[pct-l] hitching out of towns

[yogihikes at sbcglobal.net (yogi)]

"Giving the gift" is an interesting concept.  I first
learned of it when I heard Nimbelwill Nomad speak in
2000.  He was giving a talk about his first East Coast
Trail hike.  The story goes like this:  

He was sitting outside a convenience store in Alabama
when an old woman and her granddaughter stopped to
talk.  They thought he was a homeless person.  After
talking for a while, they went on their way, but they
quickly came back and handed Nomad some money.  Nomad
thought for a moment and really didn't want to take
the money because he didn't really need it.  But he
could see that it was important to the grandmother and
granddaughter.  The money was their gift to him.  So
he "gave them the gift" and accepted the money.  By
accepting the money, he gave them the opportunity to
help a complete stranger.  To do something nice.

For some people (think hard here, stillroaming, we all
know this is a concept you don't understand), being
nice feels good.  For some people, we like helping
others.  In Nomad's example, he was helping them by
allowing them to help him.  It was a win-win
situation.

My hitchhiking post yesterday uses the same concept. 
A local who talks to hikers, learns about the trail,
then offers to help the hikers, has made the choice to
help the hikers out.  The local might have seen hikers
before, might have even seen hikers hitching, but
didn't really know what it was all about and never
would have picked up a hitchhiker.  Now the local has
learned about hikers, decided to do something nice,
and offered to drive the hikers to the trail.  The
hikers gave the local the gift of helping someone in
need.  Another win-win situation.  Most human beings
enjoy helping others. 

Another good reason to talk to town people and
essentially choose whose car you're going to get into
is for safety.  I would much rather choose whose car I
get into than to stick my thumb out and let them
choose me.  

yogi
www.pcthandbook.com



--- stillroaming <PCT@DelNorteResort.Com> wrote:

> Interesting post Yogi.
> 
> Another method of hicthing is to stand on the side
> of the road with your
> thumb out. Simple and effective.
> 
> The real benefit to this technique is it allows you
> to be 'genuinely'
> interested in folks that you meet, as opposed to
> walking around with the
> schmooze on pandering for a freebie.
> 
> Hopefully, not all hikers employ Yogi's technique.
> Even us dumb 'ol
> backcountry folks will see right through it. This is
> *not* the type of
> impression you want to leave on the communities
> visit.
> 
> Scott
> 
> >>>>
> There is an art to getting FROM a trail town back TO
> the trail.  It begins the very moment you arrive in
> that trail town.  BE NICE.  Say please and thank
> you.
> Tip big at restaurants and bars.  That means 20-25%
> of
> your bill.  It's usually only $1-$2 more than a 15%
> tip, and it builds karma.  More importantly,
> restaurant servers and bartenders know a lot of
> people, especially in small towns.  You treat them
> well, and they'll spread the word that hikers are
> good
> people.
> 
> Talk to the locals.  Smile and say hello when you
> pass
> people on the street and in the stores.  If you have
> the opportunity to strike up a conversation, DO IT.
> Talk about the trail.  Talk about how you needed to
> come into town to resupply and get cleaned up. 
> Follow
> that with something like "we're not sure how we'll
> get
> back to the trail tomorrow.  It's only 10 miles by
> car, but we don't have a car."  By phrasing things
> this way, you give the other person the opportunity
> to
> help you, to do something nice.  They like that. 
> I've
> found that people are much more "willing" to drive
> me
> to the trail when it's THEIR idea, rather than when
> I
> blatantly ask for a ride.  (but, of course, that was
> my plan all along).
> 
> yogi
> <<<<
>
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