Female hitch hiker??

[twistwrist]

Hey ladies. I have this fear, hopefully unfounded, of being a single female and hitch hiking into towns along the trail. To how many towns do you all have to hitchhike, particularly from Springer to Harper's Ferry? What kinds of experienced have you all had? Thanks!

[tiptoe]

As a single female, not young, I've been fine hitching into Front Royal, Waynesboro, and Glasgow (VA). The scariest ride was the hitch out of Glasgow back to the trail. A young couple, very friendly, gave me a ride, but she (the driver) didn't seem to grasp the physics of momentum on a windy mountain road. She was chatting away, oblivious to the fact that the SUV was fast approaching the rear of a big dump truck lumbering up the hills and braking down them. This happened several times on the trip. Two or three times I asked her to slow down and allow more space. (The boyfriend agreed.) I was thankful to be dropped off at the trail in one piece.

Farther north, I've also had good hitches into and out of Palmerton (PA) and Gorham (NH), where the people who offered me rides were extra-helpful.

[Hot Flash]

You don't HAVE to hitch anywhere.

[Dogtra]

Solo-hitching? Mostly good experiences. I can only recall two bad hitches.

One was a crazy driver that scared the **** out of me with his driving "skills". I did make it in one piece and it was one of the fastest rides into town ever... but I almost kissed the pavement when he stopped. Was worse for me even as I was riding in the back of the truck. Super friendly guy, had a great time talking with him... but I pity anyone that rides with him.

Another time my "creep radar" must have malfunctioned and I was in a hurry to get into town. Without going into details I'll just say that I don't know if I'll hitch solo with a lone man, or men for that matter, ever again. It would likely depend on if my gut says the guy that pulls over is of a good sort. Otherwise I'll just thank him for stopping and politely decline. Would feel better with a couple, family, or woman at this point.

If you're considering a thru-hike, I'll just add that you won't be hitching solo as much as you may think. For a long while you're never really alone on an AT thru-hike, whether you want it to be so or not.

[twistwrist]

Awesome! That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for!
So which towns would you guys say are worth hitch hiking to but are too far to walk? On that note, what is your personal limit for "too far" to walk once off trail?

[Dogtra]

"Too far". Mhmmm. That is relative to each hiker - their fitness level, mood, and schedule. Not to mention you have to consider factors like weather, time of day, and hazards that may exist along the stretch of road that leads into town. Shuttles and/or taxi services are also available more often than not. For me hitch-hiking into town was mostly a matter of energy conservation, money savings, and speed in and out of town. If the distance was only a couple miles and it was safe to travel by foot, I would walk into town.

[slbirdnerd]

Keep a shuttle list handy and if you can't get a hitch or feel like you can't hitch safely in an area, call a shuttle.

[twistwrist]

You guys rock! Thank you so much for the advice! I'm a total noob, so please pardon my ignorance. I'm quickly learning...a helluva lot!

[GirlfromOZ]

I've promised my family I won't hitch... So I'll be shuttling/walking into town. hopefully this will have the added bonus of making me want to go to town less so I'll save money too!


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[Bati]

What kinds of experienced have you all had?

The number of good hitches far outweigh the bad one.

A female friend and I asked a man who stopped to pick us up on a snowy Georgia road (Dick's Creek Gap) if he would have stopped if we were male. His reply was that he didn't realize we were female until we go in the car. We were covered in gore-tex and balaclava's at the time.

One very memorable ride where I was trying to get a phone ( before cell phones were common) ended with dinner and a free dance concert.

A handful have been from park employees, such as the guy in BS park who gave a ride from a place near the entrance to Daicey Pond.

I took a Fontana resort employee up on her offer of a ride back to the Hilton when her shift was over (not too long a wait for me and that was road I did not want to hike.)

I still recall the license plate of one hitch in PA, but it went well, despite a conversation that seared the number into my brain. That's the only one I recall that I would classify as scary; excluding a few turns that were taken at a slightly higher rate of speed than I would have preferred.

The lack of shoulders and blind curves on a road can make it far worse to hike than a longer one on a better road (Fontana comes to mind as a bad road to hike). You can cut down on hitches by stopping in fewer towns; it used to be common to carry 5 days worth of food and you do get more of wilderness experience that way.

Trust you instinct and remember that many of the best hitches don't involve putting out your thumb. And in many cases nowadays, you can call a shuttle. But be aware that shuttles are not always available, cell phones do not always have service, pay phones are disappearing, post offices are only open at certain times, and things do go wrong. So be prepared to balance the risks.

[cloquinn]

I only have positive experiences hitchhiking. Most times I was with my hiking partner who is also female and we found it much easier to hitch rides than the men on the trail did. There was one instance when I hitched alone but it was thankfully a great experience. Just to be on the safe side, I kept my pocket knife and cell phone in the hip belt pocket of my pack for easy access. If someone stops who makes you feel uneasy, tell them something like "I just remembered I left something back at my friends camp" and don't get in the car. Most people who are picking up hikers have lived in those trail towns for a while and are just trying to give a little trail magic, and I found that a lot of them are even thru-hikers from previous years. It is always best to stay alert in these situations though, as being in town is likely more dangerous than anywhere on the trail itself.

[Slo-go'en]

There are plenty of guys around who will be more then willing to hitch into town with you, as having a female companion makes it SO much quicker and easier to get a ride.

And do keep your phone, money or other valuables on your person on the very remote and unlikely chance someone decides to drive off with your pack.

[gypsy97]

I attempted a thru hike in 1997 (had to stop after 900 miles). I hiked with my black lab so I didn't even try to hitch most of the time, and I was able to manage without rides although I probably had to do some road walking. The one time I hitched I got a ride in a pickup truck - put the dog in the back and climbed in with him and my pack. If I were to be hiking today (which I would love to try) I doubt I would hitch at all if I could avoid it.

[Spirit Walker]

I've never had a bad hitch, just some that took a long time to happen. When I thruhiked the AT the first time, I assumed I wouldn't hitch, so I had my maildrops only in towns that were actually on the trail. That made for some very heavy carries. Carrying 7-14 days of food was unnecessary. (At the time, Monson was still on the trail and there was a blue blaze into Gorham.) I also learned that I hadn't packed enough food and needed to go to some of the towns I had intended to skip. I had no idea how hungry I would get hiking all day. I soon learned that if there was the possibility of eating real food, I'd hitch in a minute. At a couple of road crossings, I'd give it 10 minutes - if I got a ride, I'd go to town, if I didn't, I'd keep hiking and skip the town. I almost always got a ride. When you're thruhiking, even a few miles off trail walking seems like too much. Absurd, in the grand scheme, but when it is so easy to get a ride, most of us will stick out thumbs out rather than walk 3-5 miles to the nearest town.

[Sandy of PA]

I never had to put out a thumb but did accept rides from day-hikers and female drivers. No scarey rides just wonderful people!

[squeezebox]

When I was I was in my 20's I was an attractive young man and did some hitching now and then. Every once in a while I got a ride with a creepy gay man. Did I emphicize "Creepy". So maybe I understand a bit of your concerns. Just keep your creepy radar on.
What's wrong with men, women straight or lesbian don't that do that kind of crap.

[SoniaButton]

I haven't hiked the trail yet (woot woot, I start in March), but I have hitch hiked. I will also be hitchhiking from Illinois to Georgia for my thru-hike. I am a young, small and petite female. If I can do it, hell yeah you can do it.

My advice: Like squeezebox said, use your radar. Be smart. Just because someone stops for you doesn't mean you have to take the ride. There will be other people who stop too, so don't take any ride you initially feel uncomfortable about. Be a badass, and by that I mean keep your head held up and don't give off any vibe that you are a victim. I firmly believe that confidence goes a long way in how someone will treat you in a situation like this. Also, make sure you don't flirt. I have seen many gals who think they're just being nice, but in reality are giving off the wrong vibe. You don't want to give off the wrong vibe when you are hitching.

Overall, most people who pick you up just want to hear about your travel and adventure- that's why they picked you up in the first place. And even if you have doubts, alot of people who pick you up also have doubts. It can be scary on both ends, so just make the best of it and be grateful for your driver.

[quasarr]

I realize this thread is a little old, but here's my 2 cents. I have hitched alone on the PCT a few times and never had a problem. However, I have heard scary stories and you do need to be cautious. If you want to turn down a ride without being rude, just say something like, "Oh no I realized I forgot my camera on a rock back there! Sorry I need to go get it!"

One misconception about women hitching is that you will easily get a ride because so many creepy guys want to pick you up. But actually, many rides are from people like families or women who would never pick up a single man. I once got a ride from a family in an RV with two young kids! There is no way they would have stopped for a scruffy, bearded hiker dude. And male hikers like to partner with women for hitching for the same reason - the presence of a woman makes people feel less afraid of picking him up. (the so-called "ride bride") If you aren't comfortable hitching alone, partnering with a male friend is a good idea. I think a male-female pair has the best ride likelihood and safety. (More than two and people won't have space in the car.)

And as others have said, many hostels/hotels have trail shuttles. That is a safe option if you really don't want to hitch. The prices vary.

[dudeijuststarted]

I caught a lift outside of Monson and the guy wouldn't stop talking about how he wanted to take female hikers home to his wife. Don't get complacent, be careful, schedule shuttles.

[One Half]

I caught a lift outside of Monson and the guy wouldn't stop talking about how he wanted to take female hikers home to his wife. Don't get complacent, be careful, schedule shuttles.

maybe he just wanted her to catch the 'hiking bug.'