[pct-l] Hitchhiking

[Trekker4 at aol.com (Trekker4@aol.com)]

Eric's post with a website link, _http://www.digihitch.com/_ 
(http://www.digihitch.com/) , appears to be  about hitchhiking and road trips all over the 
world. There's a great article  with guidelines about picking up hitchhikers, 
including "location, location,  location"; pasted in this email are my rules for 
hitchin'. You'll notice my Rule  #5 addresses "location". 
    Below is a MS Word 2000.doc, which I can't attach  due to PCT-L 
restrictions, so I'm pasting it; I think one could repaste it  back to a Word.doc, to 
save it as file on your computer; it fits on 1 page with  .5 inch margins. The 
formatting on Rule #10 got messed up when I pasted it  into this email; 
hopefully, you can correct it when you repaste; it's all  supposed to be 10 pt 
Ariel. 
    I wrote this for Wingfoot's AT website a long  time ago; I don't think he 
ever posted it, but I figured that was just because  of the way Wingfoot is, 
or was, or whatever. Feel free to use it or pass it on 
 
 
 
BOB?S 10 RULES FOR  HITCHHIKING  
Over the last 25+ years  I?ve done a lot of hitchhiking to and from trails. It
?s amazing how many  hitchhikers one sees that don?t use any common sense 
when thumbing a ride. My  rules help to get a ride as quickly as possible, and 
to make sure that ride is a  safe one. Rules 1-6 deal with getting the ride; 
Rules  7 - 9 deal with accepting the ride and making sure it's a safe one; and 
Rule 10  deals with helping the rest of us get rides. 
1. ALWAYS USE A SIGN: Your credibility  is greatly increased, because it lets 
people know you have a definite  destination and what that destination is.  
2. MAKE THE SIGN READABLE: People in  cars must be able to read your sign at 
60 mph. For instance, the common practice  of black lettering, with narrow 
stroke letters or numbers, on brown cardboard is  almost unreadable; I feel that 
black lettering on a white sign is probably the  most readable. Make your sign 
at least half an 8.5x11 inch sheet, or larger;  don't use paper, because it 
comes apart quickly if wet and is hard to hold up in  a wind. I use 8.5x5.5 
inch, white card stock, which can be burned at the first  safe opportunity on the 
trail. Use a permanent black marker and make the width  of the letter or 
number strokes as wide as possible.  
3. THINK  ABOUT WHAT THE SIGN SAYS: Keep the sign to 1-3 words; at 60 mph 
people  can?t read more than that. Don?t use a sign saying Appalachian Trail, 
for  instance, when you?re 150 miles from the trail; put a larger town close to 
your  destination on the top half of the sign, and perhaps a smaller town 
where you  have to change highways or AT on the bottom half of your sign. If 
necessary, use  more than one sign for each hitch, to keep the words at 1-3 per 
sign. When you  get to that small town or side road off an Interstate, for 
instance, pull out  another sign with another small town on the top and Appalachian 
Trail on the  bottom; you?re closer to your destination, and more local people 
will know where  that small town is and maybe where the AT crosses the 
highway.  
4. ALWAYS  BE STANDING UP & HAVE YOUR BACKPACK STANDING & VISIBLE: If it  
looks like you?re a hiker, and not a drifter, your credibility increases. Try to  
avoid having your face in the shadow of a hat brim; people need to see your  
face; and try to look as presentable as possible. Put on some clean clothes, 
so  you stink as little as possible. I have lots of patches on my pack; they 
are  always visible; and I believe that helps my credibility. 
5. POSITION YOURSELF TO MAKE IT EASY FOR SOMEONE TO  STOP: Don?t stand where 
there?s no room for a driver to slow and safely  get completely off the road 
to stop; one commonly sees hitchhikers standing  where there?s no shoulder for 
a hundred yards, in curves, right before a bridge,  or on the wrong side of a 
traffic light or stop/yield sign. Don?t stand on the  stopping side of a 
traffic light or stop/yield sign; those drivers won?t pick  you up when there?s 
traffic piling up behind them or they're in the wrong lane.  If you?re on the 
other side of an intersection, they have time to become aware  of you while 
stopping/yielding, judge your credibility while stopping or  slowing, and look for 
a place to safely stop near you.     
6. ALWAYS  CARRY A GOOD HIGHWAY MAP & KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AT ALL TIMES: Carry  
the map in your hand when you walk up to a potential ride, so you can show 
the  driver exactly where you need to go and to increase your credibility. Know 
what  highway numbers you?re looking for, so you don?t seem confused when 
talking to a  potential ride. Before you get in a vehicle know exactly where or 
how far that  driver can take you, and confirm it on the map. Getting into the 
safety aspects  of hitching, keep the map in hand while riding, so the driver 
knows you?re  paying attention to your location. 
7. WHEN A  POTENTIAL RIDE STOPS, GET YOUR BRAIN IN GEAR: When walking up to a 
 vehicle, make mental notes about the vehicle: color, make and model, and 
license  plate state and number; quickly write down at least the license plate 
info, on  your map or sign, if possible. Pay attention to how many people are in 
the car,  how they act, and how they're dressed. Look at their face, 
behavior, and  demeanor; think about how the vehicle smells. For instance, are they 
drinking  alcohol or smoking marijuana, or can you smell marijuana or alcohol? 
Take a look  at what else is in the car; are there cans or bottles on the 
floor, for  instance? I once walked around to get in the rear seat, driver's side 
of a  vehicle, and found myself putting my feet on 3 guns in the rear floor 
well.  Lastly, you don't necessarily want to get outnumbered; hitching by myself, 
I'd  probably ride with a couple, 1-2 females, but not 2 males, unless I felt 
very  comfortable about them. It's a gut feel or decision, admittedly, but 
the next  rule, well, rules ? 
8. IF YOU  FEEL AT ALL UNEASY ABOUT THE PEOPLE OR SITUATION, DECLINE THE  
RIDE: There's no other way to put this, and nothing else should  have to be 
explained. If you've accepted a ride, but begin to feel uncomfortable  with the 
situation, use any excuse to terminate the ride. Again, you just have  to use 
your judgement. 
9. DON'T  RISK LOSING YOUR PACK: (My brother was hitching in northern Italy,  
riding with 3 guys - Mistake #2; his suitcase was in the trunk, because it 
was a  small car with 4 riders; he got out and shut the door, but the driver had 
not  gotten out to unlock the trunk - Mistake #3; and they drove off with his 
stuff,  including his steamship ticket home. What was Mistake #1 you ask? He 
stole my  Dad's silver dollar collection before he left for Europe, making it 
very  difficult to call home for help.) Keep your pack with you in the 
vehicle, if  possible; be very careful to not damage a vehicle while getting your 
pack in or  out; and try to get in or out with a very good grip on your pack. If 
your pack  is in a trunk or the back of a pickup truck, get the driver to help 
you lift it  out, to prevent damage of course; you set the precedent for this 
by getting the  driver to help you lift the pack into the vehicle. 
10. HELP FUTURE HITCHHIKING HIKERS: At the end of the ride, say, "thank you", 
profusely, more  than once. During the ride, talk to your benefactor(s); ask 
reasonable  questions: where you're both from, your hiking experiences, their 
name for your  journal (also a safety measure), and anything else to make them 
feel good about  hitchhiking hikers.  
 
 
Bob 
Big Bend Desert  Denizen
(Naturalized Citizen, Republic of  Texas)