Re: [at-l] Hitching and the AT

["Mara Factor" <m_factor@hotmail.com>]

Best way to hitch is not at all...

When you meet people on the trail heading for their car at the trailhead, 
strike up a conversation.  Eventually, you'll be imply that you'll be 
hitching into town.  With any luck, they'll offer you a ride.  If not, you 
can just ask them.

In town, if you're at a restaurant or store and looking for a ride to the 
trailhead, it's OK to wait outside and ask people as they are leaving if 
they are heading in the direction of the trailhead.  Often they'll offer you 
a ride, sometimes even if it's out of the way.

If you are staying in a motel, you can ask the proprietor if they know 
anyone going in your direction.  Sometimes they will offer a ride or know 
someone who can, or others in the lobby might overhear and offer you a ride.

By being in a position to ask politely and in person, they are much more 
likely to offer you a ride than if you were a stranger standing along the 
side of the road.  They may say "no" and that is OK and their perogative.  
Remember, they do not "owe" you anything.

Anything you can do to make yourself look neater can only help.  Tuck a 
shirt in, pull hair back into a ponytail, tame wild hair with a hat, take 
off your dark sunglasses, take off bandanas that  make you look like a 
pirate, etc...  Also, try to keep your stuff self contained.  I would always 
collapse my hiking poles and attach them to my pack.  It took less time to 
load and unload.  I always kept my backpack visible as I was hitching as 
people are more likely to pick up backpackers (esp. thruhikers in some 
areas) than grungy looking "vagrants."

I met some wonderful people while hitching and had some great experiences.  
The only bad experiences I had was when I couldn't get rides.  Once at a 
trailhead with a couple of police looking for someone they feared might be 
commiting suicide (false alarm) and once on just a really bad road for 
stopping.  Both of these were walking distance from/to town.  I walked.

Mara
Stitches, GAME99

>Anyone got any thoughts on how you can safely hitch
>a lift into (or out of) towns?> >   ** Ken **
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