Secrètes de Paris

Every weekend, in and around Paris, no matter how cold, how hot, how wet, how muddy it is, there is the Hash. Not the smoking kind. That requires a very specific microclimate. The Hash only need one thing to be a success: beer. As the official brochure says:

The Hash House Harriers: A Drinking Club with a Running Problem.

Last Saturday the Paris Hashers met outside the lovely Chateau de Vincennes. Originally we thought we'd have a picnic, since the Parc Floral is very nice for picnics, and hey, we had beer! But it was f***ing cold, so we decided to run to keep from freezing to death.



The best part about the Hash is that you can combine exercise, socializing, sightseeing and beer drinking all in one afternoon (only psychos run before noon). And all you have to do is show up. But in case you were curious how it works...

1. There are Hares. The Hares have the beer. The Hares leave a trail of flour behind them so the Pack can track their asses down. (the Hares on this particular Saturday happened to be sisters)



2. Sometimes there are false trails or Hash Views. This slows the Pack down. Particularly the FRBs (Front-Running Bastards).



Voila the lovely Lac du Daumesnil in the Bois de Vincennes. (HV means Hash View)



3. About halfway through the trail is a Beer Stop. When the Pack gets close, the Beer Near sign appears.



4. The Beer Stop isn't just about Beer. We're athletes, after all, not a bunch of drunks. There's also vin chaud, Twix and Mars bars*.



* Note: snack and beverage selections may vary depending on the alignment of the planets.

5. At the end of the run, the Religious Advisor makes sure that all crimes committed on the Hash are appropriately punished before the feasting can begin (here, Hasher "Fruit of the Clue" is being punished for his loud running shorts, and for hiding the loud running shorts under sweat pants).

Did I mention it was f***ing cold?



If you're up for some abuse, check out the latest run schedule online at http://parishhh.free.fr/