THDR is the story of a hasher's long and eventful weekend . . . losing his job in Los Angeles Friday morning, heading north that same afternoon to the Mojave Desert ghost town of Randsberg for Saturday's annual Randsberg Hash, then on-on to the Lone Pine Marathon on Sunday. He travels with a band of hashers who are making the same weekend trek, and the hashing scenes . . . the parties, the trail, the parties (and did I mention the parties?) . . . are lovingly and accurately described. The harriers and harriettes I hang with are just like the harriers and harriettes he hangs with. I felt right at home.

Some readers may get hung up on the fact that the hashing protagonist, Cold'n'Awful, is a marathoner, as are most of his traveling friends. If those readers, like me, owe their allegiance to the non-athletic branch of hashing, they may be horrified to learn that Cold'n'Awful is also a triathlete, training for the Ironman. Athletic hashers may be fairly common in Southern California, but surely they aren't like the rest of us . . . or are they?

Reading this novel, I was delighted to discover that athletic hashers treasure hashing for the same reasons the rest of us do. Damn, that's a relief!

The Hasher Drinkin' Rye is a short novel, something less than 200 pages. Though short, it's an enjoyable read, and you'll want to hand your copy on to other hashers when you're done. You can order a copy on-line for $12.69, or print out an order form if you'd rather send a check by snail mail. You can get a cut rate if you order several copies, and if you have a large hash event coming up and want a really classy giveaway, THDR is an excellent choice. If you're still not convinced this book is for you, you can read the first two chapters on-line. The URL for all this hashly goodness is www.home.earthlink.net/%7Egmich/.

Whatever your preference . . . rye or beer, athletic or non-athletic . . . you'll enjoy The Hasher Drinkin' Rye.

On On,
Flying Booger