A Bronx Tale - A Tale Of Two Packs
So it was that on the evening of 31st of July, 1996 that NYCH3 set off to explore the farthest reaches of the #4 train - "Woodlawn", a name conjuring up images of, well, woods, and perhaps a lawn or two. Surely this could not be a correct image, however, since we are heading for that most infamous borough of NYC - "The Bronx". Pastoral images would surely be replaced with those of burnt out cars and shady characters exchanging briefcases and gunfire !
Van Cortland Park - the third largest park in NYC, is indeed a wooded land. An ideal setting for Millers Crossing, this is home to such flora as black, red and white oaks, as well as large tulip trees rising above Tibbett's Brook wetland, with a canopy mixed with birch, sassafras, hickory, black cherry and sweetgum, accented by dramatic rock outcroppings. Home also to Rabbits, Raccoons, Skunks, Downey Wood Ducks and Horned Owls. This evening it had become home to the Lesser Spotted Captain Albatross !
So this Hash was begun with the cry of our Captain - "Ollyowlieaughe !", followed by some reference to a trail which by all accounts had not been completely set. We were welcome to try this trail "if we liked" ! Remembering that this was the Bronx, nobody "liked", so we all set off to follow the trail which apparently had more chance of being followed ! On-On !
So into the woods went the gallant pack - led by British Daves Hardy & Croft - through dale and glen, past a burnt out shell of what once may have been a Ford Fiasco and past what seemed to be a Mafia Construction Equipment Depot, desperately in search of a copulating couple previously spotted by the Hare while setting the trail ! Sadly this act had come to climax long before the pack passed through !
Onward to an extremely devious challenge in the trail where it crossed a highway and looped around under this highway to a point where a check had been laid (and possibly a young couple minutes earlier !). Every direction seemed to be marked with a big "F" (indicating that the hare had spent much time here), so this intrepid idiot decided it must be a back check ! While checking my back, I heard the cries of "On-On", only to find that the pack had disappeared completely from sight. I decided to hang about in the bushes and practice the art of "lurking" (a pastime of many in this neighborhood), just in case a second pack happened to pass by ! This indeed was to be the case, as a second pack (led from behind by yet another British Dave - JM DB2) appeared. This pack proved equally competent at trail finding as the first, but less able to shake off this scribe, who was sticking as close to this pack as DB2 to his wallet !
The JM was able to stay quite close to this pack until we came to phase one of a cunning 1 bridge/2 check combo - check #1 on the bridge itself, check #2 under it - another fine example of creative haring from the good Captain !
On from here through more woods then suddenly out into a NEIGHBORHOOD ! Shit ! Where's the pack - stay close - yes, even to Curtis, Ciderman, anyone - we're running through streets in the Bronx ! Yet they appeared quite safe - perhaps in contrast to the previous weeks Queens visit. After only a few blocks of neighborhood a more comforting environment lay ahead - shady sweaty characters standing by a Graveyard toasting Virgins and roasting Hares ! At last a safe arrival at the On-IN, though it wasn't In, it was Out - another reminder from our hare that Real Hashers are Outdoor People ! "On-In at Woodlawn Cemetery !" Fuck that - we all went onto a bar instead !
Three virgins were toasted - welcome to Gwen, Liam and William. Sandwiches supplied by Betsy. On-On-In was Woodlawn Caf‚. Alice courtesy of Screw-U Taxis.
Quotes from the run:
I Like It In The Woods - A wee Scottish person.
I'll give you one later - A wee Hardy person.
Wee - Ciderman.
Where are wee ? - Alice.
Why don't I ever get a mention? Wee John Kriens
Hash Makes More Headlines
The extensive media coverage that the hash has received recently continues with the following newspaper article from the Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera's Fitness Section on July 9th, 1996 (courtesy of Andi Kingsley).
"But it's biodegradable"
Police discovered 64 piles of white powder along a 2.2-mile stretch from San Marino, CA, to Pasadena on May 21, prompting a six-hour cleanup by a hazardous materials team and warnings to pet owners of a possible attempt to poison animals. The powder turned out to be flour.
The piles, technically known as "marks", had been deposited by organizers known as "hares" to mark the trail of a cross-country run by the semi-athletic club called the Hash House Harriers. The Hash, which has been called a drinking club with a running problem, is famous for its whimsical and bizarre choices of places to run.
Pasadena Humane Society official Steve McNall was not amused. "Dogs and cats are prone to lick up any number of things. And there is so much maliciousness in our communities that you have to be cautious," he said. Ironically, a lot of Harriers failed to spot all the flour markers. "Many runners didn't find as many markers as the Humane Society did," said Hash member Rick Muller.
| Home - AOL | Home - Prodigy | What's New | E Mail to webdom@hashnyc.com | Last update 8/17/96