Hitchhiking stories

[Almost There]

I was just listening to Jack's podcast and he brought up hitching for females. Are there any good stories out there about any of your experiences hitching on the trail. This might be helpful for some who will have to do it. It can be safe and it can be scary depending on the person. I have done it, but I am a large man. I remember a story where a guy had to jump from a moving van. Anybody out there with some good stories, please chime in!

[mweinstone]

guy rubbed my leg and asked if my girlfriend did that for me.two dudes smelled like onions and started pawing my female companion.dude told me were "pushin em back in the citys"meaning blacks. guy told me he hates jews and hes sorry if im friends with any.i lied and sayed i wasnt a jew ,for the sake of a ride.guy picked me up at the trail and rt 61 and wouldnt let me go .ran when he stopped for beer. hide in town till he stopped circling the block.got ride in car with mother and baby.transmission fell.sudden rapid unstoppable exceleration.she told me to jump and i did with the baby at 30 miles an hour while she held the brakes.she skidded into a gas station and the man lifted the hood and stopped the battery. i was a hero and everyone was okay.

[colbys]

on my thru in 95 near pine grove furnace i got stung by a yellow jacket,broke out in hives,swelled up and got delerious,me and a buddy tried to hitch into town,waited like 2 hours to finally get ride from drunken,chain smokin local lady who just had a fight with here boyfriend apparently.how he beat her up and "shes going to kill that somebitch when she gets back.
after she picked us up i noticed she had a bottle of jack daniels between here legs as she drove 80mph all over double yellow line road.im sick as a dog in back seat with buddy up front,she keeps goin on and on about "wanting to party"and "lets get a room",all i wanted was a cold shower and to get the hell out of the car.
she dropped us off at nearest town,and we high-tailed it away from there.......no party ever insued.

the things us hikers will go through for a lift.

[Vi+]

Colby,

You advise, “... im sick as a dog in back seat ...”

And yet, “... I noticed she had a bottle of jack Daniels between here legs ...”

Good vision!

Oh, yeah, you “... got delerious ...”

Still, in the middle of all that delirium, you got great eyes.

[Footslogger]

I posted this a while ago on another thread but ...since you asked.

We hit a road crossing in central Virginia around noon one day and the handbook said that there was a convenient store about a mile to the left that served hot hamburgers. Need I say more ??

We all (there were 6 of us) made the walk into the store and filled our bellies. When it came time to head back out to the trail we realized it was an uphill grade so we decided to hitch but started walking (never really expecting anyone to pick up 6 stinky hikers with backpacks). After walking a couple hundred yards this pick-up with a boat in tow pulled over in front of us. The driver had a cover on the truck bed but told us if we were willing to crawl into the boat he'd get us back up to the trail crossing. We figured, why not ?? right ??

One by one we all threw our packs and trekking poles up into the boat and crawled up and in. Imagine this scene ...6 hikers sitting in the seats of a boat up on a trailer being pulled by a huge pick-up. Turned out the driver was a few sheets into to the wind and that ride turned out to be quite a thriller. He was fishtailing all over the road and we we hanging on for dear life. Long story short ...we all made it safe and sound back to the trail crossing but I'll never forget that ride as long as I live !!

'Slogger

[D'Artagnan]

'Slogger, that's one of the funniest visuals I've gotten from this site in a long while. Thanks for sharing it. Damn, I'm still laughing!

[Footslogger]

'Slogger, that's one of the funniest visuals I've gotten from this site in a long while. Thanks for sharing it. Damn, I'm still laughing!
==============================
Great when a true story can be that funny !! There actually is a picture in existence of us up in the boat, although I've never seen it personally. Another hiker saw what was happening and ran out of the convenient store with a camera and snapped the shot before the truck pulled away. I've lost contact with him but would give anything for a copy.

'Slogger

[the goat]

i got a ride near killington, vt from this crazy scottish dude in a beat up saab (huge, long, red beard, and a very large man). he told me he knew a short cut and took off into the land of narrow gravel roads. he was going at least 45mph on these windy dirt back roads. this is when he began to talk religion & faith; specifically, how he could take his hands off the wheel, keep driving, and Jesus would save us both. then he exclaimed "let's go to my brother's place" (of course i declined).he wanted me to pray w/ me, and i told him we could do so once we got to the trail head. next he began sobbing while telling me of a deceased loved one. after what seemed like an eternity of crazy-talk, we arrived at the "trail head". it was a trail head alright....just not for the a.t. but, as promised, i prayed with him....and twas a rambling, drawn-out prayer at that, the likes of which i'd never heard (although the prayer's intention was for my protection on the trail, which i appreciated).
after this, he said he had something he wanted to give me for the cold nights on the trail (it was a/b 90 degrees that day). he went into his trunk, and, after getting side-tracked with showing me his .357 magnum, pulled out one of those scottish hats with tassles and a beanie on top. he then gave me a huge bear-hug and said he was going to send me off the "highland way". at this, he pulled out a set of bagpipes and began playing and walking with me as i hiked up a hill on god knows what trail. he hiked with me, playing the bagpipes for a/b a half mile, at which point he got winded and just sat there playing while i hiked on. i walked untill i was just out of his sight, sat down and rolled fat one, giving him ample opportunity to get back down, and vacate the area. i was pretty much asking myself "did that just happen!?!?"
after i was sure he had left, i hiked down & had to do several miles of road-walking before i could get my bearings and find the a.t. again, and i was clear on the other side of mt. killington!!!
i've still got that hat with my hiking gear and i still laugh my ass off every time i see it!

[Skidsteer]

i got a ride near killington, vt from this crazy scottish dude in a beat up saab (huge, long, red beard, and a very large man). he told me he knew a short cut and took off into the land of narrow gravel roads. he was going at least 45mph on these windy dirt back roads. this is when he began to talk religion & faith; specifically, how he could take his hands off the wheel, keep driving, and Jesus would save us both. then he exclaimed "let's go to my brother's place" (of course i declined).he wanted me to pray w/ me, and i told him we could do so once we got to the trail head. next he began sobbing while telling me of a deceased loved one. after what seemed like an eternity of crazy-talk, we arrived at the "trail head". it was a trail head alright....just not for the a.t. but, as promised, i prayed with him....and twas a rambling, drawn-out prayer at that, the likes of which i'd never heard (although the prayer's intention was for my protection on the trail, which i appreciated).
after this, he said he had something he wanted to give me for the cold nights on the trail (it was a/b 90 degrees that day). he went into his trunk, and, after getting side-tracked with showing me his .357 magnum, pulled out one of those scottish hats with tassles and a beanie on top. he then gave me a huge bear-hug and said he was going to send me off the "highland way". at this, he pulled out a set of bagpipes and began playing and walking with me as i hiked up a hill on god knows what trail. he hiked with me, playing the bagpipes for a/b a half mile, at which point he got winded and just sat there playing while i hiked on. i walked untill i was just out of his sight, sat down and rolled fat one, giving him ample opportunity to get back down, and vacate the area. i was pretty much asking myself "did that just happen!?!?"
after i was sure he had left, i hiked down & had to do several miles of road-walking before i could get my bearings and find the a.t. again, and i was clear on the other side of mt. killington!!!
i've still got that hat with my hiking gear and i still laugh my ass off every time i see it!

.........:clap

[Almost There]

GIVE ME YOU"RE BABY(in your best Scottish Brogue!!!)

[RITBlake]

he pulled out a set of bagpipes and began playing and walking with me as i hiked up a hill on god knows what trail. he hiked with me, playing the bagpipes for a/b a half mile,

oh man, that story had me rollin. great one!:jump

[ncbookseller]

i got a ride near killington, vt from this crazy scottish dude in a beat up saab

Oh man, truth IS stranger than fiction! :jump :jump :jump

[woodsy]

1st post here @white blaze
As a service provider on a piece of the trail in the northeast I am frequently asked " How's the hitchhiking ?" To that I reply: "Depends on whose goin by" . That may sound like a wise a.. reply but if that doesn't say it all I don't know what does.

I am sure this thread could produce some more wild hitchhiking stories and already has.

May see you on the trail
woodsy

[grassyknoll44]

Ok, so now I'm a little afraid to go hitchhiking, and at some point I will probably have to (or really really want to). Is there such a thing as non-scary ride?

[Mouse]

Not to worry. The closest thing to a wild hitchhike I had on my entire thruhike was the time I left my hat in a car.

[woodsy]

Ok, so now I'm a little afraid to go hitchhiking, and at some point I will probably have to (or really really want to). Is there such a thing as non-scary ride?

Grassy,
If I happen by, guarantee it won't be a scarry ride, might even tell you where to catch some fish. Like mouse said: not to worry.

[grassyknoll44]

That makes me feel a little better,
thanks guys

[KirkMcquest]

Never had any problems hitch hiking anywhere. However I'm a pretty good judge of character. Once while doing a section of conn. a noticed a white van that seemed to pass the road everytime I did. When I looked, all the occupants were staring at me as if they'd never seen a human being in there lives ( every time i saw them!!). This made me a bit uneasy. Finally when I reached a trail head the van drove up, the very weird driver jumped out and offered me a ride. When I looked in the van, about three other people were staring at me like I was dinner. Obviously I declined the proposterous offer.
Later, when I got to town I saw the driver, and when I asked around I found out the guy was harmless. He was an old guy slackpacking who had given rides to some of the other hikers. I guess you can't judge a book by it's cover, but when hitching i'd rather turn down a ride and be wrong, than accept a ride and be wrong.

[Lilred]

(This is One-Leg responding under LilRedMg's name)

Sal Paradise and I had arrived at a road crossing near Erwin, Tn. and decided to hitch to Miss J's for resupply. The road was a little 2-lane country deal with a gravel pull-off for cars.

By & by, a hunter green Chevy Blazer pulled over. Wow we thought, This didn't take long at all!

The driver of the blazer hadn't pulled over to pick us up. He'd stopped to, well, relieve himself....

As he whizzed, he looked around, and ultimately spotted us.. Gesturing wildly toward me, he said Hey! I wanna talk to you-uns! I recognize your paig-laig, I seen it in the paper!

Bypassing Sal Paradises' outstretched hand, he walked over to me, hand outstretched for a handshake, saying Hey! I'm John Hensley.

What was I to do? I shook his hand, making a mental note not to scratch my nose or mouth until I'd thoroughly washed it. (Scratching my mouth/nose after handling my own jimmy is one thing... John Hensley's jimmy is another thing entirely!)

Whar yee-unses wanna go? asked John.

Well, we need to get to Erwin, I said, We have supplies there, and need to get some real food, hot shower, and warm bed to sleep in.

I got a better idea, said John. How 'bout we go to Johnson City? They's got a real nice teedee bar over there. I know how it is to be out in the woods for a looooooooong time without seeing a woman. What say we go over there?

Thinking about John's ability to judge a woman's looks made me about as nauseated as his urine-soaked hand had.

No, I think we ought to go to Erwin. I said.

Okay, but I kin only take yee-unses to the city limit sign. I can't cross over. said John.

Dear God, I thought. Dare I ask why? I couldn't resist.

Well, I got me one of them DUI's, so if I cross the city limit sign and they ketch me, I'll go back to jail. And, if I go back to jail, I can't go to Iraq. said John.

So, sue me... Once again, I couldn't resist....

Okay, John, I'll bite... How does Iraq figure into this equation?

Huh? asked John.

John, what does Iraq have to do with you taking us to Erwin, and crossing the city limit sign? I asked.

Well, see, I'm in the nat'l guard, and we'unses 'posed to go to Iraq. And, if I'm sittin' in city jail, I can't go to Iraq. answered John.

Oh Lord, I thought, this hick is defending our country....

Aforn yee git in the truck, I needs to move something said John.

With that, he opened the passenger side door and removed what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle, akin to Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Winking, John said This is my squirrel gun.

Must have big squirrels said Sal....

True to his word, Mr. Hensley dropped us right at the Erwin City Limit sign, deposited us on the side of the road, and U-turned back the other way...

[SGTdirtman]

are we accepting stories of giving rides to hitchhikers?

I gave a couple of hikers a ride last year to a store as I was leaving the trail to head home in NJ, the guy asks if he can smoke in my truck and i said sure... they were in the very back of my suburban and my 2 freinds up front, I toss the guys a soda can off the floor to use as an ashtray. they rustle around their packs for a minute or so then my truck starts reeking and I turn around and I've got 2 guys smoking pot in my back seat. I thought this kinda went a little beyond my generous offer of allowing them to "smoke" in my truck so I told them to put it out or you can walk. At which point the one nice fella called me a few choice words and said he would beat the **** out of us if we didnt take him to the store. His friend seemed pretty alarmed by his buddies comments and tried to calm him down and apologize. but I had enough and just pulled over and after a pretty heated debate with the one guy refusing to get out of my truck me and my friends finally had to drag him out and leave the both of them on the side of the road, I could see the 2 argueing in my rearveiw....

[Rendezvous01]

Hitched a ride from Gatlinburg to Trail Days in 2001.
Okay, so it took about five rides.
The most interesting was the longest. And fastest.
Guy picked me up at an interchange on I-81 in a rather beat up Corolla. Offered me a joint, which I politely declined. And, 'cause he was a good guy, he refrained from lighting up while driving. Not that he needed any more influences than those he was already under.
Got to chatting. He had just gotten out on parole. Took the fall in a drug delivery scheme that delivered to the wrong type of customer, the type with a badge. Best to stay out of trouble now that he was on parole. Don't wanna get caught speeding or anything. So we'd get to the top of every hill, slow down to 65, check for cops, speed back up to 90, 95, I saw 110 once and chose not to look again. Surprised that the beat up Corolla could do that. Not that he was done beating her up.
Say, you wanna beer? No thanks, I'd really just like to get to Damascus. Oh, you got time. Let's stop here in Bristol for a beer. And I gotta make a phone call anyway. Um, okay.
So we pull into a Ruby Tuesdays, go into the bar and each have a cold one. He decides he can handle one more, then we gotta get going.
Backing out of the parking place we nick the bumper of the car next to us. Okay, maybe more than a nick. Can't get in trouble with the law, we gotta get out of here. Not that peeling rubber in a restaurant parking lot might catch anybody's attention, mind you.
Very soon, he dropped me off at the exit to Damascus. I could take you all the way into town if you want me to. No thanks, sir, you've done more than enough for me already.
Ah, the adventures of hiking the Trail.

[Almost There]

Love the stories!!!

[tlbj6142]

From my trip report (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5754)...

I arrived at East Flagstaff Rd at 1:30pm. I decided not to do an out-n-back to West Carry, so I started to hitch. Within 10 minutes (2nd car), “Fred” and “Fat Daphne” in the Mystery Machine (complete with canoe on top) picked me up. They were camping on an island in Flagstaff Lake for the past few days and were now on their way out. I sat on a Rubbermaid container in the back of the van (I think Scooby had a more comfortable chair).

Fred appeared to be a bit drunk as the van tended to veer off the road from time to time (re-enforced by a Daphne commenting they just “stopped to make coffee”). When he veered Daphne would stare at him. Thankfully, he was only going 35mph as most cars were blowing by us on the left. Fred started bitching about ATV users (a common theme while in Maine) and outsourcing IT jobs to India.

I was in the car for 30+ minutes. I knew there was a quick way over to RT27, but they ended up taking me to North New Portland. Which I learn is about 40 miles from my car! I was actually closer to my car when I left the trail than in North New Portland.

I ran into a local grocery store, bought a drink and asked how to get to Stratton. I was pointed in the correct direction and left. About 1 mile later, a pickup with 3 folks inside stopped. “You guys going to Stratton?”. “No, we’re going to Jordan Lumber.” “OK, I have no idea where Jordan Lumber is located.” “It’s on your way.” “Great!”.

So, I jump into the back of the truck (portions of the bed literally held together with bungee straps). About 20 minutes later I was at “Jordan Lumber”. Now I was about 23 miles from the car.

There was a grocery store across the street. I should have just hung out in the lot and asked for a ride, but I didn’t. I walked along the road for quite a ways 30+minutes before a young kid (20?) picked me up. He was on his way into Stratton for the night and told me about the only place to stay in town was the White Wolf Inn (he worked there). He dropped me off at my car.

I picked up my street clothes, left trash, food and a note as I assumed the rest of my party would finish today as well. I wanted them to know where I would be staying.

I started walking down Rt27 toward Stratton. I was quickly picked up by a small car with 3 folks inside. I jump in to find out the front passenger (best described as Maine’s version of a crack whore) was smoking pot while drinking some Michelob Light. She was sharing the drink and pot with a skateboard toting 16-17yo kid in the backseat. I was kindly offered both, but refused.

The driver seamed “normal” and might have been the crack whore’s big brother. As he kept saying, “All we need to do is get you cleaned up a bit and everything will be fine.” Not sure the relationship anyone had (if any) with the young kid in the back seat.

They dropped me off at the White Wolf Inn ($25/night for hikers). And the young kid got out as well only to be seen riding his bicycle a few minutes later.

I was in Stratton about 4pm. About 2.5 hours after I left the trail.

[neo]

on my thru in 95 near pine grove furnace i got stung by a yellow jacket,broke out in hives,swelled up and got delerious,me and a buddy tried to hitch into town,waited like 2 hours to finally get ride from drunken,chain smokin local lady who just had a fight with here boyfriend apparently.how he beat her up and "shes going to kill that somebitch when she gets back.
after she picked us up i noticed she had a bottle of jack daniels between here legs as she drove 80mph all over double yellow line road.im sick as a dog in back seat with buddy up front,she keeps goin on and on about "wanting to party"and "lets get a room",all i wanted was a cold shower and to get the hell out of the car.
she dropped us off at nearest town,and we high-tailed it away from there.......no party ever insued.

the things us hikers will go through for a lift.

was she good looking:cool: neo

[colbys]

hell no,about 50 and white trailer trash,besides i wasnt that hard up!

[wilderness bob]

I pulled off the trail for a zero week with the family back home during the fourth of July holiday this past Summer. My hitch was from Lehigh Gap near Palmerton PA to my home in NY about 125 miles. I was stopped and told earlier by a highway patrolman that hitch hiking was illegal, I decided to hang a sign on my back that had "AT thru-hiker, heading North" with a big AT symbol wrote on it. Sure enough as I entered the Delaware Water Gap Park another police officer pulled over and started chewing me out, checked my ID told me I was soliciting a ride and so on. I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, "Can I get a ride"? She, yes a she, shook her head and said "get in" Got to love that trail magic. I sat in the back seat looking like I was busted. The next ride after being dropped off, yes I still had my sign, dropped me off darn near at my front door. The whole thing took five rides and eleven hours to do. What a great day that was.

[//V\\èå†b壣]

Being an old timer, this story goes back a few years... back to 1985, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few of the key details, but there were at least three of us so called thruhikers hobbling our way along some dirt road in the heart of moonshine country. Most likely we were on our way to find some ice cream at the mom and pop store when along comes this old beatup ford pickup absolutely flying down the road in a cloud of dust. Well thanks to our trusty thumbs, that old truck came to a stop. Now sitting inside of that truck was a redneck so grubby he put our unbathed selves to shame. He picked up a gallon jug sitting on the seat and passed it to his passenger, a surprisingly good looking woman. As they passed the jug back and forth he said in a rich southern accent "This here is my sister... we like to frig. Get in." I don't remember what we found to eat at that little store, but I do remember that white knuckled ride to town as we bounced to town in the bed of that rattling old truck. That night we slept in a hen house offered to us by the locals as an additional reminder of that fine local hospitality.

[TOW]

got ride in car with mother and baby.transmission fell.sudden rapid unstoppable exceleration.she told me to jump and i did with the baby at 30 miles an hour while she held the brakes.she skidded into a gas station and the man lifted the hood and stopped the battery. i was a hero and everyone was okay.you wouldn't be a "wee" bit full of crap with this story would ya........?

[TOW]

are we accepting stories of giving rides to hitchhikers?

I gave a couple of hikers a ride last year to a store as I was leaving the trail to head home in NJ, the guy asks if he can smoke in my truck and i said sure... they were in the very back of my suburban and my 2 freinds up front, I toss the guys a soda can off the floor to use as an ashtray. they rustle around their packs for a minute or so then my truck starts reeking and I turn around and I've got 2 guys smoking pot in my back seat. I thought this kinda went a little beyond my generous offer of allowing them to "smoke" in my truck so I told them to put it out or you can walk. At which point the one nice fella called me a few choice words and said he would beat the **** out of us if we didnt take him to the store. His friend seemed pretty alarmed by his buddies comments and tried to calm him down and apologize. but I had enough and just pulled over and after a pretty heated debate with the one guy refusing to get out of my truck me and my friends finally had to drag him out and leave the both of them on the side of the road, I could see the 2 argueing in my rearveiw....good job! i truly think that if it were me and my friends we would have planted our boots right up that dudes butt so he had a reminder of what not to do as he walked wobbily down the trail............

[TOW]

hell no,about 50 and white trailer trash,besides i wasnt that hard up!sounds like my kind of lady. we's all "white trailer trash down here......"

[bearbait2k4]

My hitchihking experience in Troutdale, back by popular demand:

I came off the trail in Troutdale on a Sunday, which meant (if you know the town) that the gas station/grocery store/restaurant was closed. I had a mail drop to pick up, so couldn't go on, and was hungry, so I went to the church hostel.

I then decided to try to get a ride into Marion, the next town, to get some food. This old car that sounds like it is 2 seconds from exploding pulls up, w/ 2 guys in it. One was shirtless, one with a mullet. They told me they'd take me and, being fearless and invincible, I hopped in. The first thing offered was a beer, which I am now glad I took.

The boys started talking to me about the area, and about themselves a bit. I soon learned that the younger of the two (25 years of age) is the older one's (32 years of age) uncle, and that the older's mother is the younger's sister. Their dad apparently had 32 kids from 8 marriages; the elder's mother being one of the first, and the driver's mother being the last. I was having a hard time comprehending the math, but I went with it. Nothing surprised me.

Then, the fun starts.

We start flying, and I mean, FLYING down the road at 80-100 mph (posted speed limit being 35-45 mph), passing cars, dodging cars, practically hitting cars...you name it. We then make it to Marion, and I get out to do a bit of grocery shopping...really not sure if I wanted to get back in the car. But, I did. It's only a 15 minute ride, right? Besides, at this point I'm still pretty sure that I'm completely immune to harm.

So, I go back to the car, and the driver tells me to jump in, and after I jump in, he yellow out "THAT BITCH OWES ME MONEY!", and tears through the parking lot of the grocery store, after some car. We hit the main drag in this little town, and the driver starts chasing this car, swerving in and out of traffic, almost taking out everything in his way. He drives so erratically that he begins to scare his 32 year old nephew, who begins to try to calm him down and reason with him. Finally, the driver catches up with and runs the person off the road who he thinks owes him money, looks over at the car and exclaimes "Oh ****, that's not her!" So we turn around, pull back onto the street, and get the hell out of there.

At this point, I'm completely stunned, and don't even know what to say or do. So, I nervously begin to make small-talk with the passenger, while the driver starts to focus on the trip back to Troutdale. In the middle of the trip back, we pass an abandoned strip-mall that apparently has a friend of the driver's parked outside So he slams his brakes, cuts the wheel, and the car starts spinning in the street. We pretty much do a 180 in the middle of a not-busy-but-also-not-vacant street, so the driver can go chit-chat with his friend.

When he rolls up, the other car's window drops down, and this guy with like 10 teeth is sitting there in the driver's seat, grinning back at us. The driver and toothy start talking about a few things, and toothy mentions that he and some of his friends just scored a bunch of crystal meth and are about to head down to a nearby lake to party. The driver makes the comment about how that sounds like a good time, and turns to me and asks if I want to go. I sit there for a second - not so much because I'm contemplating on whether or not I want to go, but more so to let all of this sink in. I then realize that they're sitting there, waiting for me to answer, so I quickly snap back to reality and explain to them that I should probably be getting back to the church hostel.

Well, the church subject apparently struck a nerve. The driver says goodbye to his friend, and we take off again. Soon after, the driver admitted that he was glad I said no, because he was actually afraid of his friend, toothy. He then went into a story about how that friend had dealt drugs and lived on the streets in NYC a few years back. He actually only came back to Virginia because he shot a guy in New York and gutted him because the guy stole some drugs and swallowed them. AWESOME.

The passenger then cuts his eyes back to me to see my reaction, then starts talking to the driver about how they shouldn't be talking about that kind of stuff in front of other people. They begin to quarrel a little bit about whether or not it was a big deal, and I then start to realize that this point - this entire car ride - could be the beginning of the end for me. As they are arguing in the front of the car, I am sitting back, speechless, staring blankly out the window, and wondering if this is how it starts - if this is the point that every unsuspecting murder or rape victim come to, where they realize that something has gone wrong, and that something terrible is about to happen to them.

Meanwhile, the driver gets to a road crossing, and turns down a dirt road. I then start to panic, but before I can even react, the passenger turns back and says "ah, don't worry, I'm just stopping by a friend's house to say hi for a bit, since it's on the way." We pull up to a house, and the passenger gets out and starts talking to a woman in the driveway of the house. The driver then starts talking to me a little about his brief stay at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Marion. He didn't really go into why he had to go (which is probably something I couldn't handle at that point), but just gave me details of the stay, and how he was released after his mother's insurance money ran out. God Bless America.

His friend gets back into the car, and then finally lets me in on the fact that they're looking for pot, and have a few more stops to make before they drop me off, if I don't mind. I then make mention of the church, and also throw in that I had brought some ice cream at the store, so I really needed to get back. There was a slight wince when I mentioned church, but when I mentioned the ice cream, the passenger got all wild-eyed and exclaimed "well, **** girl, why didn't you tell us that to begin with? I don't want your ice cream to spoil! Let's get her back to town!"

Seriously? Is this all I had to say?!? The car chase, the crystal meth conversation with the supposed murderer, the Psychiatric Hospital, all of this could have been avoided if I had just told them about my ice cream a little earlier???

So, we get back on the road and, within 5 minutes, are in Troutdale, at the church hostel. I get out of the car, tell them thanks, and start to turn away, quietly thanking GOD that I am still alive. Before I actually started walking away, however, the driver stopped me and thanked me for not judging them, for being so nice....and then, with a serious, stern look on his face, said the following:

"You've got to be careful about hitchhiking, because there are a lot of crazy people out there, and you never know who's going to pick you up."

[boarstone]

Back in the spring of 92' while on a "get my mind back hike" I was doing the AT from Black Brook Notch in western Maine up over Old Blue and at the time the loop trail--Clearwaterbrook Trail--since closed. It was May 17th and I stayed overnight up on Old Blue and came down the next AM, hitting soft snowpack on the back (north) side. Around 11 am'ish I hit the road back to my truck. This gravel road feeds the South Arm Lake and Recreational area. I heard a vehicle coming behind me and stepped off the side to let it pass. A pick-up truck w/attatched boat with 3 guys stops and asks me if I'm in trouble and do I need help to which I respond, "no just hiking down from a night up on Old Blue" they couldn't believe a woman by herself would do such a thing and where was I headed? "Just down to the trail head and back to my truck". Jump in the back we'll drop you off. Well in I got and sat on the fender well and hung on. At the drop off I jump out and the driver says to me--" arn't you afraid to be out here by yourself? how do you know you could trust us?" At which point I causally pull out my sidearm from my outside pack pocket and put it on and say" oh just a hunch". I walked to my truck with them grinning at me as they drove off.:p

[Nightwalker]

"You've got to be careful about hitchhiking, because there are a lot of crazy people out there, and you never know who's going to pick you up."That's the funniest thing that I've heard in weeks. Maybe months.

[Lone Wolf]

I thought pickin on crazy people wasn't cool.:-?

[fiddlehead]

I think my best ride was when i got picked up by a beautiful girl in Ireland who was selling jewelry at festivals and invited me along for the fun filled, action packed weekend festival where the women get to pick out whatever man they want. People come from all over for this great festival. It was one of the craziest festivals i've ever seen and I not only learned the festival trade a bit, (i now sell my wares at festivals in the fall) but got to meet some of the most intersting Irish people alive.
I know most of these stories are about bad rides, and i've had my share of those i guess. It's sort of like movies about hiking: why do most folks show all the bad stuff. There's plenty of good going on out there too.
I guess it has something to do with why newspapers have all the bad news headlined. the good stuff gets hidden on page 7 (along with the "world news")

[jpepper]

i was picked up by a regular looking guy, about 50-60 yrs old in a honda or something. he didnt say much at first but he did turn up his radio and started blasting insane clown posse. then he started getting all excited and fidgity, rubbing his head and tapping his leg with his other arm, the car started swerving and he turned the music up louder. he started trying to sing with the music, in a gregorian chanting kind of way, then he slammed on breaks real hard like and this kid with a mike jordan jersey hopped in the car, im guessing he knew this guy because the started talking about the "stuff ". he started yelling at the kid about about the said stuff, not making much sense at all, as he was yelling about a whole bunch of things i cant really remember, he pulled over to get some gas. i bailed at that point at the gas station as the two rode off into the sunset.
on the other hand, my girlfriend and i got picked up by a gentalman in a model t and he gave us a cool tour of the area around rangely. the icp guy and his little friend was a little over the top for me. he was way told old to be listening to that............didnt even see it comin

[Gray Blazer]

Great stories everyone. This is kinda a hitch hike story. I had been spending the night on Rocky Bald last march doing the hiker feed thing and it had been 10-15 degrees every night and I was tired of freezing so I spent the last night in my blazer with the engine running half the time. Since my digital dash is out, I didn't realize that I had used up almost all my gas by idling all night. I left Tellico Gap heading west and I wanted to go up Burningtown Road since I had never been there. Well, to make a short story longer, before I nearly made it to Burningtown Gap, I ran out of gas! I managed to turn the truck around and then proceeded to coast down the mountain and to the highway and then right towards Highway 19. I must have coasted 10 miles at least till the road leveled out at the 19 junction. That's when I hitched about 2-3 miles south to the gas station with a nice lady who lived in the area. The people who passed my truck when I was coasting must have wondered why I was going so slow and why my truck ran so quietly. Remember, no power steering and brakes when the vehicle is not running. One couple who I had seen at Tellico Gap even gave me a friendly wave and honked when they passed.

[Time To Fly 97]

When I was thru-hiking, I could drink Guinness endlessly. I guess my body just thought it was more food or something. The Guinness drinking paid off with a bartender(ess) in a small town in Maine. Each time a Guinness was served, more conversation ensued, more flirting, a hug for a beer, etc...

Long story short, I ended up taking a zero the next day to spend it with her and later her family. The evening with her family started out with a fresh Maine lobster dinner, family pictures, lot to drink...and ended up in my hotel room for "desert."

Her father had agreed to drive me out early to the trail on his way to work (6am) so that I could catch up with the rest of the "Dirty Half Dozen." So at 5:50am the next morning, her dad picks me up for the 15 minute drive to the trail. I'm exhausted and going on about 1 hour of sleep with no shower...

We just kept the conversation on small talk and I thanked him for the incredible hospitality...but he seemed a little tense. I was very happy to finally hit the trail and enjoy the memories of another great AT experience!

Happy hiking!

TTF

[DSM5K]

Luckily, I never had any sketchy hitches. My favorite hitchhike was from a 75 year old truck driver who had worked in the lumber industry his whole life. He was a fantastically nice warm character. He picked me up outside of Buena Vista, VA. I rode in the cab of his truck. He had a full load of lumber on huge logging truck. He talked about life, and also defended the need for logging. I didn't argue, because who doesn't love two-ply toilet paper? He dropped me off at a super market, and promised to pick me up from the supermarket on his way back. Watching that logging truck pull into a strip mall parking lot, just to pick me up and take me back to the trail made my day.

[Yahtzee]

I had a hitch in Hampton, TN that involved offers of weed, meth, crank, sex, food, money, actual witnessed incest, and a whole 'nother side that I am declining to post due to its bizarre (yes, more bizarre than incest) nature. I was never in fear and found the people to be oddly kind. They simply had the most backwards moral (a personal judgment, but damn!) principles I have ever seen. If I can ever get to the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club headquarters I am going to look up my entry in the Watauga Lake register 2003. It was fresh in my mind then.

Has anyone ever heard the "Take a drink" story? It is my fav. trail story. But it is best heard orally. Just wondering if the story had made the rounds.

[superman]

In "99" Winter and I were hiking on the LT/AT section in Vermont. We had to hitch for re-supply. A nice little white haired couple stopped for us. They had Winter get in the front seat between them. I sat in the back seat with our packs. As we drove off the old couple started talking to Winter. They were asking questions and apparently expecting answers. So I began answering the questions as if it were Winter answering. It was sick but ....what the hell...it was a ride. It has always been easier to get rides with Winter than hitching on my own.

[Ron Haven]

guy rubbed my leg and asked if my girlfriend did that for me.two dudes smelled like onions and started pawing my female companion.dude told me were "pushin em back in the citys"meaning blacks. guy told me he hates jews and hes sorry if im friends with any.i lied and sayed i wasnt a jew ,for the sake of a ride.guy picked me up at the trail and rt 61 and wouldnt let me go .ran when he stopped for beer. hide in town till he stopped circling the block.got ride in car with mother and baby.transmission fell.sudden rapid unstoppable exceleration.she told me to jump and i did with the baby at 30 miles an hour while she held the brakes.she skidded into a gas station and the man lifted the hood and stopped the battery. i was a hero and everyone was okay.That was ramps you smelled mwienstone ;)

[Wanderingson]

hell no,about 50 and white trailer trash,besides i wasnt that hard up!


So that's where my Ex-wide ended up?

[RockStar]

The worst that I experienced was Getting picked up at Gathland State Park in Maryland by a guy who seemed really nice but preeched to me about how irresponsible it is to take 6 months out of your life to hike! As he cracked open another Heine! Felt like my Step Father picked me up! :rolleyes:

[BigwaveDave]

This is good stuff, please keep it coming. I printed some of this out to pass around to my friends. We can't stop laughing at some of these stories.

[Trajectory]

I had a hitch in Hampton, TN that involved offers of ... actual witnessed incest,

He offered to let you watch him bang his sister?