View Full Version : Hitch hiking procedure in whites?
So I'm planning in august to drive up from Washington DC with a stop in Boston to hike the whites. I was hoping to park at Pinkham Notch and shuttle down to Liberty Springs, unfortunately the timing of that trip doesn't seem ideal if I'm starting my day in Boston. It appears i can catch an 8am shuttle or a 10:10am shuttle.
I know people are pretty hitch friendly in that area, but do I make a big sign saying where I'm going? Or do i just flag down cars? Is there any sort of "standard" -> i figured we could drive up from boston and then spend the 1st day "trying" to make it hitchiking... if that doesnt work i guess we can just spend the night and take the 8am shuttle the next morning.
Any adivce would be appreciated. I know i can take shuttle connections (but they are in the $100+ range and thats just out of our budget unfortunatly).
Thanks,
-j
fiddlehead
06-13-2009, 04:48
I like signs. (i use my tyvek ground sheet and carry a sharpie)
But, finding a good spot for a hitch is important.
You need to make sure it is an area where it is easy for cars to pull over safely and wait for you to come up to them.
Also, an area where they can see you for some distance before they get to you helps.
Try to look neat in appearance and stand up straight and smile (try not to look like a bum)
Do all of that and if you don't have a sign to hold, simply hold out your thumb and most people know what that means.
Having a good looking girl along helps. So does a dog.
Be nice. (don't ruin it for the next hiker.)
Hitching near the AT was easy down south. NJ, NY, CT and MA where near impossible. Seems as soon as I crossed into VT it got much better again all the way to Katahdin.
Blue Jay
06-13-2009, 16:29
Try to look neat in appearance and stand up straight and smile (try not to look like a bum)
I've found that smiling is the most important thing you can do to get a ride in New England. Everyone up here thinks that terrorists and serial killers never smile.
Another tip I learned is to have treking poles completely collapsed and on the pack. As was already indicated, hitchhiking is fairly easy in Vermont and New Hampshire, at least near the trail(s). Most people in the vicinity of the AT/LT know exactly where and why you're going.
OldStormcrow
06-15-2009, 09:02
I always made sure that I carried a large black magic marker. You can pick up a piece of light colored cardboard at just about any store or dumpster, then make a nice large and legible sign indicating your desired destination. I would sometime get several pieces so I could make a new sign for each major highway change I had to make. This was for "mundane" hitchhiking, though, 'cause I would never "yellow blaze"......:@)
Thanks guys,
My plan as of now is to go to pinkham notch and then try to hitch (i'll have a cute girlfriend along so that should help). If hitching isn't working i can always camp the night and take the shuttle in the morning i guess.
peakbagger
06-15-2009, 13:25
Thats a "tough hitch" unless you get a friendly hiker, it may be three different hitches. If you go South on Rt 16, you need to hitch to Conway (south of North Conway), to the Kancamagas highway (odds are 30/70 that your ride will go all the way), then hitch the Kanc (good odds that you will hitch the entire length), then hitch up 93 to Liberty Springs (tough hitch from 93 so you may want to take the RT3 spur to Flume rather than hitching on 93.
The alternative is go north from Pinkam on Rt 16 to Gorham (good chance of a straight hitch), then hitch west to RT 115 in Jefferson (about a 30% chance or getting a complete hitch), then RT 115 to RT3 to I93 south to the basin exit (good chance of a hitch). Then take the bike trail from the basin to the AT crossing (which is about halfway between the Basin exit and the Flume exit via the bike path).
The main advantage of hitching north out of Pinkham is that the AMC shuttle drives by via that route so if you get stuck you can try to flag them down. (the only stop right on the way is Appalachia in Randolph)
I really have no experience hitching .... but perhaps I should reconsider ... looking at a map it does seem like I'd have to do it in segments...
Hitching near the AT was easy down south. NJ, NY, CT and MA where near impossible. Seems as soon as I crossed into VT it got much better again all the way to Katahdin.
From my knowledge, Hitch hiking in NJ is an Arrestable offence, so people dont often pick anyone up. Which is funny, because if you meet someone at a trailhead and ask for a ride, and they are not in their car, it is A.O.K, but if you are on the side of the road thumbing, people wont stop.
Jack Tarlin
06-16-2009, 10:45
Fiddlehead pretty much covered it, especially with his comments about appearance; standing in a safe place; and having a sign made up.
The sign thing is important, as it makes it look like you have an actual itinereary/destination, as opposed to being some shiftless bum standing by the road with his thumb out.
Also, ditch the sunglasses, make eye contact with the drivers, and smile. In many, many cases, the driver's decision to pick up a hitcher is a last-second
impulse, and the principal deciding factor is how his brain processes you and your appearance. Eye contact and a friendly smile goes a long way.
I am from NH; I always made a sign.
OldStormcrow
06-16-2009, 15:52
Something else that I discovered 'way back in my hitchhiking days....if you are standing there with your thumb out and having to face into the sun, position yourself so that you have a speed limit sign or something shading your face and eyes. That way you can be all relaxed and smiling and nice, 'cause nobody is going to stop and pick up someone who is standing there with their face all contorted and funny looking.
pokey pear
06-28-2009, 15:32
When are you going to be doing this hike. We live in the whites and would be happy to shuttle you provided we are around the date you need.
Cookerhiker
06-28-2009, 15:44
Perhaps I missed something - you're leaving your car at Pinkham and seeking a ride to the Liberty Springs trailhead. Why not use the AMC shuttle? (http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodging-shuttle.cfm) Is it because the time isn't convenient for you? You'll probably take more time hitching.
I'm faced with the same logistics as you on Sunday, July 26. The shuttle doesn't put me on the trail at Liberty Springs until 11 so I'm paying big bucks for a shuttle.
Yes ... timing is the issue. I'm driving from Washington, DC probably spending a night in Boston. The shuttle i think leaves pinkham at something like maybe 800am in order to arrive by 11. so the timing just seems difficult. Also is it really a 3 hr drive from pinkham to liberty? Looking on the map it didn't seem it should be that long ... but who knows.
My date's arent 100% firm yet but there is a slight chance i'd be coming up in your time frame.
-Jeff
Perhaps I missed something - you're leaving your car at Pinkham and seeking a ride to the Liberty Springs trailhead. Why not use the AMC shuttle? (http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodging-shuttle.cfm) Is it because the time isn't convenient for you? You'll probably take more time hitching.
I'm faced with the same logistics as you on Sunday, July 26. The shuttle doesn't put me on the trail at Liberty Springs until 11 so I'm paying big bucks for a shuttle.
peakbagger
06-29-2009, 08:25
It can take you three hours to drive from Pinkham to Liberty trailhead during tourist season. North Conway can chew up an hour and during some events 2hours isnt unusual. I would plan 1 and half hours minimum. Now that you are driving, the best bet is RT 16 south from Pinkham to Glen NH, then RT 302 west to Bartlett, then Bear Notch Road (no route number) to Kancamagus highway, to Rt 3 in Lincoln the up RT 3 to the Flume and then the just after the Flume look for the AT parking on the right. If you go too far, you will end up on I93 and have a choice of going several miles north to turn around, or take the first exit and park, then hike the bike path south to the Liberty trail.
Bear Notch road is a paved seasonal road. Its well marked. Bascially drive past the Attitash ski area on Rt 302 and in a couple of miles you will enter the center of Bartlett. When you see an elementary school on your left set back from the road, slow down and look for a flashing light (might be the only traffic light in town) and turn left onto the notch road.
High Life
06-29-2009, 08:38
Thats a "tough hitch" unless you get a friendly hiker, it may be three different hitches. If you go South on Rt 16, you need to hitch to Conway (south of North Conway), to the Kancamagas highway (odds are 30/70 that your ride will go all the way), then hitch the Kanc (good odds that you will hitch the entire length), then hitch up 93 to Liberty Springs (tough hitch from 93 so you may want to take the RT3 spur to Flume rather than hitching on 93.
The alternative is go north from Pinkam on Rt 16 to Gorham (good chance of a straight hitch), then hitch west to RT 115 in Jefferson (about a 30% chance or getting a complete hitch), then RT 115 to RT3 to I93 south to the basin exit (good chance of a hitch). Then take the bike trail from the basin to the AT crossing (which is about halfway between the Basin exit and the Flume exit via the bike path).
The main advantage of hitching north out of Pinkham is that the AMC shuttle drives by via that route so if you get stuck you can try to flag them down. (the only stop right on the way is Appalachia in Randolph)
Peakbagger is dead on with this .. that part of the trail is a tough place to hitch . you might be waiting awhile . its also a touristy area and vacationing families arent gonna pick you up , You're better off with the AMC shuttles
check out https://www.outdoors.org/ for info
Rockhound
06-29-2009, 08:45
Make sure your sign says, " WONT KILL YOU " to allay any fears of a prospective ride.
BostonAndy
06-29-2009, 10:43
There is a board in the bottom of pinkham notch lodge where people leave there numbers is offer rides. You might want to check that out. Seems to be local people who only charge a few bucks. Haven't tried it myself, but friends have and worked out great.
Cookerhiker
06-29-2009, 23:21
Perhaps I missed something - you're leaving your car at Pinkham and seeking a ride to the Liberty Springs trailhead. Why not use the AMC shuttle? (http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodging-shuttle.cfm) Is it because the time isn't convenient for you? You'll probably take more time hitching.
I'm faced with the same logistics as you on Sunday, July 26. The shuttle doesn't put me on the trail at Liberty Springs until 11 so I'm paying big bucks for a shuttle.
Yes ... timing is the issue. I'm driving from Washington, DC probably spending a night in Boston. The shuttle i think leaves pinkham at something like maybe 800am in order to arrive by 11. so the timing just seems difficult. Also is it really a 3 hr drive from pinkham to liberty? Looking on the map it didn't seem it should be that long ... but who knows.
My date's arent 100% firm yet but there is a slight chance i'd be coming up in your time frame.
-Jeff
I've also had problems hitching in the Whites in summer - lots of cars but as others have said, they're mostly tourists and won't stop for hitchhikers.
I didn't know about ride offerings at Pinkham "for a few bucks" but I didn't want to chance it. My GF and I are doing a luxurious hut-to-hut hike starting at Liberty Spring on the 26th and didn't want to wait 'till 11 to start hiking. I think the reason the AMC shuttle takes longer is (a) you have to change shuttles at the Highland Center and (b) they stop at lots of trailheads which is OK - that's their purpose.
Anyway if you change your dates to coincide with mine, we can split the shuttle. I'm spending the night of July 25 at Pinkham and getting my ride about 7:40 AM Sunday the 26th from Pinkham.
It can take you three hours to drive from Pinkham to Liberty trailhead during tourist season. North Conway can chew up an hour and during some events 2hours isnt unusual. Why would you go through North Conway anyway? It is only 50 miles if you go north from Pinkham, through Gorham and Twin Mtn, rather than south. Hour and a half max, even with traffic.