[pct-l] Hitch hiking & official trail

[rew_us at yahoo.com (Bob Bob)]

I read the post yesterday about how Yogi recommends
getting a ride from town back to the trailhead and the
following email saying to just stick you thumb out.  I
have seen many methods from other hikers.  I hate
hitch hiking but it is a necessary part of through
hiking and you have to do it.  One hiker I knew when
we were at the mazama parking lot below Crater Lake
pretty aggressively went to strangers in the parking
lot and point blank asked if they were driving up to
the rim and if so could we get a ride.  He said this
put people in the predicament of having to say no
which alot of people have trouble doing.  I prefer
Yogi's way.  It is more polite and allows people to
not be pressured into helping if they don't want to. 
Yogi's way is also better than sticking out your thumb
because people driving by don't know you are a hiker
and many assume you might be a drifter.  Talking to
people in towns let them know you are a harmless long
distance hiker.  If you don't want to Yogi a ride you
can ask at cafe's or stores  "are there any people in
town who give rides to hikers back to the trail head?"
.  I asked this at the store in Trout lake and they
gave me some phone numbers.  These people were out but
another lady volunteered that the store people didn't
know about.   A few months ago I spent two hours
watching cars drive by me on the road that goes from
Techachapi and Mojave.  They didn't know I was a hiker
and weren't about to pick up a "drifter" in the middle
of nowhere.  Eventually a retired LAPD officer picked
me up in a Geo Metro and said he knew I was a hiker
since he had helped other hikers before.  

On a second topic, if hiking the Eagle Creek trail is
skipping part of the official PCT then is hiking the
rim of Crater Lake also skipping part of the official
PCT since there is the official low route that horses
can go on?  Why not have the PCTA say that the
official PCT can diverge into a hiker route and horse
route in places like crater lake, and eagle creek?

Pika

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