Hashing hasn't strayed far from its roots in Kuala Lumpur. The hare(s) mark their trail with paper, chalk, sawdust, or colored flour, depending on the environment and weather. For example, biodegradable toilet paper may be used in off-road areas where other marks would be difficult to see. Generally, any mark used to identify the trail is called a Hash Mark.

Special marks may be used to indicate a false trail, a backtrack, a shortcut, or a turn. The most commonly-used mark is a Check, indicating that Hashers will have to search in any direction to find the continuation of the trail. Most trails contain a Beer Check, where the pack stops to consume beer, water, or snacks, allowing any stragglers to catch up to the group. A beer check may be a cache of beer or a prearranged meeting spot with a vehicle transporting a keg, cooler, or snacks.

Trails may pass through any sort of terrain and Hashers may run through back alleyways, residential areas, city streets, forests, swamps, or shopping malls and may climb fences, ford streams, explore storm drains or scale cliffs in their pursuit of the hare.

Signals & Terms
Front-running members of the pack utilize chalk symbols to mark the way for the rest of the group, and Hashers often carry horns or whistles to communicate with each other, in additional to verbal communication. A Hasher yelling, "Are You?" is wondering if someone is on the correct path. Hashers may also yell, "Checking!" if they are looking for the trail or, "On-On!" if they have found the true trail. Hashers trying to find a shortcut or otherwise deviating from the trail will yell "Flying!" or flap their arms to indicate that they have abandoned the trail and other should follow at their own risk.

Every Hash House employs its own set of marks and the names for these marks may vary widely, so newcomers or visitors will have the local markings explained to them before the run at a Chalk Talk. Additionally, the hares for that particular run may give some trail-specific advice, such as rare markings or particular obstacles.

Trail Types
There are two types of trails. Live Trails are laid by hares who are given a head start, while Dead Trails are pre-laid hours or days before the Hash begins. Live trails are closer to the original "Hare and Hound" tradition, with the intent of the pack being to catch the hare rather than making it to the end, and are more common in the United States, while the rest of the world tends toward dead trails. The choice of live or dead trails is a subject of much controversy on the various Hash-related discussion groups.

A trail may be "A to A," meaning the beginning and end of the trail are fairly close, or "A to B," where the beginning and end of the trail are widely separated.

IMPORTANT Terms

Hashing
The act of running a hash trail

Hasher
Any Hash House Harrier (runner)

Hare
Hasher who lays the trail

Sweeper
Hare who remains with the last runners

Harriette
Female hasher

Front-Running Bastard (FRB) Faster members of the pack, or the first to arrive at the on-home

"Are You?"
Question shouted by the pack to FRBs, meaning "Are you on the trail?"

'Checking'
Answer shouted by a front runner (FRB) to pack when asked "Are You?", indicating that FRB has not determined whether the trail he's following is true or false

Looking/ Checking Answer shouted by FRB to pack when asked "Are You?", indicating that FRB has lost the true trail

On On
Shouted by FRBs or hounds to indicate they're on trail, sometimes used only to indicate true trail; trail mark indicating true trail

Knitting Circle Group of harriers or harriettes (usually the latter) who spend more time walking and talking than hashing.

Virgin
people on their first hash

SCB
Short-Cutting Bastard: habitual short-cutter

Hash Name Nickname, usually bestowed after a set number of runs or in honour of a notable incident.

RG
Trail marking indicating hashers should not continue until the Pack has regrouped

On Home
 Trail's marked 'OH' indicating close proximity to end of trail

Shiggy
Thick vegetation, streams, etc; especially wet & mud  

The Hash House Harriers
(abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as Hashing) is an international group of social, non-competitive running, social, and drinking clubs. (TVH3 for Teign Valley Hash House Harriers)

An event organized by a club is known as a Hash or Hash Run, with participants calling themselves Hashers.

Hounds
The body of hashers in pursuit of the hare, see also Pack

Kennel
Local Hash Group

Receding Hareline
List of up-and-coming hash events, normally printed in The Words

Hash House
The Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, meeting place of the Mother Hash