Virgin Hill Hashers

It's been 6 months aboard Rhythm.
Saturday morning was the first time we checked in to ," The Cruisers morning check in,announcements on the VHF Channel 68. They were inviting us all to join the Grenada island Hash!!
What is a ,or,The "Hash"? Ok,I just went to Wikipedia ,go see. It originated in Malasia by Brits,of course. They called it ,'A drinking Club with a running problem' Officially,The Hash House Harriers.
We heard on the VHF about this event with suggestions to all participants; don't bring electronics,they will get wet,the train will be challenging although all ages are welcome,being in shape will help as there are hills difficult even for dogs,bring a light as it may get dark by the time you make it to the end.Unlike our,10K runs and the like,no distance is foreclosed or purpose...
David declared ,we are going!Instructions included directions to at least the start. We meet in town via bus by 2:30 pm and gather and grab buses to go further into the interior.
A place we have been pragmatically and studiously trying to get into,pricing buses taxis rent a car options...We are here for further work on Rhythm and to do some voracious and intense school work. Yay Jay! So the tour to hike and see and feel this island beyond the anchored home and beyond the wifi of the marina,had been waiting.
We waited no more. We got the bus,hot hot hot,reminding me of India,music a stream of consciousness one tune morphing into the next.I'm not able to stop the in seat jive in the back of the bus...We arrive at a cafe in the town of St George and Carribean style,wait a. while...weather,and see a majority of University of St Georgemedical and veterinary students gather along with a few cruisers and as many locals. What a mix! we started feeling a little comically wary as we asked questions about this 'event'- getting smirks and noting winks of inside jokes...uh-oh...what are we in for?? I noted t shirts from past Hash events and realized ,we'd really missed out on something internationally known!! How did that happen to us Canadians?
We made friends with a cruising Mum and her two kids,very same ages as J and O. We caught the University bus,really feeling like students when the English prof in charge barked out the Waiver excluding the school from any responsibility and took to the narrow windy steep road up up up into the views ,passing graveyards of the fortunate bodies,rich in real-estate .
We went up to The Grand Etang jungle at 1,921 ft and on .We finally arrived in a non descript area,houses on both sides of the road,modest,with neighbors keen and curious.They had seen this before.
The start,can you imagine about 150 people and many dogs,one whie cat on a shoulder,all scrambling down behind a very very small hut like house,first stepping on the womans front stoop,to say,hello as she waved from her seat on the floor!?!! She pointed at a chap behind me and said !Man with cane should not go!! I had a little chat with him,offering to help,thank God he took her advice or the dogs would have had to find us many hours later.
It was exactly Romancing The Stone,so funny that the first intrepid steps across the first river as we bottle necked for each person to step on stones to avoid soakers.HA! Seconds around the bend was a massive river we all just waded through surrendering completely. An older man,I'm guessing 70+?.. Was sliding precariously up the next full mud slide incline,I tried to give him a hand
NOTE: all my 'do-gooding' ...why was I not up with the lead runners??? Hmmmmm
Anyway,he said oh no no Im heavier than I look,I then quoted from his T-shirt,"Life is Good!" and he responded,"Dont believe everything you read!". he did make it,btw
And it is NOT a race,it is designed with forks in the road just to trip up those keeners in the front and choreograph the group to stay closer together
So,it was insanely fun! We got covered in mud and waded through many a stream,the root J and O we on was longer and included ropes for down hill precipices and a waterfall near the end. We arrived elated,amused,inspired AND with coacoa pods,nutmeg and a young drinkable coconut. I received some odd bites in crotch area that had me panicked until they just went away. I got a bit on my foot at the end that kept me up for 2 nights with itch.Joey had to run bare foot as he only has flip flops! He did sustain some cuts but nothing serious
We saw the island,felt the warmth and spirit of the people; the locals would point us in the right direction as we passed and we obviously enjoying the Saturday spectacle.
After a wee hut provided us with beer and a huge vat of what the locals call,"oil-up" if that's how it's written? It's the infamous breadfruit( brought here from Captain Blye) ),and dumplings,sweet potatoe,chicken,fish,and a pungent tastey sause made with spices grown on the island with shredded coconut....Much jolly energy as we all waited for all entries to return from the jungles of the hash.Shouts of HASHERS etc.
Fun,I had sat with the assistant dean of the med. School on the bus,Glenn,we ended up hitching a ride together on a truck,he in the cab and David,J and O and I standing up on the back.
There was quite a traffic jam in this narrow road of a neighborhood,and we didnt want to wait til the Hashers got to crazy,there is much lore of hasing like rituals played upon Virgins of the Hash,ie if your running shoes are too new one may be invited forsefully to drink your beer from the shoe!!!! Saturday night had begun!
We had a blast riding on the back in the dark of night down down the hill that felt to us like that last GS run of the day- down the mountain feeling fully all the good feelings of the day.
Alive!