A Poll, who picks up hitchikers?

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Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber

Out Of Bed

Sep 22, 2014 - 10:32am PT

she said... ah... no... and at this point why bother Allen Ginsberg once picked me up and bought me ice cream ...</8+C ::((stupid Homophobe symbol with hat))

Wayno

Big Wall climber

Seattle, WA

Sep 22, 2014 - 10:38am PT

Not anymore. I posted this story before on the Alpinist 13 thread:

A Failed Trip Report( the trip not the report) or Why You Shouldn't Pick Up Hitchhikers. Part One

This one happened in the mid Eighties, when I was still in my twenties. I was a poor student with love in my heart and hope in my soul. My Mother had recently died and my family was bickering, so I decided to head down to Jtree for Xmas to visit with some friends that were climbing there. I didn't own a vehicle at the time and couldn't find anyone to go with. My partner in crime(illicit drugs) was kind enough to lend me his Ford Country Squire station wagon with the fake wood paneling. I threw some gear and some clothes in the back along with a .22 rifle and stuffed my pockets with various herbs and chemical substances and counted my cash and then took a fifty dollar bill and folded it up to the size of a dime and shoved into the corner of my wallet. I filled the tank and then left Santa Cruz and headed south.

Somewhere near Salinas as I got onto the 101 I noticed a guy with his thumb out so I thought I could use a little company and I pulled over and let him in. He seemed like a nice chap at first and we kinda shared stories and drove south down the 101. He said he was heading to someplace near LA and I told him that I could take him at least to I5. Somewhere near Paso Robles we stopped and I bought us a couple of sandwiches and two quarts of beer. We ate and drank and smoked some weed and listened to tapes of Big Country and Bob Marley. My passenger who I will call "J" was decent at conversation and I got a little of his life story. He was a "carny" that had recently lost his parents and he was headed south to see his sister.

I cut east on 198 and hit I5 and as I neared Bakersfield J decided that he would ride some more with me and catch the 14 into LA. I was headed over on 58 towards 395 and then 247. Something started to smell fishy but I was young and gave people the benefit of the doubt. At Mojave he changed his mind again and said he could get the 15 into San B'doo. I was really thinking that I needed to get this f*#ker out of my car. It was between Mojave and 395 that J showed me his tattoos. He rolled up his sleeves and had "white" on the inside of his upper arm and "power" on the other arm. He pulled up his shirt to show a swastika with wings around his belly button. Nice, an Aryan Brotherhood member, and I was playing Bob Marley. My mind was spinning and I was trying to figure a good excuse to get this guy out of my car.

We stopped for gas and a piss run in Victorville and as I was walking to the bathroom I thought I heard glass breaking. I didn't put it all together then, so we proceeded to drive. I made up some excuse that I had to go see a guy in Apple Valley and I would have to let him out soon. It was dark now, and couple miles down the road in Apple Valley we passed a bowling alley and it was shortly after that when the nightmare started.

J faked like he was getting something out of his pack in the back seat. As he came forward he wrapped his left hand around my neck and in his right hand he had a broken quart bottle of beer. He shoved the glass into my neck and held it there with his left as he screamed in my ear not to grab my piece. He thought I might have a handgun beside me. He had me pull over and place my face on the seat. J then dragged me out of the car, screaming the whole time and threatening my life. He then tied my hands behind my back and told me he or his buddies would hunt me down if I ever identified him. He took my wallet and all my stuff and drove off in my car. Oh great, now what do I do?

End of part one.

Part Two of a Hard Lesson

Now it's really ironic because as a little kid my brother and I would practice tying each others hands and then trying to get free. We learned a few things about tying and getting free. So Mr. Nightmare, left me face down and tied up in the desert at night and as he drove off I had myself untied while the rear lights of my car were still in view. I ran the half mile or so back to the bowling alley and made a little scene trying to get a phone call out to the cops. The shitheads wouldn't let me use their phone and I had to bum a dime for the payphone! Standing in the lobby, I could see the CHP interceptor blast by while I was still on the phone. After I hung up I waited there until all kinds of cops showed up and the next part of my drama unfolded.

J got about two thirds of way to Lucerne Valley before that interceptor caught up with him. He drove off the road trying to get away and bottomed the front end in the desert and made it away on foot. They didn't get him but at least I had my car. Sort of. The wagon wasn't going anywhere soon. The radiator was punctured and the front end was very tweaked. The cops on scene found my wallet and ID in the back and the rifle. The CHP got my wallet back to me while I was still being interviewed by the local cops. There must of been five or so cops of various jurisdictions standing there as I looked through my empty wallet and dug into the corner and pulled out that fifty that I stashed earlier. As I unfolded the bill and they all saw it was a fifty, there was a sweet silence. They liked me.

That all happened the day before Christmas. The cops put me up at the Green Spot Motel in Victorville and my car was towed to Lucerne Valley. I had my wallet and ID and that fifty and some clothes that the cops retrieved from my car. I also had whatever was in my pockets, which just happened to be all my weed, a gram of good flake and about five hits of window pane. I walked down to the liquor store and got a pint of Cuervo Gold and some beers and settled in for the evening. I'm telling you, you got to make the best of a bad situation and I think I did a pretty good job.

The next few days I could do nothing. I eventually got some money and got my car fixed well enough to continue my journey but J was still on the loose. When i got to Jtree I looked around for my buddies but I couldn't find anyone, so I camped by myself in Hidden Valley and waited. I was supposed to check in once in a while with the CHP in case they found the maggot and I needed to id him. So I just sat around, ate some window pane and listened to a lot of Rachmaninov.

A couple days later a ranger came by and said the CHP wanted to see me. They caught a guy they thought might be J. It was. He found some trailers out in the desert there and broke into a couple of them, ate some food, found some guns and even shot someones pet parakeet. He waited for one trailer owner to come home and stole his truck at gunpoint and was soon thereafter apprehended.

I eventually went to the prelims and identified J as the guy that robbed me in front of a judge that turned out to be a black man. Poetic Justice. He then plead guilty to several counts and was sentenced to twelve years and six months in the State Pen. He made it back to his sick buddies.

So there kiddies, don't pick up hitchhikers, especially if you are alone. And young and stupid.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Sep 22, 2014 - 10:51am PT

I pick up hitchhikers... though I'm not that happy when a couple of dogs and a rag tag patrol of people emerge from the bushes... but I figure it's a karma thing...

“In the forest, in battle, in the midst of arrows, javelins, fire
Out on the great sea, at the precipice’s edge in the mountains
In sleep, in delirium, in deep trouble
The good deeds a man has done before defend him.”

well, not all, and recently mostly around climbing areas.

cliffhanger

Trad climber

California

Sep 22, 2014 - 11:03am PT

I've hitched alot so I stop for anything, human or not, that seems to want a ride. I even exit the freeway to check the on ramps for hitch hikers.

This worked out very well one cold rainy winter night on the 99 freeway just north of Bakerfield. What appeared to be a stinking dirty wet sketchy man with 2 stinking dirty wet dogs just barely visible in the gloom turned out to be a beautiful young woman who was very grateful that I stopped for her.

In my experience it's much more dangerous to hitch hike than it is to pick up hitch hikers. Women should at least pick up female hitch hikers.

Once a young pretty black women seemed to be signaling me so I pulled over thinking she needed a ride. "Where to?" I asked as she jumped in. "Anywhere you want sweety", she says, "a motel or your home would be fine."

NotThirsty

Boulder climber

Canaduh

Sep 22, 2014 - 11:09am PT

I did just one time back when I was in high school. Saw a guy hitch hiking in my neighborhood, thought it was just one of my neighbors that needed a ride. Turned out to be some weirdo. I drove him like two blocks and let him out. Never again.

Jon Beck

Trad climber

Oceanside

Sep 22, 2014 - 11:26am PT

On Friday The JMT was closed because of the fire so I hiked from the valley up the Snow Creek trail with the plan to hitch hike back. I got a ride in 3 minutes from a couple staying in Foresta. They fed me homemade cookies and cold sodas, life is good sometimes.

Once at the Foresta overlook it took me 25 minutes to get a ride to the valley. I was somewhat surprised it took that long as I am sure many of the cars ignoring me were headed to Facelift. Maybe I can identify some of those who did not pick me up and publicly shame them :) . See video of offending cars below.

Great young couple eventually came back after passing me and said that karma was an issue. I agreed and told them that I often pick up hitch hikers.

When I was leaving the valley at 7:30 Friday night I came upon a couple with luggage hitching at the turnout just before the U turn just east of El Cap Meadows. I was pitch black with no moon. They told me they had been trying to get a ride for 2 hours, their rental car had issues and Hertz was not doing anything quickly to help them. They were from Norway and were very hungry so I took them to the Deli and pointed them to the garage for possible help. They were very appreciative to say the least. Was cool that I was able to payback so quickly

[Click to View YouTube Video]

anita514

Gym climber

Great White North

Sep 22, 2014 - 11:43am PT

scrubbles: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sketchy

Generally a shady looking person.
Like if you saw Rong or Locker hitching... drive on by!

The Larry

climber

Moab, UT

Sep 22, 2014 - 11:49am PT

Magic Ed

Trad climber

Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Sep 22, 2014 - 01:00pm PT

I always used to pick up hitchhikers because I knew what it was like to stand by the side of the road for hours on end (took me 17 rides to get through New Mexico once)waiting for someone kind enough to stop.

Then one night I picked up a guy who was seriously deranged. Things got pretty dicey for a while until I was able to unload him. Haven't picked up anybody since, other than climbers going up the hill to the Potrero.

SC seagoat

Trad climber

Santa Cruz, or In What Time Zone Am I?

Sep 22, 2014 - 01:22pm PT

Larry, are you sure that doesn't belong on the "selfie" thread?

Susan

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Sep 22, 2014 - 01:46pm PT

[Click to View YouTube Video]Would you pick this woman up off the freeway on-ramp? Lookin' like this?

"Pretty SKETCHY-LOOKIN' LADY, there, dear, let's fegit her 'n git on down to New O'leans."

Barbarian

climber

Sep 22, 2014 - 02:59pm PT

When I am on my way to a climbing area sans family, see hitchers with a haul bag, and have room. I am sometimes inclined to offer a ride.
From Camp 4 to El Cap..every time.

The Larry

climber

Moab, UT

Sep 22, 2014 - 03:15pm PT

I try and do a quick sniff test. Pachouli is a big no no.

Charlie D.

Trad climber

Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra

Sep 22, 2014 - 03:26pm PT

Early 70's in Oregon I drive by a hitchhiker and my roommate asks, "why didn't you pick him up?" I explained my mistrust of humans particularly strangers. He quickly claimed I was uptight and paranoid.

Fast forward 10 years I ask my old roommate, "what ever happened to that cool VW bus of yours?" His response, "some friken hitchhiker stole it from me at gun point!"

BTW I do pick up climbers, skiers and backpackers.

hobo_dan

Social climber

Minnesota

Sep 22, 2014 - 03:34pm PT

I pick them up. Nowadays all the predators are on the internet

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Sep 22, 2014 - 03:35pm PT

Not as often as I'd like to. Usually I'm not going very far when I see one. When I am going a long ways in some direction the car is often full.

Once in a while I can and then I usually do.

Did enough hitchhiking when I was younger that I try to pass it forward when I can.