At some point in time if you are one of the younger, faster, or luckier members of a Hash group you are going to encounter one of the most common markings that we have in the Hash House Harriers: The Circle Check.
Most of the time these will be on the trail and will be made of flour with a rock and bits of paper in the middle. What's happening here is that the trail you are currently on had ended and now you and the others need to find where the trail goes from this point forward.
The reason for this is an attempt to keep the group together so that the faster and more fit people in the group don't end up getting back to camp half an hour before the slower folks or even people that are walking the trail.
This can happen at places where it isn't very clear where the trail could progress from that point and in many situations the hares (the people who set the trail in the first place) will end up putting the continuation of the trail in a very inconvenient place. At least that is the case with our hares because we go out of our way to be jerks.
The first thing you do if you are the first one to arrive a circle check is to shout out "circle check" to inform anyone nearby that they need to keep an eye out for chalk marks because the indication of the new trail could actually be in an area that you have already ran past, although generally, it isn't.
Everyone that gets to the circle check should fan out and help to look for the true trail which will be indicated by at least 3 splotches of flour and when this happens, you shout out back towards the group. You shout the words that are famous among the Hash all the world over.
It's quite important to make sure that the pack actually hears you and knows where you are when you are shouting. It is normally considered good form to wait until you can see at least a few of the members that are behind you before carrying on. Remember: This isn't a race and there is no prize for getting back in a first place position. On the other hand it is considered very very bad form if you aren't loud enough and the pack doesn't actually know which way to go and he can expect to be reprimanded harshly for this if it happens.
Most Hash runs will have many circle checks and it is a big part of what makes the Hash so unusual and fun. Once you have been through the process a few times it will become like second nature to you how to handle it but I remember my first one that I was the first to arrive at and I was really worried about doing it wrong. When in doubt, just wait for a more experienced member to arrive, they likely aren't very far behind you.
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