I’ve picked anyone up very often (probably 3 or 4 times), but my most memorable one was a guy that had just finished walking the Appalachian trail, and was heading south from Maine (northern end) to his home.
I had recently been picked up not far from my car, which had run out of gas, a few days earlier, and I was paying back some karma.
I got him about half way from where I picked him up to his home. (Amesbury MA to Attleboro MA. I dropped him at the MA pike on 128. Nice guy, and we had a great chat for the 45 minutes it took to do the drive.
I don’t really remember, it was about 10 years ago. He did have a large metal wok strapped to the back of his pack though. I thought that was the best cooking implement he could carry! Great for a multitude of things, from washing up to actually cooking.
He lived in Attleboro MA (or N. Attleboro) or at least that’s where he said he was headed. I felt good that I was able to half his trip before 9AM.
I don’t drive, so I only know hitching, really, from one end of it. I used to hitch a little when a student but only local distances if I had no 'bus fare or a broken down bike and that was all right, but it was a fairly safe rural area and a smallish university town(city). Now, as a nervy old lady of all of 45, well, anywhere I might have to do, I make damn sure I have the train or the 'bus or I just don’t go. However, I am not really suggesting that the world has got more dangerous (although it does feel different in a city, admittedly.
I found that usually anybody stopping for me was doing so out of a simple sense of kindness and/or for a bit of a chat to alleviate boredom. Never had any problems.
I have hitch-hiked a couple times, of course I was a lot younger and usually in a bind. Apparently, it is a big deal to pick up hitchhikers to everyone in the world but me. Basically, I lived in a tiny little town and there was nothing but farms for miles. My family knew mostly everyone. I would pick up almost anyone who was broke down, specifically because early in the morning there is hardly any cars out and it is about 30-45 minutes to anything open before 8am. I wouldn’t do it now though. Basically when I moved to college I ended up in the worst town in America, and I also am in a different situation now (married and expecting a baby) so I try to be a little more careful.
I stopped for this guy that blew a tire. Since all the tire places were closed, we went to the concert at this bar that my GF and I were headed to anyway. Then we all got drunk. He slept on my couch and was on his way the next morning.
Times aren’t different at all. It’s just people are more afraid.
Maybe all those who have had a bad experience with hitching are presently in a shallow grave in the middle of the woods rather than subscribing to STMB. :eek:
Picked up a guy around ought 2 at a big name truck stop. I had just stopped to get gas and he was standing with a thumb out in the snow and cold. I told him where I was going and he decided to take the ride. Offered to take him to a church or somewhere where he could maybe get out of the cold for the night, but he wanted to stick close to the highway and I ended up dropping him off at a entirely different, but same big name truckstop about fifty miles up the road.
He was pretty quiet and didn’t say much, passed on the hit, didn’t say where he was going… just South. I felt good about picking him up and I’m sure he felt better warming up in the car and getting on down the road. Offered to buy him a sandwich, but he had just eaten. Pretty uneventful.
