Click image to watch a video of a Deep Shit showing his 2013 Goldstream hash marks.

THE VH3 GALLERY OF TRAIL MARKINGS

ARROW

Arrows are always true (except when they're not); follow them!  Often used at busy intersections with heavy traffic as a safety precaution.  Best ALWAYS to confirm with the Hare(s) - they must agree if there are two of them - what the colour of the arrow are, because,  believe it or not, other running groups use arrow too, and more than once hashers have found and followed the WRONG 'true trail'.

BACK-CHECK / SIDE TRAIL (parallel lines)

You’ve overshot the true trail – it splits off somewhere between the parallel lines and the last circle CHECK.  You need only find one ON ON to be back on trail.

BEER-CHECK / BEVERAGE-CHECK

Eureka!!!  Congratulations, you’ve found the trail’s end.  The drinks will be stashed nearby, either safely locked in the trunk of someone's car, or secretly hidden away behind a tree, under a rock, in the bushes, or elsewhere.  Once found, reward yourself with a nice cold beverage.

CHECK (a circle, often with a dot in the middle) 

From this point the true trail may split off in any direction (except from where you came).

Once someone calls 'on on', or when a hare figures the hounds need help finding the trail, the check is often 'rubbed out', or marked showing the trails direction.

Some hashers may call this a 'boob check', but despite what they say, you're not obligated to show a boob.

CHECK-BACK / FALSE TRAIL

You’ve gone the wrong way. Turn around, go back to the last circle CHECK and try again in a different direction.

HASH HALT or RE-GROUP

RE-GROUP is use on bike hashes (bhash).

These marks mean STOP and wait for instructions from the Hares.  OBEY these!  They are often used to bring the pack together after a long stretch of the trail, or at the top of a difficult hill.  It stops FRBs getting to far ahead of the pack.  It may also mean  the Hares want to lead (live hare) the pack through a part of the trail that could be dangerous, or where the hounds are not allowed to run wild.

In a bhash a RE-GROUP may be used in and area where it could be dangerous to have a lot of bikers searching for the trail, and it is desriable to have the scouts lead the pack through a section of the ride to clear the area.  It is important to obey these marks where safety is concerned.

HOOK or THE HOOK

The runner first to encounter a hook (the lead runner) must head back to the end of the pack.  The FRB becomes the DFL.  It doesn't mater which way the hook points. A single hook (no number next to it) requires just the FRB to head back.  A number next to the hook represents the number of the hooked.  That number is never 0, and if it is disregard the hook.  A hook with 3 next to it requires 3 hashers to head back to the end of the pack, 6 means 6 head back, etc.   Typically hares set these with a low number like 2, or 3.  This is a clever way to give more accomplished runners greater distance on the run, especially where true trial  is shorter.  False trails, eagle trails, or even hash halts are preferable. The hook is best on long straight stretch of the trail where faster runner may get too far ahead, and where other means to slow them down is not available.

NEAR BEER

You’re getting closer to the BC.  A VNB (very near beer) or a BC might follow.

ON ON

This is typically an emphatic arrow, but most often used just at the beginning of a trail when there might be many different places the check, and the Hare(s) want the Hounds to start off going in the right direction.  Basically the Hare is telling the hounds where the trail begins, rather than let them search for the trail.

ON-ONS (little dots/blobs/dollops of flour, or a chalk half-arrow)

These little guys indicate the direction of the trail, and are usually placed sporadically along the route every 20 or 30 yards, or closer if your trail is in the woods.  They don't have to be on the ground, but can be on trees, fire hydrants, telephone poles, etc.  Hares should make them easier to find when they want the hounds to run faster, and harder to find when they want to slow them down.

While leaving a CHECK, if you see the the first ON-ON, yell “ON-ONE” to let the rest of the group know what you’ve found the first of these headed in that direction.  If you see another, yell “ON-TWO!”, and a third “ON-THREE!”, etc. until you believe you are on-trail. 

If this is your first run yell "HARD ON!" to let runners know you're a virgin, and you're still with us - we hate to lose a virgin through simple misadventure!

Usually by the 3rd or 4th dot, you can assume that you’ve found the true trail, and can continue forward yelling “ON-ON!” each time you see another dot.

ON IN or ON HOME  (duh!)

Typically seen after the BC, and where the path back is obvious. This will lead you back to the starting point where religion will take place.

Some places will write ON HOME, which is the same thing, but perhaps a different dialect.

Do not get this comfused with ON ON, which might get you following the trail you just ran.
 

SPLIT ARROWS

These are not always NOT true (except when they're not). These are used instead of a CHECK where the Hare wants the hounds to keep running, or where they want to control where the hares look for the trail.

VERY NEAR BEER

This is for when the Hare placed the NB to far from the BC, and it was easier to add a new NB with a V in front of it, so it looked 'planned'.  That may have been the orginal reason for the VNB, but Hares have used it perhaps now to build suspence.

VIEWPOINT

Rather self-explanatory.  A chance to stop and smell the roses.

YOU’VE-BEEN-FUCKED

Slightly less common, this might be used on an unusually long and convoluted false trail.