[pct-l] Trekker's 10 Rules for Hitchhiking

[Trekker4 at aol.com]

In response to the dozens, uh maybe 3-5  replies/comments to an earlier 
post about the 10 rules for hitching... I found  my old file, retitled it, 
reviewed the comments from everyone, rewrote a  bit of it, and am pasting it to 
this email. It's a .doc, so who knows what will  happen to the formatting:
 
TREKKER’S 10 RULES  FOR HITCHHIKING  

Over the last 30+ years  I've done a lot of hitchhiking to and from trails. 
It’s amazing how many  hitchhikers one sees that use no common sense when 
thumbing a ride. My rules  should help to get a ride as quickly as possible, 
and make sure that ride is a  safe one. Rules 1-6 deal with getting the 
ride; Rules  7 - 9 deal with accepting a 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. See 
_http://www.eriktheblack.com/blog/hitch-hiking/_ (http://www.eriktheblack.com/blog/hitch-hiking/)  
for a  humorous treatment.   
2. MAKE THE SIGN  READABLE: People in cars may have to read your sign at 60 
mph. The  common drifter practice of black lettering on brown cardboard is 
almost  unreadable; black lettering on a white sign is probably the most 
readable; Make  your sign at least half an 8.5x11 inch sheet, or larger. I now 
preprint my hitch  signs on 8.5 x 11 in, white paper, use 50 pt+ fonts, and 
anticipate my needs;  treat the paper w/Thompson’s Water Seal for water 
protection, and add them to  every resupply box. Otherwise, use a permanent 
black marker and make the width  of the 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 AND HAVE YOUR BACKPACK STANDING & VISIBLE: If it 
looks like  you’re a hiker, and not a drifter, your credibility increases. 
Avoid having your  face in the shadow of a hat brim, and don’t wear 
sunglasses; people need to see  your face. Look as presentable as possible; put on 
some clean clothes; and make  a joke about it if you stink. I have lots of 
patches on my pack; they are always  visible; and I believe that helps 
credibility. 
5. POSITION YOURSELF WHERE SOMEONE CAN SAFELY STOP:  Don’t stand where there
’s no place 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/stop/yield sign. Don’t stand on the stopping  side of a 
traffic light/stop/yield sign; those drivers can’t pick you up when  there’s 
traffic piled up behind them or if 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 pull off near you. 
6. ALWAYS CARRY A HIGHWAY MAP &  KNOW WHERE YOU ARE: 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,  ENGAGE YOUR BRAIN: When walking up to a 
vehicle, make mental notes  about the vehicle: color, make and model, and 
license plate; if possible, write  down at least the license plate info, on your 
map or sign. 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,  have they been drinking 
alcohol or smoking marijuana, and/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 around 3 guns  in the floor 
well.) Women may not have trouble getting someone to stop, but then  they must 
engage their brain. Lastly, you may not 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. 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, JUST SAY “NO 
THANKS”: 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 must 
follow your gut  instincts. 
9. DON'T RISK LOSING YOUR PACK: (Mistake #1 – My brother took a ride with 3 
guys, while hitching in  northern Italy; Mistake #2 – his suitcase got put 
in the trunk, because it was a  small car with 4 people; Mistake #3 – he got 
out and shut the door, but the  driver had not gotten out to unlock the 
trunk; and they drove off with his  stuff, including his steamship ticket 
home.) If possible, keep your pack with  you in the vehicle; be very careful to 
not damage a vehicle while getting your  pack in or out by keeping a very 
good grip on your pack. If your pack is in a  trunk or the back of a pickup 
truck, ask 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. I also leave the door(s) hanging  open until my stuff is 
safely out of the vehicle 
10. HELP FUTURE HITCHHIKING HIKERS: During the ride, talk to your 
benefactor(s) about  anything to establish rapport and relate to them: Ask reasonable 
questions; talk  about where you're both from; get their name, and photo 
with permission, for  your journal (also a safety measure); and use anything 
else to make them feel  good about hitchhiking hikers. Towards and at the end 
of the ride, thank them  –more than once.  

I agree  that "Hiker to Town/Trail" isn't very good info, so my PCT Class 
Bandanas  just hang proudly on a wall. And Erik, perhaps Dirt Diva isn't the 
best  example; no one is going to get around to reading her sign; on the 
other hand,  she will get an immediate ride. Postholer, or others, feel free to 
use the  rules. Comments & criticisms are welcome. 
 
Bob "Trekker"
Big Bend  Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of Texas