’t run through this kind of boonie so by the time it was time for the hash to begin, I was pooped.
I had had a dream earlier in the week about the hash since I was so stressed about the run. In the dream I was caught but the reason I was caught was because l had cut myself in the boonie and was leaving a trail ot blood. I was caught because the hounds were following my trail of blood. After that dream I figured getting caught and only having my shorts taken was a much better deal than bleeding through the boonies. I told the hounds that if I were caught, I would give them my shorts since I did not want them ripped off me.
So we all met at the regular meeting spot, and all headed off to the box. We were given the ten minute head start and ran our butts off. I started wheezing, got dizzy, and felt like I was going to throw up but I kept going. We hoped everyone would take the false trail to give us more time up the trail. It’s weird to be chased. You get paranoid that you hear their call behind you and start getting really nervous. A plus on our side was we’d done the trail so many times, we knew exactly where to go whereas the hounds had to find the “on ons”. We got to the farm in 45 minutes (wow!!) and luckily the farmers were gone (whew!!) so we set the trail through the farm and up to the boonie road. We walked since I was wheezing. When we were near the “on home” and Just when I finally was breathing with any normalcy, two hounds caught us. They hadn’t taken the false trail but if they had, we would have gotten to the “on home” first. lf I had been able to breathe and run on the boonie road, we wouldn’t have been caught too. My goal in setting the trailwas for it to be boonie and for it to be beautiful. I succeeded in both so I don’t feel bad about getting caught.
The hounds all liked the trail and the “on home”. The “on home” overlooked the west side of the Island toward Managaba and most of the hounds got In at sunset so It was quite a spectacular view after such a pretty trail. It was neat to hear the hounds talk about the trail as they came in. Soae were pissed off about the false trail and some of them laughed about It. There Were some cuts and bruises and a lot of muddy shoes and clothes. Although I hadn’t really wanted to do It in the first place, IenJoyed myself. I liked finding new boonie, seeing a part of the island I’d never have seen otherwise, doing a trail that I would have loved to have done had I been a hound, and learning to use a machete. I don’t want to do one again though. If I’m ever volunteered to do it again, I Just won’t show up and someone else will have to set one “live”. I prefer being a hound and chasing someone else’s trail!!!
So today I’m exhausted. I had barely enough energy to do my laundry and lay round the pool to write letters. It feels good just to lie here. My clothes were so dirty, I washed them, bleached them, and then washed them again. I’m not sleepy, I’m just tired.
I’ve been trying to call you but you’re not home. I couldn’t remember what weekend you were going to Mexico. You keep writing that you haven’t heard from me and I’m trying to let you know I’ve written. I sent the video 10/29, wrote 11/8 and 11/15. I want you to know I’m ok.
I’m spending Thanksgiving with the family I’m friends with. I started dating the son/brother. I like him ok to date but definitely not in love like I was with Dave. I’m also dating a scuba instructor here at PIC. Both guys’ name is Rob so I differentiate between them by “local Rob” and dive Rob.” The other clubmates just say Rob Squared. Oh well. At least I’m not lonely.
I really miss you and am looking forward to seeing you. I’ll do a lot of great things between now and then to write to you and tell you about when I see you. Love.
P.s. Could you send me my white short dress (netting at the neck?) Domo arigato.
