Let’s have a Hash!

Friends, locals, foreigners, lend me your ears! 

An ancient tradition in Vilnius ended 10 years ago today, and it’s time to revive it… the previous Harriers here used to lay trails in Vingis park and included many Lithuanians and others. It was part of the worldwide network of independent Harriers clubs, and they can still be found e.g. in Talinn today. Many clubs have stupid “traditional” ceremonies but these are not mandatory 

The Vilnius Harriers is a social group especially for newcomers, although usually locals like it too. The annual winter dinner will be at Sue’s Indian Raja, as was always traditional!

The club combines an informal social network for newcomers and old locals alike, plus orienteering / hiking / an outdoor kids’ game 路藍

It’s an amateur CO-OPERATIVE team sport based on the old English game of Hare & Hounds. It’s played more for fun and activity than for competition or a high level of “professional” fitness. It builds the character traits of
– independence & resilience
– teamwork & communication
– perseverance & leadership
– curiosity & exploration
– social skills & maybe even tolerance
– and the all important sense of humour!

Each month, one or two members, called “hares” set a trail, using harmless flour or chalk, usually in the woods or a park, and then the whole “pack” tries to follow. When the trail stops, the “hounds” try different directions, yelling “checking!”, and once the trail is found, shouts of “on on!” bring the pack back together.

This gives slower hounds time to catch up, so you do NOT need to be a fast runner – or any kind of runner.

At the end of the trail are refreshments, supported by a team fund. Everyone contributes, everyone benefits! We can teach you how to lay trails, and new members will be ready to hare after 1 or 2 trails!

It’s a tried and true way to make friends, get rid of stress, laugh and have fun, stay active, and get to know your city – often better than other people who have lived here their whole lives.

The club will initially be family-friendly, meaning trails will be easy enough for kids (they MUST have their parents!). As membership grows we can add an adults-only trail too.

If this sounds good get in touch. We need about 5 or 10 more families to have a launch party!

Now as a bonus to anyone who read this far, the original constitution dated 1950:

• To promote physical fitness among our members

• To get rid of weekend hangovers

• To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer

• To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel