[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[pct-l] RE: hitchiking 101



 
>   ive been reading about many people having problems hitching rides,so i think i can help you all out. ive hitched across the country a couple of times  and up and down the 1-5  and hwy101 corridors many many times and in many places along the p.c.t. last year i did a stretch from ashland to past  etna summit and back, i hitched from ashland to the trail(wait time 30min.)  from etna summit to etna(wait time 30 seconds)etna back(1hour, but i was busy drinking a couple of beers and was`nt trying too hard!) then from etna to
  castle crags to meet my ride(started around 1 arrived castle crags around 5ish)
heres some hints

> 1)DO YOUR HOMEWORK

> as some people have mentioned, there is more than one route to a lot of trail towns 2lane state hyways or local roads are usally preferrable to interstates.
 get as much local info as possible,for example north bend has been
> mentioned as a possible resuppy  point from snoqualimie pass because it`s
> closer than cle elem,but in this case closer is not better ,because the north bend freeway onramp is posted with we really mean it, no stopping,no hitchiking and is heavily patrolled. you can get in but you can`t get out!
 don`t get too hung up on mileages, the difference between a 5mile hitch and a 15mile hitch is only 10 minutes, go to the best place!
2)LOCATION,LOCATION,LOCATION
where the pct crosses the road is not always the best spot.
ex.where the p.c.t. crosses the road at etna summit your view(and the drivers) is blocked by a large rock outcrop i had good results a couple of hundred feet towards etna.
don`t be afraid to go the opposite direction if it`s a better spot!
look for a place where the driver can pull over  safely and stand a bit before it.
the slower the speed the betteryour chances for a ride are,especially when hitching back from town,go as far out of town as you can before the speed increases.
> 3)PREPARATION
> 1person has a much better chance of getting a ride than 2people do.trying to hitch with3 or more people or your dog can add months to your p.c.t. trek
if your just going into town for a quick supply stop stash your pack somewhere off trail, the less you carry the better your odds are of landing a ride.
try to stand out from the usual hitchiking crowd, if you have boots wear them, try to look like a  harmless granola eatin backpacker.

4)HITCHING
most important SMILE, you wan`t to give the impression your not a (dangerous)weirdo.
stand up, sitting down gives two impressions; lazyness and dirtyness.
 
make eye contact and talk, most people are excelent lip readers,ask them to help you out,go water,water, whatever works!

be theatrical hold your arms out wide, plead,pray, put your arms over your heart, keep working them even after they pass you,ive had more than one person turn aroud and come back to get me even after theyve driven a couple of miles!
if you have to take your pack into town put it flat on the ground or behind you make it look small and unobtrusive.
the same goes if you are hitching with another person, have the second person stand back a bit don`t hide just don`t be overly visable!
if you don`t mind your party being split up a good strategy is to have one person hitch while the others sit a bit apart then when a driver stops ask if they have room for your friends,if they do great, if they don`t then the next person can take over.

 5)SAFETY
in the thousands of rides ive gotten only 3 bad ones stand out;there was the `closet case` in georgia,who wanted to get freindly by grabbing at my um,`swimsuit area`and quickly found out it was a bad idea,the trucker out of bakersfield who wen`t psycho on me when my knowledge of the holy trinity was`nt up to snuff and a frenzied drive from baker to vegas in under an hour(partly my fault). so ive found hitchiking to be relativly safe but there are a few common sense tips.

don`t keep all your money in your wallet,put the bulk of it down your pants or wherever then keep a couple of bucks in your wallet for a `dummy drop` also let the driver know your broke;ex.i can`t wait to get to town to pick up my package im down to my last two dollars.

when you leave ,wave at some one(even if no ones visable)or yell at some one(even if you do`nt know them)ex,be back soon!let the driver know someone is watching after you and you will be missed.

always ask where the driver is headed not only does this give you a chance to look the driver over it makes sure you wont be dropped off in bumfuct eygpt.

if the driver dosnt pass muster DONT TAKE THE RIDE use a excuse;ex.etna, im headed to sawers bar,i left my camera up trail,then walk away.

, if someone wants to get friendler than youd like girls remember this,take index finger,put down throat,aim for crotch. this should cool most wouldbe romeos advances(if it dos`nt pummel without mercy)

>END NOTES 
donner pass rest area is a good place to troll for rides, learn the art of asking for a ride without asking,ex. hi im hiking the p.c.t. to canada i need to go pick up my package at soda springs,is that the on ramp?(you will of course be much more eloquent)
> when hitching on interstates on ramps(1-10 1-90) you may see signs that say no hitchiking beyond this point, ignore them, ive never been hassled about it even in the most anti hitching states(utah) as long as you dont enter the freeway you should be fine.
as a rule of thumb hitching on the freeways is a nono because A)the cops will hassle you and B)no one will stop but there are a few exceptions
in oregon it`s legal to hitch on the freeway and people are more likley to stop for you(another rule of thumb, the farther north you go the easyer hitching is)the ashland summit to ashland corridor is the only place where you would have to hit the freeway,my best results have been to stand at the end of the on ramp between the ramp  and main traffic lanes so i could work both sides.

if you really get stuck(carry a magic marker) make a sign that says
 5 dollars to mojave(cabazon) and hit the freeway you should get a ride before the cops come(if they do throw yourself on there mercy and hope you paid all your traffic tickets!)

not everyone will pick you up. even in a natural disaster or emergency you would have a better chance of getting a ride from the swedish bikini ski team than you would getting a ride from;an r.v.,convertable, lexas(or above),yuppies.

though elderly(a subjective term) couples will probally not pick you up ,single elderly males can be one of your best source of rides,many of them are ww2 or korean era vets and have fond memories of hitching to town from base and don`t mind helping out us youngsters(another subjective term) 
i have hitched the stevens pass corridor over fifty times and it has never taken me more than 20 minutes to get a ride,rain,snow or shine and from many points,it dosnt get any easyer than this.

> hike on. rob
> ------------------------------------------------

> 
> 










------------------------------------------------



--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/alternative
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
  text/html
---