At the Hash

Well, you can rock it you can roll it
You can stop and you can stroll it at the Hash
When its muddy and you're spinnin'
You keep on movin' when you're feelin' chicken at the Hash
Doing the trail the way you like it all throughout the nation at the Hash

Ah, let's go to the Hash
Let's go to the Hash, (oh baby)
Let's go to the Hash, (oh baby)
Let's go to the Hash
Come on, let's go to the Hash

Well, you can swing it you can groove it
You can really start to move it at the Hash
Where the paths are the smoothest
And the hiking is the coolest at the Hash
All the dudes and the gashes get their kicks at the Hash
Let's go!

Let's go to the Hash
Let's go to the Hash, (oh baby)
Let's go to the Hash, (oh baby)
Let's go to the Hash
Come on, let's go to the Hash
Let's go!

My sincerest apologies to Danny & the Juniors for my bastardization of their hit “At the Hop,” a song nearly as old as I am. I don’t know what got into me. And no, it wasn’t drugs.

I actually rather enjoyed yesterday’s Hash trail. Well, as much as you can enjoy heavy breathing and becoming a hot, sweaty mess. Hmm, that sounds almost like passionate lovemaking. To be clear, the trail was NOT that satisfying! Still, we did a comfortably short 6K jaunt from Calapadayan to Baloy Beach. My version featured a steady but not too steep climb in the beginning, a relatively gentle downhill, then a mostly flat valley walk. There was second climb to the top of Black Rock, but I opted to go around rather than over that one. Finished with a pavement walk through Matain where we caught a banca boat across the river to the shores of Baloy. A pleasant beach walk led to our On-Home at Da’Kudos. All in all, one of the better trails we’ve done recently. It had been a while since we’ve hiked that area, so it was a nice change of scenery too.

Here’s a slew of pictures, you decide:

The trail we trudged.
Gathering up at the starting point.
And we are off!
The trail did get a little jungley in places.
On-Up!
A different perspective on Easter mountain.
I didn’t know that the trail was leading to Black Rock when I snapped this photo. I enjoy climbing Black Rock (when it is dry) but prefer going up from the opposite direction–much less steep. I chose to do a walk around instead.
Look at me go!
A relatively easy down.
It’s nice to have your girl along to tie your shoelaces.
Sometimes the light comes shining on me…
Now which way to I go?
There was one stream crossing that required getting wet feet.
Although Captain Hook played hero and carried a couple of the girls across.
Oh shit! Now what do I do? Walk around it, you say? Oh, yeah. That will work!
Some cookie tasters.
Some of those who braved the climb up Black Rock.
It’s more fun going down this way than up.
On the lonely road leading On-Home.
Passing through a little neighborhood.
It was bath day for these folks at the water well.
Over the river to Baloy.
Let’s go to the beach!
A sandy walk.
A bit of Korea on shore.
Girls in the water.
Girls on the beach.
Lovely ladies, no ifs, ands, or butts about it.
Da’Kudos, our On-Home venue.
Hashers doing what they do best. That’s why we are known as a drinking club with a hiking problem.
I had a roast chicken salad and chicken fingers for dinner.
The Subic Bay Hash House Harriers.
“It’s nice on ice”
The traditional honor ceremony for achieving 69 Hash runs.
Oh, and someone had a birthday so the Hash made him a cake. I’m glad that only happens once a year!
What’s Up Doc gave me this coffee mug as a birthday gift.
And so the sun sets on another Hash Monday.

Hope you enjoyed the journey.

6 thoughts on “At the Hash

  1. @Kevin, I was thinking the same thing. Big group.

    Is there a meaning behind the “Best Boss Ever” saying on your birthday cup? Or was it one of those generic cups with writing that he added the pic of you in the scooter?

  2. I’m not sure why, but the woman who gifted me calls me “boss.” I sponsor her at the Hash (pay the 300 peso participation fee) each week, and in return, she fetches my beers from the ice chest. I guess that somehow makes me the boss. Anyway, she’s a nice gal and fun to have around, so it’s all good.

  3. We had 45 paid attendees on Monday when that photo was taken. Depending on the weather/location/Hare, we generally have 30 to 50 every week.

  4. I see the sign says ‘Mangos dive bar ‘ but you captioned the picture as Da Kudos .
    Also, are those lovely ladies on the beach part of your hashed group ? Looks like the walking is working out for them, look at those taut muscles 💪 Buns in the sun ☀️ I should start some walking as exercise too.
    Are you the boss to your househelper in the hash too? That’s nice to have that, you’re quite gracious. Happy birthday again. Don’t mind the 40 year gap, nobody’s counting.

    Where’s that place that you need to cross the water on a boat? I didn’t think you’d have to go across the bay during your hashing trips.

    Also, whatever happened to that young-ish day hashing friend you met in recent weeks? Glad to see that there’s some younger expats who visit from time to time ⏲️
    I wonder why they prefer the gridlock smog chaos that is Manila. I do concede that Manila has a world class suburb in BGC. With your monthly budget, I reckon you would enjoy the various walking paths and waterways. In a way it’s like your beloved Subic bay subdivision, but still very much Filipino. Though the expat crowd is a bit on the younger side with office jobs to commute to , so maybe your drinking habits may take a hit. I imagine they’d be many families out and about in the streets. It all sounds great until you remember that stepping outside the gates will bring you to an encounter with loud jeepneys and crazy traffic.

    Other places of note include the relatively cool town up north in the mountains ⛰️ Is it called Baggio, like the Italian soccer player?

    Well, I am sure these are some of the things you thought about before you chose to settle in Barretto.
    Have you ever lived in the big Angeles city? I’m guessing that would’ve factored majorly in your decisions. That festival of smut may be a mess but the nearby Clark has many of modern-day conveniences. And that’s not counting the latest developments.
    What do your compatriots and acquaintances say about life in the dirty city? Are things better after the great reset of the last 3 years?
    I’d hazard that you fared pretty well over this tumultuous period

    Please no spoilers about Manifest. I’m gonna start season 1 . See? Your writing does change the world. You have influenced an old man on the other side of the world to start watching TV.

    Now that the rainy season is coming to an end, it may be time to renew your documents and get on with your world travels

  5. Teddy, the sign above says Da’Kudos, but it is hard to see in that pic. Both resorts have the same owner, and the dive center is combined, hence the confusing printing on the wall.

    One of those lovely bikini gals is a Hash member (see the photo where she’s on the ice); her Hash name is Slot Licker. The other three were just visiting with her from Angeles, where they all live.

    I sponsor three or four gals every week for the Hash. It’s one of my “charity” acts–they couldn’t afford the 300P entry fee to participate otherwise. A small thing for me, a big thing for them. In return, they fetch my beers. Win-Win. My part-time house helper liked to Hash before she got pregnant. She’s due to deliver later this month.

    That water crossing is over the Matain river, not the bay. Takes just a couple of minutes.

    That youngish guy is taking a break from drinking and lives on the other side of Subic; I guess he decided the hiking part is not worth the journey. It is rare to see 40-somethings in Barretto, but there is a handful.

    I’ve never been to BGC, but I hear it is very nice. I don’t mind Makati, but as you say, once you leave your enclave, you are surrounded by the ugliness that is Manila. No, thank you! Baguio is a very nice mountaintop city. I’ve visited a couple of times, and it appears to be very livable. The downside is a long twisty road to get there, no beaches, and being isolated from the world (no nearby airport). The only place I’ve visited in northern Luzon is La Union–I’ve Hashed with the local group there a couple of times. Very nice area and I could live there, but I like Barretto better. I despise Angeles City; I find it dirty, ugly, and, since I’m not a whore monger, boring. Back in my tourist days, I’d get depressed after a few days, with nothing to do during daylight hours. AC is back to its old self, though, the bars are open, and the tourists are coming back. There are other places I’ve not visited yet, like Dumaguete and Bohol, but they are on my list.

    Yeah, I’ve been intentionally avoiding spoilers for Manifest. Let me know how you like it.

    I’ll be getting my second Sinovac vaxx shot next week; then, I’ll start planning for my first international travel in three years. Stay tuned!

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