You’d be surprised how easy it still is to hitchhike across America, and how many good people you’ll meet.
A friend of mine persuaded me to try it a few years back. I was skeptical. I’d heard the cautionary tales, figured the narrative that we’ve become a low-trust society was basically correct, and definitely didn’t expect people to invite two strange men into their car. And yet that is exactly what happened, 3 or 4 times a day, for a week and a thousand miles.
Not everyone was a shining beacon of light, but some genuinely were, and the cross section of humanity was a continual surprise. (The article captures this well.) There was a bagpiper, a young ex-marine, a woman who may have been stealing ming vases, a social worker and her sister who took us on a tour of the Snake River, and an air traffic controller on the way to his mother’s funeral. He only mentioned that about 4 hours in. A common thread was that people were in a “real” place in life. We were too — hitchhiking asks you to be vulnerable. You might stand by an on-ramp for the better part of a day while a stream of cars passes you and passes judgment on you. You learn to let go of things you can’t control.
I had to end my trip in Salt Lake City, a place I didn’t know much about and had never thought of visiting. I loved it so much I left NYC and moved here. It’s been 8 years now. Funny to think it all started with a hitchhike! You never know what’s out on the road.
Romania is being shaken by the case of a serial killer choosing his very young victims from poor rural areas who were hitchhiking, so I'm pretty sure the hitchhiking culture will change.
I've never hitchhiked myself, but I used to pick up hitchhikers before I was married and had children.
No great stories besides children up to no good, a drunken lady who had no idea where she wanted to go,on which I was able to use "the voice" to trick her into leaving my car, but mostly poor and weary people trying to make ends meet.
A friend of mine persuaded me to try it a few years back. I was skeptical. I’d heard the cautionary tales, figured the narrative that we’ve become a low-trust society was basically correct, and definitely didn’t expect people to invite two strange men into their car. And yet that is exactly what happened, 3 or 4 times a day, for a week and a thousand miles.
Not everyone was a shining beacon of light, but some genuinely were, and the cross section of humanity was a continual surprise. (The article captures this well.) There was a bagpiper, a young ex-marine, a woman who may have been stealing ming vases, a social worker and her sister who took us on a tour of the Snake River, and an air traffic controller on the way to his mother’s funeral. He only mentioned that about 4 hours in. A common thread was that people were in a “real” place in life. We were too — hitchhiking asks you to be vulnerable. You might stand by an on-ramp for the better part of a day while a stream of cars passes you and passes judgment on you. You learn to let go of things you can’t control.
I had to end my trip in Salt Lake City, a place I didn’t know much about and had never thought of visiting. I loved it so much I left NYC and moved here. It’s been 8 years now. Funny to think it all started with a hitchhike! You never know what’s out on the road.