1st Hash of the New Year

Yay! Finally a hash! We were supposed to meet up last weekend, but no "hares" signed up to set the trail, so it got postponed until this weekend. I was going through some serious withdrawals. Michael & I live to hike. It's just so cathartic. Even when you live in "paradise," you can still get bogged down in the monotony of working, paying bills, worrying, etc. and forget the beauty of both the scenery and friendship. These hashes are our sanity! So thanks to De Ninja and Dame Karla for setting the darn thing. This one was in Parry's, St. Peters.


The view from the parking lot was already rather pleasant.



We had a good crowd for the first hash of the year. Even more fun, I got to meet a faithful blog reader - good to meet you Sue! We were getting the speech that the dogs needed to stay on leashes because we were going to encounter lots of farm animals. Poisoned meat too (as the farmers tried to bait and kill the pesky monkeys - boo).

The ribbons the walker hounds would be following.





The sawdust for the runners.






I was in the front with about 10 other people (trying to avoid the dogs that always get in the way) who had obviously been working out in the new year and set a mean pace. We even jogged a little bit. It wasn't long before we were way ahead of the pack.



Let's take in the views shall we? Our zen moment for the day.



Whoever lives here certainly has a nice front row seat to the views the island has to offer.



We did run into a few farm animals. The little piglets were cute, but the skeletal mommy was a bit depressing. The cows looked healthy though.



These poor palm trees (suffering from a disease affecting many of the palm trees here) have all been decapitated. They always remind me of brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus).



Apparently, the runners crossed paths with the walkers at some point (Michael played photographer too).



Upon our return to the parking lot, we were rather surprised to see about 30 people - including dogs and kids - already imbibing. Hmmm. Can you say short-cutting bast**ds (hash lingo)? Not sure how that happened, but really enjoyed our trail. It was mostly dirt road, but went through lots of overhanging trees, some even blooming, and shady areas. Just enough up, just enough down. Portions of it even smelled good.



Of course,then it was time for the ceremonies. Our hash setters getting a celebratory shout out.






The "virgins." Some got a bit more doused than others. In case you're wondering, that's Dame Karla, our "religious advisor" christening everyone. The little boy was not amused.



You can't win here - this woman got a whammy for coming back to the island/hashes after a long absence.






These 2 got it for leaving - they'll be headed for Qatar in a couple of weeks (boo).





People who answered the "call of nature" while hashing (right/left). Heather's dogs (middle) were the culprits on this one (in the middle of the trail).

These three admitted to taking a shortcut.



Peter/Popcorn enjoying (??) a pat on the back (or cake in the face, in this instance) for his soon to be MBE coronation.



Ah, good times...Then it was time to just catch up and see what we'd all been up to over the holidays. Tina getting a reprieve from standing thanks to John.



Coming in mid-conversation on this one had me shaking my head. Perverts.



So another successful hash. I feel re-energized. The next one will be in 2 weeks, instead of 3 due to that postponement. Come join us! Steve - you better be there (Steve has been sucked into a work vortex of his own creation and doesn't know how to have fun anymore - we miss you!!). Lest it look like you have to be an alcoholic, don't despair - there are plenty of nondrinkers (I abstained myself on this one). It's all about the hike, the vistas, and the comradery. You might want to bring a towel and a change of shirt though...