Hitchhiking

“Does anyone do this anymore?

This past winter we had to bail out of a trip early due to http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1615079&a=12327911&p=45053185&Sequence=0" target="_blank">my broken snowshoe. We were lucky as it happened not far from the only road crossing. We figured we could easily hitch back to our car, after all, we?d always gotten around that way in the olden times.

Boy were we wrong! After freezing our tails off for a couple hours, we called a friend and waited for him to get off work (lucky we knew someone up there). In all we must have had our thumbs out for close to 4 hours. I know people have gotten cautious these days but I thought someone would take pity.

I used to pick people up all the time but don?t do it anymore ? more out of duty to my family than any fears of my own. How ?bout you?”

“I would not even consider hitchhiking in the worst case scenario. I have "go ahead and kill me" practically written on my forehead. I'm not really impressive physically. I am a good shot, but I don't carry firearms. I would never pick-up a hitcher, either. Well, within about a 50 mile radius of my hometown. I know everyone.”

“I'd probably get that removed from my forhead if I were you.”

“How is the new baby, Violin? My little one is doing the cautious walking from object to object thing. I love her so much.”

“Practically . . . not actually.”

“I got you.

The baby is sooo good. She is so content - almost never cries. Sometimes we'll go in her room and find her wide awake just looking around. It's a nice change from the last one who was voted 'loudest in nursery'.

Yours will be doing the real walking very soon. It gets challenging because now you have to watch every move.”

“No kidding. I already have to watch every move. She cases the joint and then goes or whatever she shouldn't get into. She was a very quiet brand new baby too, now she's pretty crazy.”

“ahem.

Hitchikers?”

“I haven't picked up a hicth hiker since I first saw "Texas Chainsaw Movie." (Still one of my all-time favorite movies!)”

“Most of my solo hikes on the LT involve a 30 to 40 mile hitch back to the car, very often starting and ending on little used roads. It has often taken me over 12 hours to make the trips, usually with a lot of road walking to get to traffic. I find that most of Vermont is now populated with snots from New York who tool around alone in their SUVs and wouldn't dream of having it sullied by a backpacker. Carrying a large pack with my ass dragging, I hardly look like a serious threat to anyone. Amazingly enough, most of my rides have come from younger single women, who's cars are usually littered with outdoor gear. Must be the sympathy factor. I do pick up hitchers locally, and if they look "right" (which usually means looking like a bper).

What's the beef , Violin? The thread actually lasted 2 entries before it got off-tangent! :<)”

“Was a record I know.

We were in Vermont on that trip. Our ride told us a lot of people were spooked by the murder of those two Dartmouth professors so he wasn't surprised.

The ones that pissed me were the ones who pointed down the road like we should walk the 25 miles back to our car.”

“I've hitchiked to get back to my car from the trail head, or to get in and out of town from a trail head. I've had great luck, but this has been in Northern New England.

I still pick up hitch hikers sometimes, but I'm more careful than I used to be. Near trail heads I'll pick up pretty much anyone who looks like a back packer.”

“Sorry Violin. I love a chance to talk about my lovey.”

“Don't be sorry.”

“I both hitchhike and pick up hitchers (based on their appearance) -- easiest way I have found to get a lift, is to approach somebody and strike up conversation (assuming you are at a place where other people all) -- typically when they realize that they are speaking with a someone who is articulate and not some deranged weirdo, they will usually give you a ride.”

“I haven't hitched or picked up anybody since I got picked up in the 70's outside of Santa Fe by a guy who just got out of the State Pen for armed robbery and started bragging while he rolled joints and drove about getting away will killing some cops in LA . =(8-O”

“I take that back. Have a couple of times in the boonies with families obviously in trouble. Once at 40 below in Fairbanks, the other in Tennessee, family out of gas and money.”

“The best ride I ever got was from a guy who said he was on his way home from the methadone clinic. He was weaving a lot. I had him let me out before the highway got to the S-turns.”

“End of a 10 day trip, 3 of us hiked out 8.5 mi/6000' down Taboose Pass, battery was dead, so 2 of us (me & 65 yo guy) hiked out another 6 mi/1500'el loss. No one would pick us up, so he said "I saw this in a movie once....." and he hid in the bushes across the highway. 15 min later I got picked up.

We've given a few thruhikers rides out from trailheads since.”

“When near the Appalachian Trail hitchin' can be fairly easy. Most of the locals know that people that are dirty and have big packs are backpackers and mostly harmless, just looking to get to a shower and some pizza.

Personally I do pick up hitchhikers. First off I'm a good sized dude and second if they wanna try somethin' I'd stomp on the gas and either crash the car(always wear a seatbelt) or drive straight to a well populated area.

I used to do alot of solo drives across the east coast and usually the hitchers had a joint and a good story. Kinda breaks the boredom.

Then again if my girlfriend came home and told me she had picked up a hitcher I'd probably wig out.”

“SN, that reminds my of the most astonishing flag down of a taxi I have ever seen. It was 10 or 11 at night in downtown Seattle and a couple of women were trying to get a cab. Cab after cab passed 'em up, then suddenly one took off her shirt. No problem, they had a cab in 30 seconds. The twelve teens I was chaparoning missed the whole thing.”

“I was one of those types that refused to pick up hitchers until I hiked the AT. Those folks were so accomodating when I decided to hitch. Never came across a bad person yet. Now, if room is available, I'll pick up a hitcher as long they have a pack. Of course, I've had a couple of people decide not to get in the car after I stopped. I guess I can be a little intimidating at 6'2", 240 lbs and goatee but I'm as harmless as fly. Picked up a couple PCT hikers in Yosemite valley last July and took them to Toulomne. They had the best story about another hiker getting kicked in the head by a deer while asleep. The guy awoke thinking someone tried to mug him. He was covered in blood and had to rescued. Funniest story I ever heard from a hitcher. Still won't pick up folks hitching along on-ramps or exit though. They're likely not backpackers.”

“Myself, I have picked up hitchhikers but I have never had to myself. Some I don't pickup and some I do, I guess its just a feeling I have about people. Usually I base my judgement on apperance, you know, the way they walk and how they appear. It is not much to go on but what else is there.”

“I hitchhiked 3 times when I was 15 yrs old. I had a bad experience, so I stopped.

This man picked me up, and his dash was filled with religious things, and pics of his wife & kids. Sounds nice right?

He drove me off the highway, and tried to proposition me. I said no, and he drove me back to the highway. He said don't slam the car door, so I slammed the car door, and off he went.”

“This isn't hitchhiking, but more trust. I sat for 2 hrs at the ranger station waiting in line for a permit. Talked to a guy from Truckee, and by the time we got our permits, he gave me the keys for his new SUV. We hiked in with him, and he continued on his 10 day trip. We left the SUV at the trailhead where he was coming out so he had a ride home. We still e-mail each other.

I wouldn't pick someone up alone, but when I'm with someone I will.”

“Years ago when I went to Antigua with my boyfriend of that time, we picked up two hitchhikers. It was funny, you ask them for directions, and they take the ride with you to show you the way. Then they get out and go their own way. They were natives on that island.”

“From age 17 to 21 I did some major hitchiking... with bits of planned and unplanned hiking along the way. Went round trip Boston to LA via the south (Atlanta, New Orleans and Austin)with a friend. Went from Austin to San Fransisco alone the next year, and from Boston to Boulder round trip alone two years later.
Got picked up by a guy on a hell of a bender in Oklahoma city.. he was driving to his mother's funeral in Barstow, CA. We talked him into giving us the keys and drove him to Barstow and picked up some other hitch-hikers along the way. He kept us laughing the whole way. I hope he made it back OK, he was drunk as a skunk and living in a world of pain. If I was older, I would have done more than just get him to the funeral... I would have gone in and talked to someone he knew.

I met loads of interesting people, truckers, salesman, housewives, professors, druggies, construction workers... all they had in common was wheels and a willingness to give someone a lift.”

“Picked up a hitchhiker once only to find out he had just gotten out of jail...he was on his way home to see his parents...Ahem.

Has anyone seen the movie "The Hitcher" I think its called?”

“I was BPing along the road in the heavy rain once and a couple turned around and came back and asked me if I needed a lift. I was BPing so of course I turned them down. They felt sorry for me walkin in the rain. It was Summer and I was enjoying the rain. The pack was covered and all I was wearing was boots & swim shorts.”

“I still pick them up, but ya almost never see them anymore. I hitched as a kid all the time. I got a few stories.”

“When I was a teen my friend and I were hitching and this guy picked us up. He had a friend next to him who obviously wasn't right in the head. Kept yelling things and generally going biserk.

Then the guy told us his passenger was from a mental institution and he was taking him someplace (forget where ... probably to be fitted for a straightjacket).”

“His name wasn't "Chip" was it?”

“when i was 21 i was offered a pretty good job in gilroy, california which i reckoned was going to be somewhat different than the central ohio which i had been raised in....i bought a brand new chevrolet van, outfitted it with the most powerful pioneer 8-track i could find (i know, i know, i'm an old dude) and set out for the left coast....i picked up every hitchhiker i saw until we had about ten of us in that van, then i slid open the sliding side door, kicked back, and let them take care of the driving while i enjoyed my first trip into the great american west....two things about this trip stand out vividly in my memory:
1. driving to the top of pike's peak, smoking a bit of mother nature's finest there in that altitude, then trying to negotiate that nasty road back down with ten paranoid hitchhikers backseat driving.
2. i picked up the first guy in indiana somewhere and took him all the way to reno....we arrived in reno in the middle of the night and i was in a hurry to get to my new job so we were not going to stop....we let this guy out there and it wasn't until i was unloading the van the next day that i found his vasque hiking boots in the back....i still think about this poor guy walking around barefooted in reno (his boots fit my grandfather perfectly, thank you!)”

“More than 30 years ago I got out of college, put a pack on my back, went down to the freeway onramp, stuck out my thumb and was gone for the for the next five months. I never lacked for a place to stay, new friends or food to eat. I did get thrown in jail for three days - the Adams County Jail in Gettysburg, PA. I later would call this my "Gettysburg Address". Other than this, that was one wonderful trip. Especially memorable was the ride on the psychedellic bus with "Don't laugh, your daughter might be inside!" written on the back. Needless to say, we were stopped by law enforcement several times - just to see it it was true, apparently.”

“Hitched to shuttle back to our cars, and when someone in our group has been hurt - to get to our cars.

Mostly been picked up by people who actively look to help out Backpackers.

Picked up only backpackers - after looking them over. And families stuck.

Never as a kid and never with kids.”

“I've always been afraid of picking people up no matter how they are dressed. But after reading everyone's posts about picking up backpackers in the wilderness, I may do that someday. I never thought of them wanting a lift to their car.

When I was a teenager, I hitchhiked for fun. A girlfriend and I would hitchhike on one of the longest streets in my town. We'd start at one end and go as far as that car would take us then on to the next until we reached the end of that street and start all over again the other way. This was during summer break from school. Silly girls huh? I wouldn't want my daughter who's a teenager now to do this though. I've never told her about this story and don't think I ever will.”

“Date: yesterday

I arrived back at the trailhead earlier than expected...actually, I was an entire day early. Mosquitos had made my brief stay at the lake simply unbearable. But that is another story. My father was not due to pick me up til later the next day. I propped my much too heavy burden against the big boulder marking the trailhead and gingerly slipped my shoes and socks off in favor of my sandals. This was definately not in my "big plan". Now I needed to somehow get myself back into civilization, which consisted of maybe 10 or so miles of dirt forest road and another 5 miles of paved before the first phone. Having done 14 miles of trail already, I was in no shape to walk.

And then my trail angel walked up. No, I didn't know him nor had I ever seen him before. "Your headed back into town aren't you?" I asked. "You need a ride, doncha?" he said with a big smile. That was all it took, minutes later I was barreling down the dusty road, making better time than I had all day. At the nearest town, Tim (that was his name), stopped for gas and I called for a ride. He made a miserable day not so bad. Thank God for people like Tim that take that extra step to help others.

Anyway, just wanted to share.”

“40 years ago on the Navajo reservation it was considered very rude not to pick up anybody that was hitchin. I still pick up kids from time to time--just Navajo and Hopi.

I can remember three times I have had to hitchhike. The first time I was about ten years old and my dad had a flat and no spare on a dirt road in northern AZ. A car FULL of people stopped and my Dad let me squeeze in with them and I think I must have made a phone call for help--don't remember. He stayed with the car.

I hitched a ride up from Phoenix one time with my little sister--she was still a kid. We went up with a truck driver in a big rig--really, really slow and no air conditioning. Ugh.

Another time we were backpacking at the canyon and we hitched with a motor home full of ancients. I got the ride and then called Robert--no bath for a week and we looked pretty ragged.”

“When hitching in Maryland in the mid-80s, I had some dude put his hand on my thigh. He pretended(?) not to see the red light, and when I blurted it out, he hit the brakes and put his hand on my thigh...but he left it there. I kindly asked him to "take his f*&%in hand off me" and was out of the car immediately. He begged me to get back in the car cause he "didn't want to leave me stranded". I knew where I was at and had no trouble walking the rest of the way.

I wasn't that scared at the moment, just adrenolized, but afterwards I was terrified! I still get cold chills thinking about it!”

“I never picked up or hitched a ride in my life until I was about 30. I was drving from Idaho to Wyoming to take a class. Around Butte I was so tired I knew I was going to drive off the road. I still had about 600 miles to go.

I stopped to get gas and a short Native American in faded torn Army fatigues came right up to me as asked if I was headed east. I could have lied but I immediately said "ya, get in." I couldn't believe it. Why did I do that? I helped him toss his many duffle bags in the back and off we went. He smelled of alcohol. I couldn't believe what I had done...

It was a great experience. We exchanged stories and jokes for about 500 miles. He definitely kept me awake. Come to find out he was Sioux and a Viet Nam Veteran. I learned a lot about Nam and Indian life, history and politics. He was on his way to a VA hospital for drug treatment. When we stopped in Sheridan WY he asked if he could join me for dinner. He had not eaten in two days. His head and hands shook while he ate. I never saw anyone hungrier in my life.

He called me his brother and we agreed to meet up again some day somewhere. He thanked me and I felt appreciated like I don't think I ever had before or since.

I still don't know why I told him to get in. One never knows...”

“ABout 5 yaers ago, I was driving to work in my truck during a nasty snowstorm. I noticed some lady on the freeway walking (her car had broken down). I pulled over and told her I'd give her a ride to the next exit so she could call somebody. This lady looked real skeptical, and I had to really turn on the charm to let her know it was OK. Once she was in, and a little more at ease, I pushed it too far, and told her she had nothing to worry about, I was a good catholic boy. Man, now she was really scared lol. I dropped her off at the gas satation, she treid to pay me, I refused, and now I have this nice story.”