# Hitchihiking Horror Stories?



## Snail

Does anyone have any hitchhikging horror stories? Ones where the ride pretty much ends in "Look mother fucker, You either pull the car over or im steering is into on coming traffic!"?hmy:


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## Beyond The Sun

I've had something like that happen to me, but it turned out it was all in my head. 

I was in Williamstown Mass., right on the MA/VT border hitching north up 7. I had just gotten dropped off and had literally put down my pack and stuck out my thumb when a white pickup pulled over. This sinewy looking guy hops out of the passenger seat, I ask them where they are going, throw my pack in the bed of the truck and hop in the back seat. As I was getting in I realized that it was one of those pickups where the person in front has to get out first before the person in back (me) can get out. I didn't really think much of it though. So we were driving along making small talk--I guess the two guys used to be in the army together and were big into hunting and fishing blah blah blah. There was a pause in the conversation and the driver, this burly construction worker, turns back to me and asks if on my travels I'd ever had _____. Yeah I don't remember what it was he asked me, but it was called "twisted" something. Sounded pretty kinky to me. So I told him no then he turned to his friend laughing and said "looks like we've got a greenhorn here." He then proceded to ask me my age, which I told him. There was silence for probably 45 seconds, but it felt like an eternity as I sat in the back trying to come to terms with what I could only imagine I was going to face, and also try to figure out how the hell I was going to get out of the truck. So then the driver turns back around and asks me if, in my travels I had come across any homegrown. So turns out they were just asking me about weed, and I'm a fucking idiot. They were really nice guys, offered to by me breakfast and dropped me off at a "good" spot. Other than that I haven't had any scares or anything on my rides, but I'm sure they happen every once and a while. 
Just use common sense and go with your gut and you should be fine.


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## Mouse

I never had any truely bad experiences... but the few times I hitched alone were never very comfortable. That's why I don't hitch alone anymore. That and the lack of company, it just sucks. 

and being a girl, even with a travel partner or not, you tend to get asked for sex. It's to be expected. But one thing I've learned is that usually a simple "sorry buddy" shuts down a pervert really quickly. 

Think of it this way... they are already insecure enough to be asking for sex from a random dirty hitchhiking girl.. they don't generally have the gutts to stand up for themselves if you say NO. 

the only time I had a shitty experience was when I was alone hitching from Newport News to Richmond. This vietnam vet picked me up and then after like 5 mins stated he was looking for sex. I said "well, then I guess you picked up the wrong girl" he whined about how women never wanted him and i tried to steer the convo elsewhere but instead I ended up having to humor him a lil becaus he wouldn't stop complaining. blah blah blah... just creepy guy in general. He dropped me in a shitty spot. 

I ended up hitching BACk to where I was staying the week before because I had left my rat with an ex and felt misserable for leaving my baby (the rat, not the lame ass boyfriend) behind. So the lame and creepy ride was totally not worth it. 


another time we got stuck for 2 days in AZ west of flagstaff... real middle of nowhere, dry as a bone, bake in the sun, think you're never gonna escape type place. But it wasn't all too bad because we hung out with this old school hitcher under the bridge and ended up FINALLY get a sweet ride all the way into L.A. fromt his really nice trucker.


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## Mady

The worst thats ever happened to me was people expecting something in return, and kicking me out when they didnt get it. Besides that hitching is really safe, Id recomend some Mace just in case though.


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## trangus

the only creepy thing ever happened recently, and i been at it for like 4 years. on van island for fucks sake! this fat silver haired native guy with no teeth kept starin at my balls. i know it was comin so i just let him sweat it out. finally it was almost time to get out and he shot the question
"i bet u could really use 20 bucks"
"well yeah, i could"
"ill give u a 20 if i can suck ur dick"
" i appreciate the offer, but im really straight"

like 40 minutes of gettin my balls stared at and knowin what was up and just playin with the energy of the car. at first he thought he had the upper hand on uncomfortability, but in the end he probably felt like a real jackass. talked to a few of my friends, and this guy does this all the time to hitchers on the island. if ur here and hitchin, and get picked up by him, have some fun. i always think its funny to beat somebody at their own game.


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## trangus

also in sedona az, got picked up by babylon bob. fuckin cool old guy, but eatin pills and drinkin sparks all day make babylon drive bad on big cliffs. what a fuckin rush!!!


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## leftoverstraps

i didn't run into too much trouble while on the road but i did run into a guy that me and my ex call the hitchhiker killer in south carolina
he picks us up and has a full backseat says he'll take us up one exit then half way to the exit says fuck it lets party so he got a hotel room and bought us dinner then we get back to the room and he made us shower (we reeked like all hell) then he asked us what our drug of choice was so we said coke and he left to get some coke he was gone for a couple of hours and we started thinking he was weird and whatnot then he comes back with the most crack i have ever seen in my life at first i was hesitant about smokeing crack with this guy he was really weird but then i caved we smoked for hours and finally we ran out and the high wore off and i passed out my ex was gonna stay awake because we didn't trust the guy (don't know if it was the crack or his weirdness) well he passed out for a minute or 2 and i wake up to feeling someone rubbing my ass at first i thought it was my ex so i was like wtf but then i realized weird guy wasn't in his bed so i squeezed my ex's hand really hard and he woke up i guess weird guy realized we were awake cuz he flipped the lights on and said it was time to go and that he was gonna take us all the way to florida he went out to his car real quick and i explained what happened to my ex then weird guy comes back and tells us he's got thousands of dollars worth of checks under the back seat we go out side and he was trying to rip the back seats out we figured he was making room for our bodies so we told him we weren't taking the ride and took off into the woods


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## Cush

i've been stabbed to death and disembowled on the road. It happened once on my first trip out and then another time last october. it's a real fucking drag when that happens.


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## Poking Victim

Not really a horror story, but I got stuck in the middle of Washington on Highway 20 in September. It froze that night and I didn't have my sleeping bag, only a parka. I couldn't sleep anyways, though, because I decided to eat an eighth of mushrooms. I thought I was going to get eaten by a cougar or something.


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## reXfeReL

i always use hitching as a last resort. The general populus (picking randoms up) are all fucted somehow or another, depending on where you are at of course. The times i have, i always made note of the license plate # and texted it back to wifey who knows where im at. If something bad happens, at least someone has some info on where you were @ last. Has never happened, but if shit gets funny, you can always let the driver know that you've done this, might persuade him/her to think twice?


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## Donturd

i was hitchin small from minneapolis to menomonie WI and i got picked up at this exit right up from the road from some venue and this really skinny wrinkeled up face fuck pulls and says get in. and we start rollin up the highway and i ask him where hes headed he says eau clair so i say hey man im goin to menomonie yada yada yada... and menomonie is on the way soooo.... we get to exit 45(outskirts of menomonie and he pulls into a stop and says im sleeping here. so i say ok and start to grab my geeter and open the door and he says GET THE FUCK OUT and punches me in the teeth and i roll out and he drives off.
and i never seen him again.
not a horror story but i didnt think it was all that normal of a ride.


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## Doobie_D

Ok so me and my friend Gus are on the 101 in California 5 miles north of the town of Willits. We just got done visiting his brother who lives out in the sticks out there. There isnt much room on this particular strech of highway and we have been there 2 hours already. Then outta nowhere this old beat up van kinda just stops in the middle of the road and a toothless man and his huge, scraggly, wife motions for us to get in. We get in and they explain in a thick southern accent "weeeear from Arkansaaaaw!" We make small talk and the whole time were goin down the road the wife is swervin into oncoming traffic (keep in mind were winding our way thru the mountains, many huge drop offs)Then she drops it down to 20 miles under the speed limit and stacks up a line of cars behind her. She starts complaining to her husband." thair a ridin ma ass" He says to her " Honey git ma gun" She hands him what appears to be a glock and he starts waving it around all over the place. Me and Gus are startin to freak out at this point but we just kinda maintain nervous laughs and smiles. Their both obviously fucked up outta their gourds. We were like 2 miles from town and he climbs out the window and points his gun at the car behind us while were trying to tell him that were about to come into town and the cops arent very friendly at which point he climbs back in and says in a casual tone " aww hell its just a pellet gun, i wasnt gonna do anything no how" they pulled over and let us out and offered us some oxycontins (which explained the wifes lack of driving skills) and went on their way. Crazy backwoods yokels!


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## Doobie_D

Ok so me and my friend Gus are on the 101 in California 5 miles north of the town of Willits. We just got done visiting his brother who lives out in the sticks out there. There isnt much room on this particular strech of highway and we have been there 2 hours already. Then outta nowhere this old beat up van kinda just stops in the middle of the road and a toothless man and his huge, scraggly, wife motions for us to get in. We get in and they explain in a thick southern accent "weeeear from Arkansaaaaw!" We make small talk and the whole time were goin down the road the wife is swervin into oncoming traffic (keep in mind were winding our way thru the mountains, many huge drop offs)Then she drops it down to 20 miles under the speed limit and stacks up a line of cars behind her. She starts complaining to her husband." thair a ridin ma ass" He says to her " Honey git ma gun" She hands him what appears to be a glock and he starts waving it around all over the place. Me and Gus are startin to freak out at this point but we just kinda maintain nervous laughs and smiles. Their both obviously fucked up outta their gourds. We were like 2 miles from town and he climbs out the window and points his gun at the car behind us while were trying to tell him that were about to come into town and the cops arent very friendly at which point he climbs back in and says in a casual tone " aww hell its just a pellet gun, i wasnt gonna do anything no how" they pulled over and let us out and offered us some oxycontins (which explained the wifes lack of driving skills) and went on their way. Crazy backwoods yokels!


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## nobo

*Cush wrote:*


> i've been stabbed to death and disembowled on the road. It happened once on my first trip out and then another time last october. it's a real fucking drag when that happens.



hahahahahaha that totally caught me off gaurd.

the worst time ive ever had hitching was when i got picked up by this middle/new aged hippie just going from santa cruz to sf. he talked the whole way about crystals and spirits, dont get me wrong...interesting enough stuff but by the time we reached pacifica i was ready to either jump out or grab the wheel and push it into on coming traffic.


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## Clit Comander

*Beyond The Sun wrote:*


> I've had something like that happen to me, but it turned out it was all in my head.
> 
> I was in Williamstown Mass., right on the MA/VT border hitching north up 7. I had just gotten dropped off and had literally put down my pack and stuck out my thumb when a white pickup pulled over. This sinewy looking guy hops out of the passenger seat, I ask them where they are going, throw my pack in the bed of the truck and hop in the back seat. As I was getting in I realized that it was one of those pickups where the person in front has to get out first before the person in back (me) can get out. I didn't really think much of it though. So we were driving along making small talk--I guess the two guys used to be in the army together and were big into hunting and fishing blah blah blah. There was a pause in the conversation and the driver, this burly construction worker, turns back to me and asks if on my travels I'd ever had _____. Yeah I don't remember what it was he asked me, but it was called "twisted" something. Sounded pretty kinky to me. So I told him no then he turned to his friend laughing and said "looks like we've got a greenhorn here." He then proceded to ask me my age, which I told him. There was silence for probably 45 seconds, but it felt like an eternity as I sat in the back trying to come to terms with what I could only imagine I was going to face, and also try to figure out how the hell I was going to get out of the truck. So then the driver turns back around and asks me if, in my travels I had come across any homegrown. So turns out they were just asking me about weed, and I'm a fucking idiot. They were really nice guys, offered to by me breakfast and dropped me off at a "good" spot. Other than that I haven't had any scares or anything on my rides, but I'm sure they happen every once and a while.
> Just use common sense and go with your gut and you should be fine.



or carry a knife


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## Clean

> from mattpist: sigh... read the rules. this is your only warning.



Post edited by: MattPist, at: 2007/05/20 06:33


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## Bendixontherails

Bullshit.

I got half a dozen straight good rides this past week.

Generalizations are always innacurate.inch:


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## Hoghead Bob

*Clean wrote:*


> THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO PICKUP HITCHIKERS THESE DAYS ARE FAGGOTS,PREACHERS AND FAGGOT PREACHERS.



And railroaders.


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## dirtyfacedan

*Hoghead Bob wrote:*


> *Clean wrote:*
> THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO PICKUP HITCHIKE...D FAGGOT PREACHERS.[/quote]
> And railroaders.
> 
> Yah...right. I had a nice fella pick me up once in revelstoke BC, and gave me a ride to Winnipeg. It turned out the guy was David Milgard. He did 26 years in Canadian Federal Prison for a murder he did not commit. There is STILL an government (bullshit) enquery about the fuck up. It was a real eye opening experience. I've hitched across Canada at least a dozen times, and has always been a great time.


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## Mouse

*leftoverstraps wrote:*


> i didn't run into too much trouble while on the road but i did run into a guy that me and my ex call the hitchhiker killer in south carolina
> he picks us up and has a full backseat says he'll take us up one exit then half way to the exit says fuck it lets party so he got a hotel room and bought us dinner then we get back to the room and he made us shower (we reeked like all hell) then he asked us what our drug of choice was so we said coke and he left to get some coke he was gone for a couple of hours and we started thinking he was weird and whatnot then he comes back with the most crack i have ever seen in my life at first i was hesitant about smokeing crack with this guy he was really weird but then i caved we smoked for hours and finally we ran out and the high wore off and i passed out my ex was gonna stay awake because we didn't trust the guy (don't know if it was the crack or his weirdness) well he passed out for a minute or 2 and i wake up to feeling someone rubbing my ass at first i thought it was my ex so i was like wtf but then i realized weird guy wasn't in his bed so i squeezed my ex's hand really hard and he woke up i guess weird guy realized we were awake cuz he flipped the lights on and said it was time to go and that he was gonna take us all the way to florida he went out to his car real quick and i explained what happened to my ex then weird guy comes back and tells us he's got thousands of dollars worth of checks under the back seat we go out side and he was trying to rip the back seats out we figured he was making room for our bodies so we told him we weren't taking the ride and took off into the woods




yikes.



remember that guy outside of baltimroe that rented a hotel room for us and bought of a shit ton of beer and then he vanished? the Ghost Trucker as I like to call him. I wonder if he died or something. it was really weird... but nice. free beer and a comfy room.


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## Tyrel

Medicine hat. 
I swear that this town is impossible to hitch hike out of, for two reasons.
1 Last year (06) this 13 year old goth girl killed her parents and brothers and sisters becuase her parents wouldnt let her date some 23 year old goth guy. Due to the fact that southern alberta is just ridiculously conservative and ignorant they must think anyone with a piercing in the face is a goth and will kill there family. 

2. Theres so many damn cops there one drives by you every 5 minutes, so there either gonna drive you back into town, give you a ticket, or catch the nice person whos trying ot give you a ride and give him a wonderful 2000 dollar fine just for trying to help someone out.

I tired last year and myself and my travelling partner Jordan were on the side of the road for 2 and a half days. Its much easier to hop here.


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## venusinpisces

Here are a few: Hitching down 95 going through N. Carolina I got picked up by this redneck who kept complaining about "interracial dating" the whole time. He was riding with his son who was talking about how to make crystal meth every time his Dad got out the car. So at one point the Dad is telling me about how his daughter had a black boyfriend and then she had a girlfriend after that, a fact he was not happy about to say the least. Then he said one time he held a gun to her head to make her "choose between niggers and Christ". I don't remember what I said but I didn't wait long to ask to get out the car. He really didn't want to let me go either--he kept asking me "are you sure honey? I just want to make sure you're all right." Yeah, you better believe I'm sure. Thankfully I had my rottie mix with me that time so I was never too worried.

That guy was creepy but the next one was worse. He was a truck driver that picked up me and my road dog somewhere in Texas and was driving with his "wife". He started off being *really* friendly but something was off because he had these huge bug eyes and it was all a bit much. So the second we got in the truck he started in with the bible verses right away and then I could tell he was a total psycho. As it turns out, he had just "rescued" his "wife" from a crackhouse in Baton Rouge after she had run away from him, an act he was quite angry about. He kept talking about himself like he was the messiah for "saving" her while she literally said about 3 or 4 words over the course of several hours. The guy was raging at her the whole time. No wonder she ran away--poor thing.  Even though he never said or did anything explicitly violent, the whole time there was this underlying feeling that it was a potential murder suicide in the making. I felt so bad for that lady for being stuck with him. 

Then he started in on us, saying we were demonically possessed, needed the light of Christ and all that. We were about ready to get out and then it started *pouring* outside. He stopped at a truck stop and said we could sleep in the truck. Since he had a bunk bed in the back he said and his wife could sleep on the top and we could sleep on the bottom. We really didn't want to but it was wet and cold out so we fell asleep anyway despite some serious reservations. Before the sun came up I woke up to the sensation of someone caressing my forehead while I heard the sound of him speaking in tongues. The guy was standing over me with his eyes rolled back in his head and his "wife" had just gone inside for a shower. He said he was trying to cast out a demon. I immediately jumped out of bed and got into the passenger seat. After that I was ready to brave the rainstorm and got out fast. Moral of the story: never ignore your intuition.


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## ericafuckyea

Was hitchhiking from Fayetteville Arkansas to New Orleans by myself afew months ago. You can already guess how fun that was. Every ride was scary. One guy picked me up somewhere in Arkansas and started driving on all these back roads and shit for no apparent reason. Kept talking about how private and isolated the land was. I told him my dad knew where I was (my dad lives in arkansas) and that I had friends waiting for me in Nola. He ended up taking me to some state park so I could use the showers, seemed pissed when there were other people at the park. This dude totally wanted to kill me, I spent the whole time watching him out the corner of my eye and plotting my escape. In the end he gave me some money and told me to call him if I was still at the spot he left me at that night. Yeah.....

Took a trucker ride out of Texarkana because a.) it was getting dark and i was alone in the middle of nowhere and b.) dude was going to baton rouge. I was reassured by the collage of family pictures on the inside of his truck. He seemed pretty nice at first, then he started telling me all about hauling acid. What kinds of acid he hauled, how much damage acid could do to say, a persons face. Then he told me that hitchhikers were crazy and couldnt be trusted, telling me stories about truckers picking up girls and them freaking out and the truckers having to throw them out of their cabs. Started telling me this story about a lady who was walking in a parkinglot and got a cup of acid thrown on her face, but it turned out she actually did it herself after investigation. This was a long ride, at one point he had to stop to get his load checked at some acid factory, and the whole time I was thinking this guys gonna fill a cup with acid, throw it in my face, and say that i was just some crazy bitch who attacked him or that i did it myself. hella scary. buuuut everything was cool in the end, i think he was just a little scared of me and paranoid about being caught with a rider.

was hitching the 101 up to portland afew years ago, again i was by myself. i'm not good at sticking with road dawgs, i tend to ditch people for no good reason, can't lie. i had just ditched these kids mikey and spoon (portland homebums) in petaluma cuz it took us EIGHT days to get there from SF. fuuuuuck no. anyways, this dude in a pickup picked me up and we're driving along. he was asking a buncha questions about traveling, he kept saying "thats killer" everytime i said something about traveling. then asked me if i got scared hitching by myself. this is always a red flag for me. i told him no, that i always carried a weapon and that i stayed in frequent contact with my family. he started telling me i was cute and he liked my freckles. then he turned off on a dirt road and said he was taking me to see his land. i told him he needed to get back on the hwy. we were already in bumfuck nowhere. he stopped his truck in the middle of the road, LOCKED BOTH DOORS, and just stared at me. we stared at each other for what felt like a fucking hour before he laughed, unlocked my door, and told me to get out of his car. Then he FOLLOWED behind me slowly in his truck until I got back on the hwy. I ran like three miles down the street until i started seeing cars. so fucking scary.

One of my first times hitchhiking, it was me and this kid marc and we were near baltimore after getting pulled off a train in lorton virginia. This fat guy in a blue cadillac picks us up. I sit in the back and marc sits up front. the dude starts asking Marc questions about me, is that your girlfriend? no, well do you guys have sex? can i spend a little time with her? moneys no problem, how much do you need? etc etc as if i have no say in the matter and he can buy me from this kid. when the dude was on the phone marc told me to keep my mouth shut and he would handle it. After about fifteen minutes of thiskind of conversation I'm about to freak out, Marc keeps saying no to the dude, and then says we need to get out of the car and for him to let us out at the next exit. The dude turned around and spoke to me for the first time saying "c'mon honey give it a try. I'll treat you like a princess if ya let me." OMFG. i literally puked on the side of the road when he let us out of the car.

figure i should probably stop hitchhiking by myself...


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## Alaska

Not really a horror story, just shitty and sketch as fuck.

Me and my friend were hitchin from Fairbanks, AK to Anchorage. Took us about 45 minutes to get a ride, and this guy finally stops RIGHT NEXT to a railing. So I tried my best not to ding the door. I ended tapping it a bit. Wasn't my fault, it was physically impossibly to get me and my pack in there. He pretty much raged "I SWEAR TO GOD. YOU HIT MY DOOR? YOU HIT. MY DOOR?" and was just mumbling afterwards. I apologized. 

So, about 20 seconds later down the road, we realize this guy is completely fucked up. Drunk and stoned. Was guzzling beer after beer, smoking bowl after bowl. And he kept trying to make me take a hit, and every time I said "I'm okay, sir" or "No, sir". 
Mostly because I was incredibly nervous, and I get into a panicy type of thing when I smoke when nervous. I wanted to pay attention to the road. But this guy was completely adamant, and I said "okay, fine" and took a few fake hits. Didn't touch the lighter to the pipe. He didn't notice, he was obliterated. Swerving left and right, left and right. No such thing as "wrong way" to this man. He ended up taking some dudes side-view off (as well as his own) and freaked shit. He raged so hard that he ended up puking on the side of the road. Everywhere. Then WE had to bring him back to his car.

As we were trying to help this man out, lo and behold, a police car comes up. I was about to shit myself. In that moment in time, I can only assume we looked like the bad stereotype we all know. 

Surprisingly, the cop comes up to us (with this man in the middle of the road, looking dead) and we explained what happened. He said he understood, took the man into his car (along with the beer cans and bud) and took off. 

So... we hitched more. Fucking weird ride.


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## venusinpisces

Here are a few stories told to me by drivers just so people can get a good idea of what they have to deal with. The first was from a trucker who I had been talking with about skeezy truck stops in Newark/Trenton. He had been briefly stopped on a side street in one of the two places (I really can't remember which but they're both just over-sized ghettos) when about a dozen thugs climbed up onto the hood and stepladders and started slamming baseball bats into the windows. So he started up the truck fast and tore out of there, crushing one of the men beneath the wheels of the truck. He said it was like driving over a big speed bump. I actually believe this because 18 wheelers are a lot more powerful than regular vehicles. He said the rest of the guys just fell off.

The next guy was a trucker too and he stopped to pick up a hitcher who appeared to be completely mute. When he climbed into the cab the driver asked "Where you headed?" No response. "You been waiting long?" Nothing. He asks a few more questions and receives no reply so they continue driving in silence for several hours. Suddenly the hitcher turns to the driver and asks "Do you like Madonna?" The driver says "sure, I guess so." (or something along those lines) So then it's like the floodgates have opened and the hitcher is suddenly very talkative, only he won't talk about anything else *except* Madonna. Eventually the driver drops him off and goes home to tell his son about the crazy hitchhiker who
was obsessed with Madonna. A few weeks later his son calls to tell him that some guy has been arrested for breaking into Madonna's house and going through her lingerie. So the driver does an online search and discovers, to his horror, that in fact it was his friend the hitcher!!!

So if drivers seem a little hesitant to pick us up, it may be good to keep these stories in mind. I definitely have a lot more sympathy for them now than I did before.


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## Diagaro

I'm waiting for that asshat that thinks that they can pull some stupid shit - worst case scenerio I can drive from a passenger seat, I'ts easy tou just kick there feet out of the way of the pedals and take controll of hte wheel. I can have my knife out and in clean through a drivers throat in less than 2 seconds . . .


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## Traveler

Diagaro said:


> worst case scenerio I can drive from a passenger seat, I'ts easy tou just kick there feet out of the way of the pedals and take controll of hte wheel. I can have my knife out and in clean through a drivers throat in less than 2 seconds . . .



I don't hitch but yeah this is my line of thought. I would much rather take that persons life than have them take mine.


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## ericafuckyea

Traveler said:


> I don't hitch but yeah this is my line of thought. I would much rather take that persons life than have them take mine.



good luck proving your case in court.... killing someone in their own vehicle when they picked you up hitchhiking is gonna look pretty sketchy.


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## venusinpisces

ericafuckyea said:


> good luck proving your case in court.... killing someone in their own vehicle when they picked you up hitchhiking is gonna look pretty sketchy.


 
Seriously. And what is with all this melodrama about throat-slashing and murder all about in the first place? Doesn't anyone realize that the number of people in this country who would straight up murder a hitchhiker with no money/resources just because they felt like it is so small that it's bordering on insignificant? Yeah, people are going to ask for sex and some will be aggressive about it. But your chances of getting picked up by Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty much nonexistent. I've been in hundreds of rides and have never had to resort to anything more than just swatting someone off me. Even my friends who have actually been raped are girls who didn't put up much of a fight. Unfortunately, if you're not assertive, people will notice that and take advantage. If you really feel unsafe then get a big protective dog, as I have stressed elsewhere. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get one even if you don't feel unsafe. Any other solution causes more problems than it's worth. And the last thing that other travelers need is a bunch of paranoid police on nation-wide alert about "hitchhiker serial killers".


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## outskirts

venusinpisces said:


> Seriously. And what is with all this melodrama about throat-slashing and murder all about in the first place? Doesn't anyone realize that the number of people in this country who would straight up murder a hitchhiker with no money/resources just because they felt like it is so small that it's bordering on insignificant? Yeah, people are going to ask for sex and some will be aggressive about it. But your chances of getting picked up by Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty much nonexistent. I've been in hundreds of rides and have never had to resort to anything more than just swatting someone off me. Even my friends who have actually been raped are girls who didn't put up much of a fight. Unfortunately, if you're not assertive, people will notice that and take advantage. If you really feel unsafe then get a big protective dog, as I have stressed elsewhere. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get one even if you don't feel unsafe. Any other solution causes more problems than it's worth. And the last thing that other travelers need is a bunch of paranoid police on nation-wide alert about "hitchhiker serial killers".


 
Well said!


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## outskirts

The most dangerous thing about hitchhiking is the same dangerous thing that you'd have to worry about
while driving your own car... Deadly Traffic Accidents! They happen every day in America. Just being in a
moving car is dangerous but billions of people do it everyday.


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## Traveler

ericafuckyea said:


> good luck proving your case in court.... killing someone in their own vehicle when they picked you up hitchhiking is gonna look pretty sketchy.



Yes because thats an intelligent line of thought.... "gee I don't think I could prove it in court... I should just let this person take my last breath!"

It's nice to be a pacifist but not at the cost of your own well-being. I agree, the chances are slim. But that doesn't mean that it will never happen and that you shouldn't be prepared. Not everyone is butterflies and sunshine like you, capiche?

Not to mention I am aware of what excessive force and justifiable force are. I wouldn't use a weapon unless the other person presented one. But go ahead, keep overreacting.


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## venusinpisces

outskirts said:


> The most dangerous thing about hitchhiking is the same dangerous thing that you'd have to worry about
> while driving your own car... Deadly Traffic Accidents! They happen every day in America. Just being in a
> moving car is dangerous but billions of people do it everyday.


Yeah, actually, that is a* huge* risk for hitchhikers because there are so many tweeker truck drivers that pick people up just to have someone to talk to in order to stay awake, since they get paid more for shorter delivery times. And after 4 consecutive days with no sleep their motor coordination is going to be off to say the least. I mentioned this elsewhere as well, but if you want to avoid driving with people who blindly swerve across 5 lanes of traffic (been there, done that:sos then hitchhike during the day. The night is ruled by tweekers and drunks. Also, see Alaska's story above. At least have a brief sobriety check conversation before getting in the car. If someone starts screaming at you the second the door opens this probably is not a good sign. :looney:


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## venusinpisces

Traveler said:


> Yes because thats an intelligent line of thought.... "gee I don't think I could prove it in court... I should just let this person take my last breath!"
> 
> It's nice to be a pacifist but not at the cost of your own well-being. I agree, the chances are slim. But that doesn't mean that it will never happen and that you shouldn't be prepared. Not everyone is butterflies and sunshine like you, capiche?
> 
> Not to mention I am aware of what excessive force and justifiable force are. I wouldn't use a weapon unless the other person presented one. But go ahead, keep overreacting.


 Uh, who's overreacting? You might want to go back and read the post again. Nowhere did anyone say not to defend yourself.
All she was saying is that the law will not be on your side in that situation. This is more realism than pacifism. If you think that knowing the law is going to make some conservative hayseed judge see anything but a drunk scumbag when they look at a hitchhiker then you may be in for a rude awakening. I think several of the commenters here were just trying to help people avoid that situation.


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## Traveler

venusinpisces said:


> Uh, who's overreacting? You might want to go back and read the post again. Nowhere did anyone say not to defend yourself.
> All she was saying is that the law will not be on your side in that situation. This is more realism than pacifism. If you think that knowing the law is going to make some conservative hayseed judge see anything but a drunk scumbag when they look at a hitchhiker then you may be in for a rude awakening. I think several of the commenters here were just trying to help people avoid that situation.



You should do some research on forensics. The police would be able to lay out what/how shit went down(if/when). Not to mention if you didn't try to run and hide; looks bad when you aren't there and they have to hunt you down(criminals run obv.).


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## catingeorgia

got picked up by a tow truck driver and rode for about thirty miles. he went out of his way to help me out and seemed like a very interesting and nice guy. we chatted the whole way and got along great. had just picked up a bag so i decided to help him out with a bud out of there. i figured...hey this guys a roughneck tow truck driver and seems very cool and "hip" dx. he kind of looked at me funny when i pulled the bag out and preceded to search for a healthy bud. he said...theres something i didnt mention. puzzled i asked him what he was reffering to and he preceded to tell me how he was an off duty sherrifs officer and worked in the county he dropped me off in he was cool about it though and told me that it was ok. i know its not really a horror story but it could have ended way different seeing that i had much over 28 grams on me. i couldnt imagine what went through his head when i pulled out that big ass sack


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## venusinpisces

Another thing to keep in mind is that it's not exactly a great idea to go talking about how you plan to kill people in explicit detail on the internet. Because, in the unfortunate event where this actually happened, it would appear to be a premeditated act which is legally about as far away from self defense as it gets. Police do know how to use computers, people.


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## outskirts

venusinpisces said:


> Another thing to keep in mind is that it's not exactly a great idea to go talking about how you plan to kill people in explicit detail on the internet. Because, in the unfortunate event where this actually happened, it would appear to be a premeditated act which is legally about as far away from self defense as it gets. Police do know how to use computers, people.


I'm sure there's at least one or two lurker cops on here. That's why I always think good and hard about what I'm gonna type.
And I do that with any and every thread. It's a matter of probability not paranoia.


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## outskirts

catingeorgia said:


> got picked up by a tow truck driver and rode for about thirty miles. he went out of his way to help me out and seemed like a very interesting and nice guy. we chatted the whole way and got along great. had just picked up a bag so i decided to help him out with a bud out of there. i figured...hey this guys a roughneck tow truck driver and seems very cool and "hip" dx. he kind of looked at me funny when i pulled the bag out and preceded to search for a healthy bud. he said...theres something i didnt mention. puzzled i asked him what he was reffering to and he preceded to tell me how he was an off duty sherrifs officer and worked in the county he dropped me off in he was cool about it though and told me that it was ok. i know its not really a horror story but it could have ended way different seeing that i had much over 28 grams on me. i couldnt imagine what went through his head when i pulled out that big ass sack


 
That's fucking great!


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## ericafuckyea

Traveler said:


> You should do some research on forensics. The police would be able to lay out what/how shit went down(if/when). Not to mention if you didn't try to run and hide; looks bad when you aren't there and they have to hunt you down(criminals run obv.).


Yeah because the police have no reason to lie or decieve, and because the courts are a system set in place to protect us, right? butterflies and fucking sunshine, lol. 
I'm gonna do my forensics research, and you can do some research on legal cases involving traveling kids and their outcome. deal? forensics don't mean shit when you add media hysteria and predjudice into the mix, or when you have grieving families screaming for your blood. one unfortunate example is the 'panhandler murder' in canada, a girl just got given a life sentence with NO forensic evidence because the courts needed someone to blame for such a high profile and politically charged murder. go to freenyki.org to read about it. what makes you think a case involving a hitchhiker would be any different? if people wont even let us use their bathrooms, if they lock their doors when we're flying signs near their cars, treat us like we're less than human... they're not going to give us the benefit of the doubt in a courtroom. Poverty and homelessness are being increasingly criminalised in the US, gentrification and the shelter system are just some of the tools they use to punish that crime. it benefits the 'powers that be' to take another street person OFF of the street.
on another note in response to your previous comment, i am anything but a pacifist and i am certainly not an idealistic person. i'm really fucking cynical and i always expect the worst from people, this has taught me to protect myself and avoid potentially dangerous situations. preventing a situation from getting out of hand should be your focus, as opposed to being a reactionary and having to do something desperate once things have gotten out of hand. being assertive and making your boundaries clear, plus using your INSTINCTS, will go a long way to keep you safe. As a female who frequently hitchhikes by herself I know this from alot of experience.


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## venusinpisces

Just wanted to make a quick comment about pacifism: its original purpose was anti-war mobilization, not passivity. You can be a pacifist and still believe in defending yourself and your family. 

As for the best method of self defense, I've carried all types of weapons, learned lethal martial arts moves, etc, but probably the most important thing has been learning conflict avoidance skills. A lot of people think the best response is to act aggressive all the time but this usually attracts violence instead of repels it. Learn to never be afraid while simultaneously gaining respect for people, even those you don't like. Respect does not mean submission, it just means treating others with decency. The combination of respect combined with a genuine lack of fear will stop most problems in their tracks. This is very much about mental discipline more than anything else. But one pay off is that the weapons you're carrying *really will* be used only in worst case scenarios, not just when someone pushes your buttons as is usually the case.


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## Deleted member 125

this one time i got picked up by a nice fellow who took me where i wanted to go. it was terrifying.


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## Diagaro

venusinpisces said:


> Just wanted to make a quick comment about pacifism: its original purpose was anti-war mobilization, not passivity. You can be a pacifist and still believe in defending yourself and your family.
> 
> As for the best method of self defense, I've carried all types of weapons, learned lethal martial arts moves, etc, but probably the most important thing has been learning conflict avoidance skills. A lot of people think the best response is to act aggressive all the time but this usually attracts violence instead of repels it. Learn to never be afraid while simultaneously gaining respect for people, even those you don't like. Respect does not mean submission, it just means treating others with decency. The combination of respect combined with a genuine lack of fear will stop most problems in their tracks. This is very much about mental discipline more than anything else. But one pay off is that the weapons you're carrying *really will* be used only in worst case scenarios, not just when someone pushes your buttons as is usually the case.


 
Yes this is what I meant. Though I don't remember any ti-kuan-do from when I was 6 I'm am sure that I can handle my self without my steel.
I spent years studying pressure points, weak spots i.e., collar bone, (broken easily it nearly immobilizes the person from arm use)
And flat out intimidating and bluffing weak minded folk.
But givin where I grew up and the "people watching" and introspection and studying the human animal I have become somewhat expert at dealing with people, especially potential walking threats.
So as I said, The day someone gets stupid will be a bad day for that person.

+ theres lotsa places off interstate highways that both cars and bodies can be stored for decades without being found, specially here in the south west - theres a saying down here in the desert lands "lots of holes in the desert, don't end up in one"


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## hamikman

I don't hitchhike much anymore but used to a lot. Almost all my rides were great and many times ended up with way more than a ride. I've hitched all over the world and met some great people that way. Hitching alone is the best and I suppose the most dangerous but more likely to get a ride. I had this queer guy grab my balls once and freaked me out to the extent he got my left elbow in his teeth. And f course got rides from guys that were hoping I was queer and that was as far as it went after I'd say not me. While hiching across Canada to get to Vancouver to catch a flight to Australia a buddy and I got a lift from one wierd dude. In Calgary he picked us up but not before picking up this other guy that was hitching just a little way before us. The other hitcher had on these little kiddy heart shaped sunglasses that were too small for him and he'd cut off the bent part of the arms and stuck drinking straws on them so they'd go over his ears. He just sat in the front seat staring straight ahead saying nothing the whole time. The driver was on speed I think. He wouldn't shut up. He was going on about how he'd just ditched his family and was fucking off to the coast to hook up with his friends. He then proceeded to dig out photos of his friends and show them to us. They were mostly nude and really ugly. He insisted we go with him all the way to the coast and meet his friends and get layed etc and do we have any weed, cash..... We got out at Banff making the excuse we had relatives there or some shit. We were afraid he wouldn't let us out. He probably made the news eventually. The other hitcher had a big USmarine tattoo under which said "born to kill". This was 1982 and we thought he was a fucked up nam vet. Ya, thats right kids I'm an ooold man. I like to pick up hitch hikers especially young people as thay remind me of all the shit I did way back. I feel I owe for all the rides and generosity I got when I didn't have shit. Now I have a truck with tiny camper and usually drive east for work every spring and back again west in fall. Usually see someone that needs a ride and has a cool story to tell. I only have one other seat so can only take one so feel bad when I drive by couples. I've met some awesome kids having a great time and just seeing where the road will take them. I hope they all have safe journeys but with enough adventure to be interesting. Someone earlier said- trust your instinct. If you open the door and something tells you something isn't right- listen! That being said I've had great rides from some awesome people that mainstream people would be afraid of just by looking at them. If you hitch alone you're a little more vulnerable but you're far more likely to get invited to a meal, party, stay with the family etc...


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## Puckett

i was in council bluffs iowa and i was at walmar with my friend and theis chick was like you want to come to my house and get a shower and eat. we were so down with it for the fact we had just been droped off after a wild ride and no showers for weeks. after all that they ask up if we want to go to a cook out, were like yeah so this girl and her prego friend and one more load up the girls truck and start driving, after 30mins we ask where were going and they said they were taking us camping. there was no way to get out so we were like fuck it we can take them if need be. tey took us to a nasy lake and we ate steak that i cooked. it was good. so antway things were getting really creapy so i told the i was going to sleep in the back of her truck and my poor friend frank slept in the tent with the girls, turns out the first girl was a hermapherdite(cant spell) poor frank had the wort time when they all tried to get into his pants. 
i guess it was more of a horror story for him


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## liz79

so far i only have one horror story, it isnt too bad tho. i was trying to get out of redding, ca and had just got a ride to a truck stop by a guy who realized i was in a shit spot to get out at. my next ride wasnt so great though, he was a trucker who said he was only going a few exits down and i told him as long as i got a little farther i didnt care. almost as soon as i got in he started asking for sex, whining like a baby saying that its such a great thing and that i have a beautiful body and should use it. i actually had to pull out my knife on him when he started to try and grope my tits and make him stop a few exits before where he was going to leave me so i wouldnt have to deal with his shit anymore. soon after that i got picked up by a nice cop who took me to another truck stop that i had better luck with.


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## keg

so i am up in the mountains in fukushima.i have been waiting at a truckstop type place for hours.this guy says want a ride?so i get in his van and he puts my bike in the back(a fuckin beachcruiser)so he says he will take me almost all the way i need to go so i am happy.so we are talking about shit,just normal shit but for some reason this guy kept talking about yakuza and asking me if i liked yakuza.now i have have learned not to judge people by there looks...but this guy was a dork.so about 3am we are in the middle of the mountains and we hit a police checkpoint.they take him someplace they take me someplace.about an hour later we are on are way.so this guy says his moms house is up ahead and i can stay there but he had no electricity.but since i was on my way to see my kids i said no just drop me off its ok.now this guy is almost out of gas and says he has no money.and i have no money for gas either.but he says i will drive you.but first we parked someplace and slept him in the drivers seat and me in the other.so morning comes and i am like ok i will just bike out of here.but we are talking and he is looking around the back of his van and he comes across glass cutters lockpicking shit and that type of shit.he starts giggling and says "lucky those police did not find these last night.it was because there is no way the would have belived me.but sometimes i wonder what would have happened if i went with him for a couple days.if my kids were not waiting i would have went on a crime spree with him.but still he was a nice guy.i do not know how he got gas to get home.so never judge people by there looks.he looked like a nerd.but was a super nice thief.


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## Puckett

keg said:


> so never judge people by there looks.he looked like a nerd.but was a super nice thief.



i love nerds they are almost always nice people


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