[pct-l] Re: Hitching

[AsABat at 4Jeffrey.Net (AsABat)]

> Personally, I'd rather walk ten miles on asphalt, on
> the hottest day of the year with no water, than to
> turn on the sleaze and used car salesman tactics.

I gotta disagree. I don't consider it turning on the sleaze. I call it
letting someone know what I honestly need and why. As a section hiker, I've
rarely needed a hitch, having prearranged a ride from start to finish. But I
have had occasions when I desparately needed a ride.

My first hitch ever was at 18 or so, when I was skiing at Tahoe and did some
major damage on a knee, tearing ligaments and cartilege. I was stuck at the
bottom of a run on the Nevada side with the lifts long closed, with my
friends and ride on the California side. I only had to tell two people out
of the few still in the parking lot what happened and what I needed. I got a
ride not just to where they were going, but all the way to my motel. I
suspect it would have taken a lot longer with my thumb out while holding a
big pair of skis and wearing ski boots.

I don't often pick up hitchhikers, unless I can clearly see they're PCTers
during the thru-hike season. I do, however, often give rides to those who
ask at the trailhead parking lot.

AsABat