29th Annual New Years Day Trail-of-the-Hare CHEDDARHEAD Hike & Party

EVENT UPDATE as of MON AM, JAN 1st: The START LOCATION has been POSTED for the 2018 Cheddarhead.  We'll gather at 1:30 PM in the free parking lot at "SAM'S BBQ-1 EAST COBB," 4958 Lower Roswell Rd. Marietta, GA 30068.  Our "AH4"  hosts suggest that we park in front of "Delightful Dog" - a doggy care business that is closed on New Year's Day and adjoins "Sam's" in the same strip mall.  Easy-to-follow DIRECTIONS have been added below via the GA-400 Abernathy Rd interchange.   Please everyone bring $10 cash to chip in to the "Hash Cash" volunteer.
WEATHER UPDATE as of 8AM on Jan 1st: This afternoon's "spot forecast" for the Marietta-Roswell vicinity predicts COLD afternoon temperatures hovering at only about 30 degrees and also a bit breezy - but thankfully with sunny blue skies and a ZERO chance of precipitation.  We can easily stay warm and comfortable if we BUNDLE UP in several layers and also wear a warm cap, woolen socks & gloves for the "follow-the-hare" portion of the event.  For the outdoor "After Party" don't forget to pack a couple of spare warm clothing layers + dry socks & footwear in your "party duffel bag" - see notes below.  The event is Always a "Go" and lots of fun - regardless of Rain or Snow or Wintry Weather!  At the Party there's usually a blazing fire or two to help keep us warm!

IN A NUTSHELL:  This will be the 9th New Years Day in a row that a fun-loving group from the Atlanta Outdoor Club will take part in this amazing outdoor event.  We're excited about doing it again, so please join me (a.k.a. "Dirty Limerick") and more than 100 of my friends in the Atlanta Hash House Harriers & Harriettes (AH4) for their 29th annual "Cheddarhead."  It's a blast helping one another follow the "trail of the hare" which leads us to a big outdoor all-you-can-eat-&-drink dinner party.  The Cheddarhead should "fill the bill" If you're looking for something festive and wildly different to ring in 2018 and perhaps ease you out of a hangover from the night before.  It always gives us enough aerobic exercise to compensate for all the delicious food & refreshments we consume at the party and to keep “resolution guilt” from kicking in!
  No funds are collected by the AOC for this event.  Just register below to add your name to our AOC "subgroup" - then on New Years Day if you decide you'd still like to participate, simply please bring $10 in cash to chip in to the AH4's "hash cash" volunteer. This covers your fair share of the bountiful Wisconsin-style food, wide variety of liquid refreshments and nice door prizes.  (Apologies to AOC "first-time hashers" about this!  Last week the AH4 website had accidentally stated that newcomers to the sport could request to have their fee waived.) 
  After a brief welcoming ceremony at the Start, we "harriers" (a.k.a. "hare chasers" or "hashers" will help one another find and follow the trail of the AH4 volunteer "hare."  The lead harriers at the front of the group will yell "On-On!" back to us as we spot successive baking-flour splotches and chalk marks, confirming that we're indeed on the hare's tricky trail - typically 3 to 5 miles long.  After a couple of hours together on the trail and a fascinating variety of terrain we should all arrive safely at the "On-In" party area - usually the back yard of one of the veteran AH4 hashers.

SPECIAL NOTES about THIS EVENT and the SPORT of "HASHING":  Think of the "Cheddarhead" as a New Year's Day "counter-resolution celebration!"  To enjoy this wild & crazy annual event it helps to be adventurous, thick-skinned, and irreverent about social norms.  As we help one another follow the "trail of the hare" we'll occasionally find ourselves in unusual outdoor places or situations such as tricky creek-crossings, dark tunnels under highways, etc. - also it's always a go, rain or shine.  These are all good reasons to assign the event a "D3" difficulty level (even though its walking/jogging portions may be shorter in total mileage than most AOC "D3" hikes).  You newcomers to "hashing" should be forewarned that you may be taken aback by the racy nicknames, song lyrics and general rowdiness of this so-called "drinking club with a running problem."  For more on the history, culture and worldwide popularity of the good-natured sport of "Hashing" click here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

WHAT TO BRING, EVENT TIMETABLE, etc:  The custom is for each participant to bring to the Start location a small Duffel Bag of dry Extra Garments including extra Shoes & Socks - and if you like, a light foldup Chair.   (See more below in "Recommended Items to Bring.")  Between 1:30 and 1:45 please look for me at the Start (Charlie, wearing an "Atlanta Outdoor Club" T-Shirt and "Dirty Limerick" beaded hash necklace) .  I'll mark you present on our AOC subgroup roster, help you register with our AH4 hosts, introduce you to some of my longtime hashing friends, and help you load your duffel, etc. onto their provided truck or van.
  At about 2:00 the Cheddarhead's founder, "Public Enema," will call our motley crew to "hash attention!" for a mock-formal welcoming ceremony which may feature reciting with him the hilarious "Wedge of Allegiance" Cheddarhead Creed.  A few minutes later we'll set off together following the hare's trail.  We'll take at a fast-walking and/or slow-jogging pace usually along a fascinating sequence of forested urban trails, powerline easements, residential streets, highway underpasses, etc.  Don't be surprised if there's a creek crossing or two - so please heed my advice about spare dry clothing.  Feel free to walk or jog with me and other experienced hashers during this "follow-the-hare" part of the festivities in case you're worried about staying "on trail."  Along the trail we'll enjoy at least one refreshment "pit stop" in anticipation of the big dinner party at the trail's end which usually lasts from about 3:30 till 5:30 PM.

"CHEDDARHEAD"  PARTY STYLE & HISTORY:  The annual Cheddarhead New Years Day event gets its name from the fact that its founder, a veteran Atlanta H4 hasher known as “Public Enema” and his "partners in crime" are from Wisconsin, and most are big fans of the Green Bay Packers. (See some of their comments about its history in the NOTES section below.)  At the big party and outdoor cookout they provide delicious all-you-can-eat Wisconsin-style food and refreshments - usually including charbroiled brats, blackeyed peas & rice, "poutine" (Canadian-style french fries & gravy), salad, beer & soft drinks, and a wide assortment of munchies & desserts.  If you like fried mozzarella sticks you’ll love their breaded deep-fried cheese curds - fresh each year from Wisconsin and prepared onsite at the party.  One of the "Cheddarheads" - a good friend of mine named "Oops" - usually drives a truckload of premium bottled beers down from Wisconsin specially for the event.  Also several kegs of various high quality beers are tapped. There’s lots of friendly socializing plus nice door prizes, bawdy drinking songs, and obligatory “down-downs” of small cups of beer for “notables” such as the hares, “rule violators,” and newcomers to the sport.  (You may request your non-alcoholic drink of choice for your "down-down" in lieu of beer.)  Please plan to imbibe in moderation, esp. if you’re driving.

POST-PARTY FREE SHUTTLE: Beginning at about 5:30 PM some of our Cheddarhead hosts will offer complimentary shuttle rides back to the Start parking lot for hashers and their gear.  After we reach our own vehicles it will be appreciated if some of us can take the time to provide the same short shuttle (typically only about 5 minutes from the Party back to Start) for other partiers who may still need a ride.

OPTIONAL EARLY-EVENING BOWLING PARTY!  After the afternoon excitement many of the Hashers will regather at a nearby bowling center for a few friendly games and everyone is invited.  It's inexpensive if you decide to take part and usually begins each year at about 6:00 PM.

FOR the LATEST OFFICIAL AH4 “CHEDDARHEAD" ANNOUNCEMENT ARTICLE click  the following link.:  http://www.atlantahash.com/?page=events&n=1927

WANT to TRY OTHER HASHES?   Just show up at any of the Harriers' year-round follow-the-hare events.  AH4 and the dozen or so other Metro Atlanta "hash groups" jointly offer several local events per week and normally post the free "Start" parking lots on their websites a couple of days prior to each event.  Everyone who decides to do an advertised hash just shows up at the Start and chips in for their fair share of the refreshments & snacks that await the "harriers" at the end of the hare's trail.   Here's the link to a concise "summary table" of the various Georgia hash groups' websites:  http://www.OnIn.com/hhh/#georgia_hashes

OUR "START LOCATION" for 2018 will be the free parking lot discussed atop this article, at 4958 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA 30068.  (The lot is just 1/4 mile east of the junction of Lower Roswell Rd with Johnson Ferry Rd.)   Our vehicles should be safe here until we return via the free shuttle rides discussed above, after the big party.  For a zoomable map or satellite view of this meetup spot click on the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.
  Look for brightly clad "Hashers" (as in the above photo) and park near them.  Also look for me (Charlie, a.k.a. "Dirty Limerick") and I'll be glad to introduce you to our friendly AH4 hosts, their "Hash Cash" registration volunteer and other members of our "AOC subgroup."

EASY DIRECTIONS from the GA-400 ABERNATHY RD INTERCHANGE (This is GA-400 Exit 5 - or "5B" if driving northbound on GA-00 from I-285.):
1.  From GA-400 go westward on Abernathy Road and continue straight ahead (through and beyond Sandy Springs) for a total of about 4.8 miles.  (Note that Abernathy Rd becomes Johnson Ferry Rd at the Abernathy/ Brandon Mill junction where it veers northward toward Roswell.)
2. After crossing the Chattahoochee River bridge on Johnson Ferry Rd, you'll soon reach the busy "Lower Roswell"  junction and traffic light.   Turn Right here onto Lower Roswell Rd, go just 1/4 mile, and look for the "Sam's BBQ"/ "Delightful Dog" parking lot on your right, at the little Parkaire Triangle strip mall.

CONCISE LAT/LON of "START" Parking Lot for GPS:  GPS and Google.com/Maps users may wish to enter the following as your "destination address" for our meetup spot.  Be sure to include the comma and minus sign!  33.9654, -84.4071

BELOW ARE ANSWERS to a few "CHEDDARHEAD FAQs" from the following 2009 online article: http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/running/on-on-hashers-are-drinkers-with-a-running-problem/

The Cheddarhead
There’s hashing, and then there’s the Cheddarhead, which could be the most creative hash in the Southeast. Take your standard "run-drink-run-drink" afternoon and throw in nearly 200 participants, 60 pounds of fried cheese curds, polka music, bowling, bratwurst, and more beer. Blue Ridge Outdoors talked with the Cheddarhead’s original founders, Dave Paul (a.k.a. Public Enema) and Derald Loomis, about the art of cooking cheese curds, light public nudity, and their obsession with running and drinking.

How was the Cheddarhead conceived?
Hashers as a group are very irreverent. It’s such a peculiar sport or lifestyle. You’ll only find a certain number of people who want to run through the woods, hollering, drinking, and getting bloody. Irreverence is a key aspect of hashing, so we wanted to play on the New Year’s resolution. Everyone wants to be healthy in the New Year, so we went in the opposite direction. We eat as much high fat food as possible and drink as much beer as possible. I mean, how ridiculous is it to eat cheese curds and run? I love it.

What is a cheese curd? 
It’s made during a process that involves separating milk into whey and blobs of curd cheese. They’re little blocks of cholesterol. People who worked in the Wisconsin cheese factories used to bag these little blocks up and take them to their local pub and eat them as a snack. We have 50 or 60 pounds of them shipped down for the run. They come right off the line, so they’re really fresh. If they’re not fresh, they’re not good. Of course, we fry them in a deep fat fryer.

Has the Cheddarhead grown over the years? 
The Cheddarhead started with 40 or 50 people. It was a very manageable group. Now, we get about 200 people, and Johnsonville Brats came on as a sponsor this year. They heard about the run, liked the idea, and gave us a whole bunch of brats. It’s definitely a big deal now, with all the cooking, and the logistics. Last year, we had 176 runners even in the cold weather. That’s the power of cheese.

Lots of great Food, Refreshments & Door Prizes!  Simply pay $10 in cash to the AH4 "Hash Cash" registrar in the START parking lot and give him or her your name.  Our "hasher" hosts expect no advance guarantee of anyone's participation, but if you find that you can't join us please cancel your AOC registration, since we'll likely have a wait list of other AOCers who would like to be part of our "subgroup."