When I get around to hiking the trail, I’ll most likely be doing it as a lone female, and the idea of hitchhiking is a bit scary. Have any of you had bad experiences while hitchhiking into towns, especially women hikers? In your opinion, is it safe for me to stick my thoumb out when I’m alone? Also, has anyone ever been arrested for hitching?
Jonna
It’s safe, and you won’t be alone. Female hikers get rides way faster than male hikers, cause we don’t look as scary. If you have long hair, take it down when you hitch. You’ll look more girly and get picked up faster.
The boys will want to hitch with you. They know they’ll get a ride faster if they’re with you. And, you’ll want hitch with them, because you can split money for the motel room, or eat lunch with your friends, etc. There are many reasons for hitching into town with other people.
I’ve even hitched for male hikers before. Hitched for them when I wasn’t going into town. The cars stop, they get in, and I continue walking north on the trail.
It seems like everyone goes into the same towns. When you’re at a shelter the night before town, you’ll all be talking about the food you’re going to eat, the shower you’re going to take, the laundry you’re going to do. You’ll all go in together.
There are probably some bad stories people can tell you about hitching, but I’ve never heard any. I’ve walked the AT once and the PCT 1 1/2 times and I’ve only hitched alone four times. I could have avoided two of those times if I’d just waited for my friends who were behind me.
The best advice I’ve heard if you don’t want to get into a car that stops for you is to make some excuse like “oh!! damn, I think I left my camera about a mile back. Thanks for stopping, but I’ll have to go back and get my camera.” Never had to use that, but I will if I ever need to.
I’ve had cops stop three times when I was hitching. Once to ask us where we were going, and twice to tell us we were standing too close to the road.
You may leave home alone, but you won’t be alone on the trail unless you REALLY try to be alone.
yogi
yogi
I was also worried about doing this last year, but found I had a ball with it and actually that’s one of the things I miss the most about the Trail, the freedom of hitchhiking.
Having said that, I did have to hitch several times alone, as there were no other hikers anywhere near me on the Trail. I spent a good part of my hike (esp down south) in a void, around Waynesboro there was no one on that section of trail from Roanoke north. There were hikers a day or two ahead and as I found out later, close behind. But it may happen that you are alone and I still had no trouble, although it was a little more intimidating. Many times if I was not feeling brave I would just start walking with my pack and in that case someone ALways pulled over and asked if I wanted a ride. The pack works wonders. It is true that the guys will want you with them, but even then there were places that it took me over 15 minutes. You just never know.
But in general I would not hesitate again, in fact I saw a guy hitchhiking Saturday as I was headed through rural Maine for a snowshoe and I had to resist the urge to pull over and pick him up.
Bluebearee GA==>ME 02
Bluebearee
I also had some concerns about hitch hiking back in '95 on my thru hike, being a solo woman. I made efforts to hitch with male friends when I could, but most of the time I was on my own and ended up hitching alone. I was prepared to refuse if my senses warned me, but I was so fortunate to not only never have had any trouble, but to have enjoyed some wonderful experiences from people who picked me up.
The pack definitely is a plus for either gender. If you try walking to some towns with a pack and not even raising your thumb, people often will offer a lift, because so many people along the trail are familiar with it and the hikers. But I still recommend making the effort to accompany a male hiker when you can and when you can’t use your perception skills. Good luck!
Lucky Laura
I guess anything that could even remotely be construed as disturbing is now deleted/censored from this forum. That is sad.
I am referring to the entry that has since disappeared which warned strenuously against hitchhiking.
PLEASE allow people to make their own judgements about some of these entries…the entry I am referring to was not pornographic, didn’t use foul language, and wasn’t about drug use. It merely strongly stated an opinion that hitchhiking may not be safe…certainly everyone knows that hitchhiking may be a crap shoot, even if it is FOR THE MOST PART a safe undertaking!
The censorship here is beginning to bug me.
Margaret
Many thanks to you all for responding! I feel much better about hitching now, although I will still do it only when necessary. Funny how so many people have the perception that the world is full of crazies and perverts, but I think the vast majority of people out there are good folk. My mother is certain that I won’t return from the woods alive; it’s kind of sad that the world is such a scary place for her. Anyway, thanks again for your voices of experience.
Jonna
Jonna,
I should put your mother in touch with mine… my mom always used to worry about me and my “adventures” but the AT really changed that dramatically. I used to write 10 page long letters throughout the week, mailing them home in towns, telling stories about all the other hikers, the people along the way, the animals, quotes from registers. My mom not only got over many of her fears and changed her perception of the world, but spread those letters all over the place to people I never heard of. It’s a mom’s nature to worry, I guess, but hopefully your mom will find that things are really nowhere near as bad as she thinks through your hike of the AT.
Lucky Laura