Atlanta Hash Trail Marks

So, you've decided you want to give hashing a try, but you have no idea what all of our silly markings mean. Don't feel badly, we've gotten strange looks from virtually everyone who has seen any of us set these marks.

In a nutshell, most of our trails are set in flour, chalk, Toilet Paper or other ways by one or two volunteers, which we call "hares". The runners, those of us who will be following this trail to the end, are called "hounds." Get it? The Hounds chase the Hare's trail. and at the end, all that great beer and food that you've heard about is waiting for ya....

	Hash Marks - Almost all trail marks will be set with the same flour your Grandma used to make her cookies. It is cheap, bio-degradable, and not a whole lot of folks are using it to set running trails, so chances are good, if you see a pile of flour on a hash, the hare put it there. Ideally, you'll be able to see one mark from the next. On the left, you'll see three marks. Imagine that they are about 25 yards apart.
	Check Marks - Of course, just running and following blobs of flour would be almost as dull as regular running. So, to spice things up, and to make the trail mentally as well as physically challenging, the hare will occasionally leave a mark like the one on the left. This weird circle with an "x" means that you have reached a "check-point" which means the trail can go in any of 3 or four different directions, only one of which is the true trail. Your job is to find the proper trail...
	Back Tracks - So, how are you supposed to figure our which trail is the right trail? When you get to a check mark, look for a blob of flour nearby, and keep following until either you have reached the fourth mark AFTER the check, which means you are a smart puppy who found true trail, or you'll run into three parallel lines like those on the left. This is called a back track, and means you picked the wrong mark. Head back to the check mark and try again! D'ohhh!
	On-Over - Some times the trail will take you to a fairly congested area or a body of water, which may make it impossible for the hares to lay a trail in that particular area, but that is the direction you're supposed to go. In these cases, the hare will mark the trail with an arrow with two "o"s at the base. This means you are to go "on-over" the obstacle, and run (or swim!) in the direction of the arrow until you see trail again
	Whichy-Way - Only used occasionally, some hares like to offer you two ways to the end of the trail. Usually, one is much more challenging than the other. Will the hare tell you which is easy and which is hard? Maybe. Maybe not. Life can be that way. Try to be strong, pick a direction, and live with the results....
	Water-Stop - Okay. Sometimes it gets pretty hot in Atlanta, so your more compassionate hares will set a water stop about halfway through the trail. Usually this will be a couple of jugs of water, and some dixie cups. Don't be a pig, as there may be other folks behind you.
	Beer-Stop - Again, this isn't something you'll see on every trail, but some hares are such great folks that in addition to, or instead of a water stop, they will have a beer stop. Again, these are generally about halfway through the trail. so don't drink too much. Remember, there's plenty of beer at the end of the trail!
	You've Been Fucked - You NEVER want to see this mark. Trust us. Generally this will hurt those who decide to try to short-cut a trail. After you've hashed for a while, you will notice that some hares tend to set trails in the same areas,and sometime even using the same ending point on multiple trails. As this happens, and people short-cut to the end, the wily hare may change the end point, and leave a 'YBF' mark for the short-cutters. Hah hah, sucks to be them!!!!
	Count Back "X"- A count back on trail means that you have to count back the number of marks indicated (in this case, "Count Back Six" Marks). Once you get to the mark indicated, it acts just like a check mark, so read the description for a checkmark to see what to do next...
	Beer Near - Everyone's favorite mark, even for those who don't drink beer. This mean that the trail is just about finished (you might have another 1/4 mile to go), and the beer, food and your hash bag full of all the warm clothes you brought with you is just a few yards away.... YAY!!!!!

Don't hold all of this crap as the gospel - some hares are clueless and seem to make this stuff up as they go along. Even worse, so idiots up north (Wisconson) use what we call a check mark as a back track. So, if you travel and hash, or if you think that day's hares are what we commonly call "fools", by all means, DEMAND a chalk talk before you go running off into yonder forest. Unless you like being lost, that is...