Hitch hiking

[AshyPhoenix]

I'm thinking about hitch hiking to see a friend in a town about 2 1/2 hours away. Yes, I know it's dangerous, but I doubt anyone's going to try to kill and/or rape a strapping 6'2" man.

As I've never hitched before, I know nothing about proper etiquette; I'm assuming I'm expected to chip in for gas, but aside from that I know nothing. Any tips are welcome, even the obvious ones. Thanks!

[HunterM]

How about taking a bus/Greyhound? Then have your friend come pick you up at the bus terminal?

[borg69unimatrix]

I'm thinking about hitch hiking to see a friend in a town about 2 1/2 hours away. Yes, I know it's dangerous, but I doubt anyone's going to try to kill and/or rape a strapping 6'2" man.

As I've never hitched before, I know nothing about proper etiquette; I'm assuming I'm expected to chip in for gas, but aside from that I know nothing. Any tips are welcome, even the obvious ones. Thanks!

I'm against it... but *IF* you think you HAVE to do it, my advice would be to look as clean cut as possible, and carry very little cash on you.

... and wear a coat. It might get cold.

[The Fly]

Actually hitch hikers don't chip in for gas, or anything else. If someone stops to pick you up, they pretty much understand you don't have money, or you wouldn't be putting yourself at risk this way.
As an aside....what's with the "strapping 6'2 man"? I thought you had a bad back, bad knees, ect ?

[AshyPhoenix]

How about taking a bus/Greyhound? Then have your friend come pick you up at the bus terminal?

I'm in it more for the experience. I've been wanting to expand my world view a bit more, and this seems like an interesting way to do it.

Actually hitch hikers don't chip in for gas, or anything else. If someone stops to pick you up, they pretty much understand you don't have money, or you wouldn't be putting yourself at risk this way.

That's good to know. Thanks.

As an aside....what's with the "strapping 6'2 man"? I thought you had a bad back, bad knees, ect ?

Well, I'm a big guy, and while I don't look exceptionally tough, I still don't look like someone you'd want to attack.

[Kahaih]

Have you seen 'Dogma'?

George Carlin explains it all pretty well.

[Scealle]

Hitch Hiking always seems really risky to me. I have thought about it during that time when I have weekly car breakdowns. But thankfully my classmates helped out. Though I wouldn't think you would have problem with people stopping be safe tho.

[unloadonme]

I haven't seen a single hitch hiker here for years and years. Thanks to The Lady's deregulation of the bus industry, it's now possible to get a bus from Leeds to London (200 miles) for as little as £5 or so. With prices that low, why take the risk?

[AshyPhoenix]

I haven't seen a single hitch hiker here for years and years. Thanks to The Lady's deregulation of the bus industry, it's now possible to get a bus from Leeds to London (200 miles) for as little as £5 or so. With prices that low, why take the risk?

Damn, I wish it were that cheap! A round-trip to and from Vancouver from my town would be $150, which I absolutely cannot afford. However, I'm going to hitch to a small city, then take the dog from there. That'll set me back $60.

[shainski]

It's a different world now - but in my youth, i hitchhiked a few times.

I believe that most people are peaceful and boring. I think the risks may be way overstated - but because of the awareness of some incidents, most people won't pick up hitchhikers. That means that the people who do are somewhat risk-adverse. Any risks with hitchhiking are on both sides.

The last time I hitched a ride was in 1982. Even then, the fad was pretty much over. I had to go about 300 miles. A friend dropped me off on an on-ramp of an expressway. Looking back on it, I still can't believe it, but a woman picked me up in less than 5 minutes. She was preparing to travel for 700 miles or so. What was so incredible was that she had been a battered woman. In fact, she had been one of the founders of the local chapter in the city we were leaving from. She told me how her husband used to beat her. So, I asked her - "Why would you ever have picked me up?". Her answer was that I looked "safe enough".

We had six hours to talk (I had even convinced her to alter her original route - to go through the city i was going to). Actually, it was a more direct route anyway.

We had a lot of time to talk. And it was an interesting journey. When we arrived in my destination, i did offer to take her out for pizza, but otherwise, I didn't pay for gas (truthfully, i didn't have much money). She seemed happy to have the company.

I did over the years pick up a couple of people. (I'm also a somewhat formidable person, so I wasn't worried of being taken advantage of). But most of the time, the rides were not that interesting. After a few pleasantries, the rides were in mostly silence.

So, I don't suggest that you do it or not. I think in these days, you may spend a lot of time waiting for a ride since most people will have the fear. Use your own judgement on whether or not to get into a car. If it seems wrong, then decline the ride. Be gracious - and positive.

and let us know how it went.

[Spiff]

Have you seen 'Dogma'?

George Carlin explains it all pretty well.

Or in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where Jay gets a ride from the nun (Carrie Fisher) and performs cunnilingus on her while driving. On second thought, take a bus.

[frankfrank]

I'm in it more for the experience. I've been wanting to expand my world view a bit more, and this seems like an interesting way to do it.

I have certainly learned things from hitch-hikers who I have picked up. The reverse is very likely true, too - those who are nowadays still inclined to pick up hitch-hikers are likely to be more "worldly" in their views.

Generally when I've picked up hitch-hikers, I found them to be well versed in the outdoors, with the lust to travel, etc. The rides have rarely been in silence - not even the one time where I am convinced that the guy I picked up was very likely a very dangerous person. (We still found a lot to talk about, and I think it actually sidetracked what may have been very malicious intentions on his part, and in the end it was all cool...and I continued onward to visit my dying mother. This was in 1990.)

I haven't seen a single hitch hiker here for years and years. Thanks to The Lady's deregulation of the bus industry, it's now possible to get a bus from Leeds to London (200 miles) for as little as £5 or so. With prices that low, why take the risk?

I think that hitch-hiking in Canada is FAR more common than in the United States - and apparently, also, in comparison with the UK. On my Canadian trips, if traveling any real distances, I always see people hitch-hiking. In the United States, I can travel two thousand miles of Interstate highway without even seeing one hitch-hiker.

However, I'm going to hitch to a small city, then take the dog from there. That'll set me back $60.

Kamloops, I'm guessing? It's probably a fairly busy bus route between there and Vancouver.

[voyager1994]

You say you're a big guy, so make sure you don't look intimidating or scary or no one will give you a ride

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

hitch ans a hike enjoy a nice bit a tight

thankyou

ha

[Kabluey]

Show a bit of leg maybe, but keep safe - and don't feel obliged to ride with anyone who seems suspicious.
(Said as a strapping 6'2"er who personally wouldn't do it).
Have a look online to see if anyone's carpooling. Some hitchhiker / backpacker websites might have something?

[holeconfusion]

I sure fantasize about picking a guy up and having him start rubbing his bulge...

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Once in my life. Never again.

[Kahaih]

Or in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where Jay gets a ride from the nun (Carrie Fisher) and performs cunnilingus on her while driving. On second thought, take a bus.

I think that was the movie I was thinking of. George was in the scene that set the stage for the scene you are talking about, right?

--------

Back to Ashy, is hitching legal there? Could you get picked up or ticketed/fined for that where you live?

There are some highways here where slow moving vehicles and pedestrians are forbidden.

You should probably be prepared to walk the full distance. It takes the average person about 20 minutes to walk one mile - 3 miles per hour - walking forward and steady.

And, you'll need to carry clothing, food and water, and be prepared for all kinds of weather, too.

Sun-block and hats are musts, and maybe a flashlight, too.

What if you are still out on the road overnight?

[Dejavudoo]

I've picked up hitchikers for years, and never felt threatened. I give my name readily and tell them where I am going and who is expecting me. Never have felt threatened, and made sure I didn't intimidate my passengers.

Most were drifters, but a few were just stranded in more convincing ways. A few were users and manipulators. My purpose was to give rides because I had the vehicle and they were on foot.

I don't think it is any different today. It's always been a risk, and I haven't picked up everyone I've seen on the side of the road.

My favorite was three Swiss geography grad students I picked up a couple of miles south of Anchorage in September 2007. They were on their way back in from hiking in the mountains for the prior seven days. The tallest was easily 6'5" and all three of them were nice. I took them to eat later that evening after they stopped off at their hostel.

Dante, don't live in fear. Be prudent, but that is not the same as afraid.

[Keeland]

The ideal: Driving a motor home and picking up a college-student hitchhiker whose car broke down while he was delivering pizza.

[frankfrank]

After reading a month-long journal from a friend who took a hitch-hiking trip cross country in 1976 or 1977, I had a desire to do such a trip as well. He had a real blast (and it included both U. S. and Canadian travel). However, I never gathered up enough time to actually do such entirely "discretionary" travel, except in 1986, and I decided to drive to Alaska instead.

The idea of hitch-hiking would scare me a lot more nowadays, because I think a lot of the people who would still kindly pick up hitch-hikers have been scared away from it instead, but those rides who may instead be predators may not have changed their minds, so I'm thinking it's more likely to end up with a "dangerous" ride than it would have been 30, 40 years ago. I believe this enough that I would now hitch-hike only in some kind of true emergency.

I think the last time I hitch-hiked was in 1986, on the Northwest Territories part of that said Alaska trip. I was picked up by a car with a few Dene Indians and taken about fifty miles into Edzo-Rae. (My problem was a flat tire, with the spare also flat.) It all worked out well and some aspects of it were actually fun - also I wasn't ripped off AT ALL (by my ride, or by the repair shop which was also run by natives) even though I was entirely depending on people who "had me by the balls" if they chose.

I think nowadays it's probable there are more (higher %age) malicious rides, than there are malicious hitch-hikers.

I would also feel a lot safer hitch-hiking on Canadian highways, than here in the United States.

[swerve]

What a FUN idea!!!

My suggestion would be to get to a truck stop and find a truck driver to hitch a ride with...

You're 99.99% safe -- although, you MIGHT have to listen to someone for the WHOLE time...

I see people hitching rides ALL THE TIME at truck stops -- they usually befriend a truck driver to get on the CB and find another truck driver to carry them to wherever it is they're going...

Keep in mind though that some companies don't ALLOW hitchers -- so don't feel bad if that is the reason you are turned down...

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!!!