I've been poking around the internet looking for a forum like this, and this seems to be my best bet. Got a couple of questions, but first, the plan:
I live in central Illinois. I'm going to meet a friend in New York City at the end of June/beginning of July. I've been interested in hitchhiking for months now, but I haven't had a good opportunity to do it. I'm planning on flying out to New York, hanging around there for a while, then hitchhiking back. Solo. First time hitchhiking ever. I'm a 20-year-old dude in college, and I've got a fair bit of experience in camping/backpacking.
So question 1: Am I crazy? It's essentially New York to Chicago along I-80, I think, although from what I've read I might want to get off the interstate and take my time. It's about 1000 miles, and that's a lot for a first trip.
Question 2: Is there a better route I should take? Really I want to end up around Springfield, IL, but I can catch a bus/train from somewhere like Chicago. I suppose I'd like to get off the interstate and see the country a little, but I'm okay with just racing straight back.
Question 3: Can I viably camp my way as I go? I've got a hammock I like to sleep in and a rain fly for it. Should I try to find state parks to sleep in, or just a friendly person's back yard? I have some friends in Ohio, so I'll hopefully stay with one/some of them at some point. What are your experiences with this sort of thing (the camping)? I've done a tiny bit of stealth camping in Missouri, but that was in a heavily wooded area near a state park. No one around to find us there. On a related note, what should I expect to do for food/water?
Question 4: Any other tips? What sort of experiences/occurrences should I plan for?
I live in central Illinois. I'm going to meet a friend in New York City at the end of June/beginning of July. I've been interested in hitchhiking for months now, but I haven't had a good opportunity to do it. I'm planning on flying out to New York, hanging around there for a while, then hitchhiking back. Solo. First time hitchhiking ever. I'm a 20-year-old dude in college, and I've got a fair bit of experience in camping/backpacking.
So question 1: Am I crazy? It's essentially New York to Chicago along I-80, I think, although from what I've read I might want to get off the interstate and take my time. It's about 1000 miles, and that's a lot for a first trip.
Question 2: Is there a better route I should take? Really I want to end up around Springfield, IL, but I can catch a bus/train from somewhere like Chicago. I suppose I'd like to get off the interstate and see the country a little, but I'm okay with just racing straight back.
Question 3: Can I viably camp my way as I go? I've got a hammock I like to sleep in and a rain fly for it. Should I try to find state parks to sleep in, or just a friendly person's back yard? I have some friends in Ohio, so I'll hopefully stay with one/some of them at some point. What are your experiences with this sort of thing (the camping)? I've done a tiny bit of stealth camping in Missouri, but that was in a heavily wooded area near a state park. No one around to find us there. On a related note, what should I expect to do for food/water?
Question 4: Any other tips? What sort of experiences/occurrences should I plan for?