Hitchhiking

[Tuna]

Is hitching a ride necessary on the AT?

I've never hitchhiked, and if I'm alone then I'm never intending to. Will this be a problem during my thru-hike, are there places where you absolutely need a ride?

[garlic08]

Sorry, I'm a guy, I hope this post is OK here. Pickle and I made it all the way to Manchester Center, VT, about 1600 miles, before we hitched for the first time. We hitched two more times, in ME. We used Pickle's cell phone (prepaid, poor coverage) to call for shuttles otherwise.

We made it a point to avoid hitching, sometimes hiking an extra 30 or 40 miles to do so. The three hitches we did were nearly unavoidable for us. If you have a better cell phone and someone to call, you might be able to do even less hitching. You'll probably need to hitch at least once, somewhere in ME, but it's generally pretty safe in that country, I think.

My wife hiked solo in '02 and hitched solo several times, and never had a problem with it. She tended to get rides quickly because the drivers didn't want to see a woman out hitching!

[Cool AT Breeze]

Yes you will need to catch a ride now and then. You will know in advance when these times are comming up and can make arangements with your hiking buddies to hitch together. No big deal.

[Blissful]

Yes, there are places it is - but it's better to try and snag a ride at parking areas if possible, like with day hikers or the public. And hitchhike with a buddy.

[Serial 07]

good advice the both of you...

[BookBurner]

Practically speaking, hitching is necessary. Remember, you can always say no to a questionable driver. But I'll bet you'll be surprised how many times families, elderly couples, or other non-menacing types stop to offer help. After initially sharing your same concerns, I now find hitchhiking to be very enjoyable and a highlight of most trips. Those who stop always seem to be very trusting and giving people themselves.

[Slo-go'en]

I've heard a few hitchhiking horror stories, usually involving drunk drivers, but these are rare. Most of the time rides will be from locals who often give hikers rides.

A few things I've learned over the years:
1. Its always easier to hitch into town in the afternoon/evening then it is to get out of town in the morning.
2. A woman alone gets a ride in no time.
3. A woman with a guy takes a little longer, but not by much
4. Two or more guys hitching - good luck!
5. Make sure your money, ID, etc, is on your person, just in case.
6. Don't forget you poles.
7. Its hard to get a ride on a busy road.
8. Make sure they can see you from a ways off, can see your pack and there is a place for them to pull off the road.
9. Some times its faster to walk, but usually it pays to stay put until a ride comes along.
10. What everyone else has said.

[Gaiter]

just be smart, check to make sure there aren't beer cans in the vehicle

you will always have a story after every hitch, even if its a hitch that you give.
and hitches come in all forms, from mennonite (sp?) ladies on a rainy day to dump trucks (which are perfect for 12 hikers and a dog!)

slo-go'en's list is dead on.

[cathy]

I never hitch alone. I carry a cell phone to call for shuttles. Sometimes I just figure I will have to walk into town. I have had people pull over and ask if I need a ride and I have accepted.

[windex]

I hitched alone, but was very picky about who I let take me. I always went with families, not single men ever.
Also... I hiked with two guys who were about my age for most of the trail and we would try to get a truck to grab all of us and we would jump in the back. I was the bait.... they would wait behind me and then I would convince the driver to take all three of us. Worked every time.
You will need to hitchhike... no doubt! I actually LOVED some of the hitchhikes that I got. Met some really cool people.

[Spirit Walker]

There are people who never hitchhike while thruhiking. I've known a couple of guys who decided to not ride in a car during their thruhikes - ever. It's rare, but it is feasible. It just means walking several miles to town where necessary. Most AT towns are only a few miles off trail - you can walk those extra miles if you have to. It's harder on the western trails, but I've known two who did it on the CDT where towns were 20+ miles off trail. If you really decide not to hitch, you just have to be willing to walk the extra distance - or be willing to pay for a shuttle if you choose that route instead.

OTOH, on the AT it isn't difficult to hitch those few miles either. The AT is well known and you will be quite obviously a hiker. The people who live near the trail are used to seeing hikers and if you are female will feel less nervous about picking you up than some of the guys. A lot of guys like to wait for their female friends to hitch to town because it is easier for women to get rides. When we finished the AT, my friend and I decided to hitch south from Katahdin. Once we got away from the trail, rides became very difficult. Instead of having people smile and wave at us, they gave us dirty looks and swerved to avoid us. We went from being thruhikers to being bums. It was a wierd experience after all the kindness I had met along the trail.

You can meet some interesting people while hitchhiking. On the AT you only get to talk to them for 5 or 10 minutes. We've had hitches out west that were 20 - 50 miles. The people who picked us up were really good people. I've gotten rides in Winnebagos, a cadillac, and some very tiny overstuffed cars where we just squished in together. I've met cowboys and college students and visitors from Europe. It can be an interesting part of your thruhike.

[mindi]

I hitched alone two or three times at the beginning of my hike, after that I always had someone with me. The only creepy ride I ever got was when I was with a guy.

The majority of people who will pick you up are very nice and just want to hear stories about the trail. You'll also get a lot of rides in the back of pickups, in which case you don't even have to get in with anyone (just don't leave anything behind)!

[earthbound]

Hitchhiking probably could be avoiding with some extra planning along the way, but you never know what might happen that will make you want to hitch to town. Usually you will be able to hitch in with someone else and then it isn't a big deal at all. Make sure you are hitchhiking the right direction to town. Second, I see that you are from the UK- when you get to the states, you can buy some mace or pepper spray. It's legal here. I carried a little one with me all the time and always kept it in my pocket when hitchhiking in addition to my money. This way if you throw your backpack in someone's car and they take off with it you aren't totally screwed. I only had to hitch alone once and I was so sick in Maine I didn't care who picked me up. Actually a few of my stranger hitches were because of illness. I never had to use the pepper spray but I was glad that I had it just in case.

[Kanati]

Hitchhiking is almost as much a part of hiking as hiking is. I would never walk over a mile if I could catch a ride. I found that I could get a ride quicker if I made a sign which only listed the name of the town I wanted to go to. At Pinkham notch a mother and 3 kids picked me up to carry me into Gorham, NH. She was smoking pot and high as a kite. She hauled me around for about an hour or more while she showed me where she grew up, went to school, where she got her first kiss. She took the kids swimming while I sat on the side of the road and waited. She tried to get me to smoke with her but I told her I out grew that about 1967. Finally after she was not able to convince me to pitch my tent on her brothers lawn, she dropped me off at a motel. She was never obstinant however.

[Mace]

My girl hitched from mount rogers to the store, and insisted on going alone, guess she was feeling adventurous.... she came back crying saying she had to almost jump out of the rednecks truck while it was moving he kept trying to feel her up and she thought he wasnt going to stop to let her out. needless to say chanses are, hitching a ride will be fine, but do it with a friend just to be safe... its kinda fun the first time you stick your thumb up.

[Old Grouse]

This may sound stupid but...never stand on the pavement when hitching. Stay on the shoulder of the road. In some states if you stand on the pavement, it's grounds for arrest.

[Tuna]

Having started this thread, and been feeling very anxious at the prospect of hitching whilst on the AT, I ended up hitching alone twice.

A wonderful couple insisted on taking me back to their house, cooking me lunch, letting me use their shower and laundry, and my taking a tour of their fruit gardens before dropping me into Franklin, and a guy in a truck drove me into Hiawasse at roughly 210mph with ZZ Top cranked all the way up to 11 on the stereo.

Both hitches were fine and memorable. I now understand that it is part of hiking and I'll be a lot less worried about it next time. Plus, everyone else is hitching too, and it's fun to swap stories about rides.

[Lilred]

People that live in trail towns are used to seeing hikers thumbing a ride. Still, hook up with others if you can to hitch into town.

[Blissful]

People that live in trail towns are used to seeing hikers thumbing a ride. Still, hook up with others if you can to hitch into town.


Agreed. I would still advise not to hitch alone if possible or look for rides in parking lots with fellow day hikers esp families, etc.

[Pips]

All of the above advice is great! I just finished my thru hike last year and just wanted to put in my two-cents. I hitchhiked probably a hundred times last year and I am a small, 25 year old female that doesn't look very threatening to even grandma. I got hitches pretty easily, I'd say. I got as many hitches as 8 one day... solo. I would even say that I enjoy hitching and looked forward to the opportunity to do so. I had every type of hitch and usually found myself intrigued by the people I was able to talk to or the kindness of the locals to turn around and take you a couple miles the other way. I hitched solo probably half the time. But, my point is that I also had one take ME (I was solo) home to his house without my permission. He was a local day hiker and he offered me a ride from a parking lot. There is no place safe. Thankfully, the story ends well, but not without several "horror movie" moments. And, the reality is, it only takes ONE bad hitch for something to go terribly wrong. However, I still say go ahead and hitchhike -- it is fun and DEFINITELY a part of the trail experience. Try to hitch with others as there is definitely safety in numbers. There will be lots of people on the trail and many of them will ride with you into town just to make sure you are safe. But, when you do go solo, be on TOP of your game. Be aware of the roads you are taking. Have your map/guidebook out. Have a knife or mace on hand (in your jacket pocket) and don't lose sight of your pack when you are by yourself. The community along the AT is great, but there is no group in society that is without flaw and without people with ill intentions. Have fun, but be SAFE!!!