GGFM #203

   The Truth

                                           

Official Organ of the Greater Gotham Full Moon

Hash House Harriers

G2FMH3 Hash #203  – Friday, 1/11/2008

Start:  110th & Lexington

On-In:  Yogi's, 76th & Broadway

Hare:  Just Scot

Scribe:  Wet Willy

 

The annual GGFM New Moon Flashlight Hash is the stuff of legend.  Court jesters still sing of the night the pack traversed the frozen Harlem Meer; after last week's Giants game, some pickled old hands at the On-In said the temperature was nothing compared to the "Frozen Flashlights of '03" (pronounced "aught-three"), where temperatures neared zero and hashers huddled in the subway entrance, unwilling to head into the darkness …

 

Despite all of this, your intrepid correspondent was, frankly, on the fence about even going to the annual Flashlight Hash.  Friday afternoon, I looked west toward New Jersey out my office window and saw some rather impressive thunderstorms rolling in.  Torrential rain pounded the city and I considered finding something else to do for the evening.  However, the skies managed to clear up, so after work I headed north on the 6 train.  Unlike past years, the weather was neither frigid nor windy (about 35 degrees and clear – a marked improvement from the afternoon).

 

The pack gathered at 110th & Lexington; the usual motley collection of somewhat lost looking alcoholics standing around in sweats and shorts awaiting direction.  We looked either helpless or suspicious enough that two of New York’s Finest stopped to see if we needed any assistance.

 

Scot arrived and immediately began warning us about the trail:  "The ground is wet, so not all of it is marked that well … especially in the beginning where there’s a chicken / eagle split … make sure you have your flashlight, you’ll definitely need it … and you’ll probably get pretty muddy and scrapped up."  With this somewhat ominous warning, we were off.

 

The pack (numbering about 15) headed across 110th and into the northwest corner of the Park.  The Eagle trail headed around the Meer (rather than across, due to the unfortunately clement weather).  Through the park we wound:  under dark tunnels, over hills, up winding trails, past a tent (presumably providing someone housing for the evening), and up to the stone outcropping in the northern part of the park.  Through it all, the pack mostly stuck together due to a combination of treacherous terrain, several back-checks, and even a rarely-seen boob check.  The overall effect (near complete darkness, long shadows from flashlights, shouting from different directions) was not unlike a bad horror movie missing only a chainsaw-wielding lunatic.

 

After exploring the northern parts of the Park, the trail came two checks along Central Park West.  In both places, large portions of the pack followed falses into the West Side before true trail was found heading back into the Park.  Finally, we left the Park at the Museum of Natural History at 79th Street and wound our way over to Yogi’s, an old hash favorite filled with cheap beer and bad country music.  The smell of the hashers cleared out the back of the room and allowed us to circle up. 

 The following down-downs were awarded: (Note to Readers:  I was persuaded to do the write-up on the promise that I wouldn’t have to take notes for the down-downs.  Now, a week later, I don’t remember who got them and these are the verbatim notes I was given.  Feel free to make up any more interesting details as you see fit.)

·        Hares: Scot & Crazy Bob (Bob’s role as hare seemed limited to showing up at the On-In)

·        Visitors & Virgins (not sure if there were any, but I seem to recall a few)

·        Ingrid (no note as to why)

·        Steamy glasses – Lauren

·        Fashion offense (no note as to who)

·        Steve? (punctuation in notes, no idea what this even means)

·        Random Abuse of Power:  Crazy Bob

 

With that, there was pizza, darts games, more beer and general frivolity.  On-Out.