Picking up hitch hikers?

[bernie's bender]

Since much of my misspent youth was transported on the weight of an outstretched thumb 'running down the road tryin' to loosin' my load' in the 70's... as the years stretch out before me, I see fewer and fewer hitch hikers all the time... and I haven't hitch hiked in years....

Do you pick up hitch hikers?

[EagleLady]

Ok, You make some very random threads.

[EagleLady]

Also, you do realize the dangers of hitch hiking? Never know who might pick you up. a rapist, serial killer.

[bernie's bender]

This was the weirdest thing ever....

Years ago, my buddy and I picked up a guy after four wheeling. My buddy jumped into the back seat, we let the hitch hiker take the front.

Guy was a little weird, but seemed OK. He was laughing and joking, even offered us a bit of weed (which we turned down). Oddest thing was he was clutching to a duffle bag like his life depended on it, even when he seemed perfectly relaxed.

A few miles down the road, my buddy starts asking the guy about where he grew up, what he did for a living etc. The hitch hiker shared his life story, turns out we all grew up in the same area (although he was about 10 years older than we were at the time)

Eventually, my buddy asks about the bag. The expression wiped off the hitch hikers face, and he said "none of your damn business"

We both got silent, but then the hitch hiker smiled, and turned up the radio, and said "I love this song!" It relieved some of the tension, and my buddy changed the subject.

Eventually, my buddy grew comfortable enough, and said "seriously dude, what's in the bag?"

The hitch hiker grew angry again, and yelled "I told you it was NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!"

My buddy motioned for me to pull over, so I did, and my buddy yelled at the hitch hiker to get out NOW. The hitch hiker jumped out, and we took off. About 5 miles down the road, we pulled over again, and my buddy jumped back into the front seat. To our surprise, the hitch hiker left his bag on the floor!

The guy was spooky and my buddy said the reason he yelled at him was that he could see he had a pretty big knife that he was 'fingering', I haven't picked up a hitch hiker again. We always wondered if that guy was a serial killer or something.

[bernie's bender]

Also, you do realize the dangers of hitch hiking? Never know who might pick you up. a rapist, serial killer.

exactly!

[EagleLady]

Saw an episode about this on CSI. A Guy picked up someone and ended up dead

[Prettymaid]

Okay, I'll bite - what was in the bag?

[sodascouts]

One of my ex-boyfriends used to hitchhike regularly and even now does it whenever his crappy car breaks down. For him, it's like taking the bus. When he told me this, I asked him "Are you freaking crazy?" - I mean he was putting himself at other people's mercy - but he doesn't seem to be nervous about that in the least. He even hitch-hiked on the way to the MLA conference last year. The only bad experience he had was in California where he said one guy who picked him up kept "looking at him funny." lol That didn't deter him from doing it again, though.

I guess it's different for guys; they don't have to worry about things like rapists and have a better chance of fighting off someone who might try to hurt them.

A single woman picking up a hitch-hiker is asking to be car-jacked at the very least, found in a shallow grave at the very worst.

[Brooke]

Nope, no way! Way too dangerous for a woman.

[AzEaglesFan]

I have picked up two hikers and did not have a bad experience but I have since lived to get older and wiser and will never do it again. Both of the guys were very polite but one did get real "pushy" and insisted he knew my neighbor and wanted me to take him to his house. I made him get out at our local Circle K and told him to call my neighbor and have him come get him if he wanted him to know where he lived and also where I lived.

[Glennsallnighter]

I must admit, I have done both. Myself and a friend hitched quite extensively around Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 1990.
Also when I worked in Clifden in Co Galway it was so remote that public transport was very poor and many people hitched as a way of life.
I have however been very lucky and have met the most interesting people both as a driver and a hitcher.

HOWEVER...... nowadays there appears to be so much more danger in doing this (I'm sure it was there then too, I was just oblivious..... and VERY fortunate) and I don't think I would pick up somebody unless I knew them. And I would shudder to even think of Laura doing it as a young adult.

[MikeA]

It was different when I was growing up...much different than it is now days. The college I went to in the mid 60's was around 75 miles from where my folks lived. If I didn't hitch, I'd have only been able to come home maybe once a month.

I'd have dirty clothes in a duffel (too lazy to wash at the dorm laundry) and sometimes, even had my guitar along. Met a lot of interesting people hitching rides and never felt uncomfortable about it.

Of course, times have changed. I wouldn't think of it now days. I ran out of gas while riding my motorcycle a few years ago. There was no gas station anywhere near so I started walking. I was on a 4-lane road, but neither did I stick out my thumb nor did anyone stop and offer me a ride. Long walk on a hot day, but did get the gas (paid some dude at a wrecking yard $15 for a gallon of gas and a ride back to my bike.

I've got lots of "gas" stories concerning that old Yamaha Virago 750 motorcycle. It only had a 3 gallon tank and did NOT get typical motorcycle fuel economy!