Hitchhiking anyone?

by animal 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  jaguarbass

  I used to hitchhike around Cleveland when I was 15, 16 years old. I could beat the school bus home that way for one thing.
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  ex-nj-jw

  Never did, and I certainly wouldn't do it now. My luck I'd run into a serial killer.

  nj
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  Narkissos

  I used to do it in the late 80s. First time during vacations in Iceland with some Bethelite friends, that was almost the only way to move from one spot to another if you hadn't got a car. Then in my first post-JW years I hitch-hiked my way from Paris to the Pyrenees, Spain, Portugal... no bad experience, the people who will give you a lift are usually the nicest. But it was much more common back then.
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  Highlander

  I tried it once when my car broke down. Nobody picked me up so I walked home which was only about 4 miles away.

  However I have picked up many hitchhikers. Each time was a nice experience, getting to know someone and then never seeing them again. My most memorable experience was the time I was living in Alaska and picked up a hiker while on my way to Fairbanks from Denali National Park. If I remember correctly it was about 110 miles. The guy I picked up was really cool. He had hiked all the way to alaska from the lower 48. I was absolutely amazed that somebody could make it that far by hitchhiking.
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  animal

  I was a runaway from home, a witness home.... so officially I was still one, but mentally I wasnt.

  And for what its worth, I always had either a pistol or knife with me while traveling. I worried more about having to shoot someone more than them hurting me.

  And yes, some of the coolest people I ever met were ones I got rides with. Truckers were the best, they always had food and drink in the truck and sometimes free cigs or cigars, and sometimes good dope.

  Aaahhhhh... what memories.

  On my trip back from LA the first time, I got one ride from Tuscon, AZ all the way to New Orleans. 2 hippies in a van were going to Mardi Gras. This van had a water bed in the back along with a refridg full of beer and wine. Add to that a suitcase full of dope, and the party was on. We drove for 2 days, I think, and it was all about getting loaded, passing out, and starting over. We got to Mardi Gras and they woke me up, handed me my bag, and said see ya. I walked out of the van right into a streetfull of people in costumes, chicks showing thier huge boobs, and drunks. I was still loaded from the ride, so it was a trip walking thru there.

  I bet I remember more trips yet....

  Animal
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  mkr32208

  when I was growing up we had a train track about 1/4 of a mile from the house and they always slowed down for some reason. Might have been to go over the old bridge over the glen I guess. Anyway I always wanted to jump that train and just see where it would take me... Never did, I still have dreams about it though.
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  animal

  We had the same thing in my neighborhood in Philla.... train behind the house. The Jr High and High School kids would hop the train to and from school, when they could. One day, a neighborhood kid slipped getting off and lost his leg up to the hip... chopped it into pieces. We were out there as it happened, playing ball I think. It was gross.... and when you think it can get no worse, a dog comes by and runs off with his foot, still in the shoe.

  I never hopped a train.

  Animal
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  purplesofa

  I hitchhiked quite a bit when i was a teen. To school and around town.

  I too, ranaway when I was 15. I hitchhiked from Little Rock to St Louis. It took me two days to get there. The first people to pick my up had kids in the backseat eating oatmeal. It kinda freaked me out to see kids eating something like oatmeal, but I got over it.

  The second person that picked me up, quickly let me out when he found out I was a minor.

  In the city of ST Louis, a plumber picked me up and reamed me for being out on the road, but in a nice way.

  I ran away to see my boyfriend and when I got there and called him, I was too far for him to come pick me up :(

  I wound up staying for almost two months, I was staying with someone that made me go to school for a place to live. I got caught when the school called my aunt that lived there, they were worried cuz I was always falling asleep in class!!!

  The second time I hitchhiked a long way was back to St Loius. The trip was not so great. A girl from school and I went. We barely got out of town and two guys picked us up and said they had a gun. Took us out into the woods and raped both of us.

  But we kept on going. Stayed the night in a town in a barn, and kept on going. The highlight of the trip was the same plumber that picked me up on my last runaway, picked us up AGAIN.

  We were not 30 mins to our destination, my GF was carrying a huge thing of clothes and a cop spotted us. We said we were going to the laundry. Anyway, we got taken in. I had on a shirt with sparkly marijuana leaves on it in the front and HOT DAMN written on the back. (my favorite saying back then) The cops got a kick out of that and kept saying hot damn to me.........I lied about who I was and they said (by now they knew my real name) I was wanted in another city for robbery. So I fessed up who I really was and my parents had to come and get me.

  My home life was so horrible that my counselor said that running away was the sanest thing I could have done at the time. As for the rape, it took me a long time to overcome the damage from that. Mostly I felt like I deserved it for being out there on the road. I came to terms with self blame and then could deal with the violation.

  I would not hitchhike now for anything. I don't even want my daughter out on the street to walk to the park.

  Anyway, those are two HH stories I am willing to share.

  purps
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  jwfacts

  I hitchhiked around France and Spain in 1995 after leaving Bethel. I met many great people. Everyone that picked me up was very respectable, and ranged from young girls to business men. I ended up staying with some of them, as they could probably tell I was broke and very innocent. I stayed for a week with a guy in the Gothic section of Barcelona. Another person paid for me to stay in a five star hotel in Sans Sebastion.

  I also used to pick up hitchhikers, but do not see many anymore. The only ones that seem to hitch these days seem to be hookers.
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  choosing life

  Ah yes, hitchhiking. I remember it quite fondly. I hitchhiked around town by myself, but only took long trips with my boyfriend. Too chicken to try it alone. It was such a freeing experience to just walk down the road with a little money and let the road take you where it might.

  On one long trip, I remember being picked up by a lot of truckers and then those with vans. Loved them both. The ones with the vans always were kind enough to share their high. There was not a lack of anything important. Purps, I wonder if we ever crossed by in St. Louis as I went through there also.

  I wouldn't hithchhike now, as I am scared to. I know someone posted about being led into the falsehood of fear, but I am still afraid. I only had one bad experience when I did hitchhike. A man grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go and was hurting me. I jumped out of the car at a stopsign. When I was with my boyfriend, nobody ever bothered me.

  Like animal said, those are some nice memories and I wouldn't give up those experiences for anything. I was young and had never heard of a jw yet.