This manual¹ summarizes some of the basic guidelines for setting a successful trail for the Baltimore-Annapolis Hash House Harriers (BAH3). It is intended to clarify what is expected of a BAH3 hare, and to offer some guidance with regard to some of the logistics involved. It is not intended to teach you the concepts and strategies involved in first planning and then setting ("giving birth to," as one veteran hare has been known to say) a good trail.

We hope that familiarizing yourself with this manual will allow you to spend less time sweating the details, and more time developing your skills as a hare. Haring involves a lot of planning and hard work if you want to do it well, but it’s also a very satisfying experience which will definitely give you a better understanding of what hashing is all about. And it’s also a lot of fun!

If you have any questions about this manual or about haring in general, finding a co-hare, particular issues relating to your trail, or if you’d like some help of any kind whatsoever with your trail, the Hare Raiser and other members of MisManagement are ALWAYS available to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact them at any time.

VIRGIN/INEXPERIENCED HARES: For your first trail, it is strongly recommended that you find an experienced hare to co-hare with you. Inexperienced hares are also encouraged to find a co-hare to help them. An experienced co-hare can advise you with regard to trail layout, food/beer, hash logistics, and can help you avoid some of the common mis-steps that can totally screw up an otherwise great trail. If you don’t know who to ask, ask the Hare Raiser to help you find a co-hare.

BAH3 TRAILS: BAH3 trails are typically 4-6 miles long, and should take the pack between about 60 and 90 minutes to complete. We hash in the Land of Pleasant Shiggy, so trails consisting almost exclusively of pavement generally do not get rave reviews. The occasional city hash is the exception. We prefer to run mostly off-road on trails (park, 4 wheeler, deer, etc.), which are usually more interesting than pavement, and easier on the body as well. Shiggy - flesh ripping briars, shoe sucking mud, water crossings, swamps and such - we like shiggy year-round. In reasonable amounts. Five miles of nothing but bushwhacking or slogging through swamps is not reasonable. And most of us like a trail with a beer check. NOTE: DO NOT SET TRAIL ON PRIVATE PROPERTY WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE LANDOWNER.