Hitchhiking trips:

Sunderland →Route 10

Ally was the first car to pass by and she stopped right away. Said she couldn't leave me in the rain.

Route 10 →Northfield

Nancy was driving in the opposite direction, turned around and changed her plans to help me on my way. She walked the coastline of Wales a few years prior and remembered what it was like to be in the rain.

Northfield, MA →Keene, NH

A man named Jeff picked me up. He was very kind. An evangelical Christian who disagrees with the mainstream Christian narratives, and tries to model his life after the more radical teachings of Jesus.

Keene →Henniker

A young guy named Lee picked me up. He attends grad school at UC Irvine and was in the area to visit his parents. We discussed our mutual dislike of Orange County, the best weekend trips in the Southwest, and our experiences travelling the country. He altered his route a bit to put me in a good spot.

Henniker → Concord

John Hare drove me to Concord. A retired college librarian, he was excited to share the local history of the area.

A woman named Lisa was eating a meal at a local co-op and saw me hitchhiking outside. She came up to me and offered to drive me to my destination. Turns out she hitched solo all over the country during the 60's and 70's. We had some beautiful conversations about finding community, holistic medicine, and being present.

Asheville, North Carolina → Colonial Heights, Tennesse

A cool couple with a dog from Asheville stopped for us after a 40 minute wait. We chatted about politics and travel and they went out of their way to drop us in a good location. Wonderful people!

Colonial Heights, Tennessee → Wytheville, Virginia

A man named Ben picked us up. He was in Tennessee for his daughter's track meet, headed back to Ohio.

Wytheville, Virginia → Radstock, Virginia

A woman and her young son, we rode in the back of her red pickup. She said she'd pray to Jesus for our safety and wished us luck.

Radstock, Virginia → Highway near Roanoke, Virginia

Two Cuban men picked us up. They spoke only Spanish, and I spoke Italian with them… Somehow we understood each other!

Highway near Roanoke → Downtown Roanoke, Virginia

A super sweet woman with a dog picked us up before we even put out our thumbs. Drove us right where we needed to be.

Holly Springs → Canton

Another woman drove us to the next town. Talked about fly fishing and owning her own land.

Canton → Jasper

A couple just going for a drive offered to drive us a ways. It was their 5 year old son's birthday.

Jasper → Blue Ridge

A German woman who lives in Blue Ridge picked us up.

Blue Ridge → Mineral Bluff

Two women from Tennessee picked us up. Their accents were very distinct! Referred to us as "you'ins" instead of "y'all." Warned us that there is a lot of drug addiction in the area.

Mineral Bluff → Culberton

Two older conservative women stopped for us. "Are you girls crazy???" They had never picked up hitchhikers before, but felt they had to stop for us.

Culberton → Murphy

Lee, originally from San Antonio, drove us to Murphy on his way to Walmart.

Murphy → Andrews

This man saw us before he went into Walmart and thought "I'll give them a ride if they're still out there when I'm done." We were still out there, so he offered to drive us to the next town over. Ex-army, married with 2 kids. Said he wished more people who claim Christianity actually followed Christ's teachings.

Andrews → Asheville

Brian was awesome! He lives in Asheville and offered us his couch, and gave us many recommendations for what to do in the city. We discussed veganism, feminism, racism, activism, and nonviolent communication.

Woodstock → Holly Springs

After standing at the on ramp for 30 minutes, 2 police showed up. The Concerned Citizens of Woodstock had reported 2 teenager girls were trying to hitchhike (we are 24 and 26 years old lol.) The police were cordial with us and wished us luck. After another 30 minutes, a woman named Kathy drove us a few exits up. She works as a cleaner, and said if she wasn't heading to work… (read on in Trip)

This lovely woman from Idaho with her dog Luna. We talked about farming and hiking.

A bounty hunter named Kay Rae Rae. She told me I was CRAZY for hitchhiking without a knife. She offered to give me a bicycle to ride instead. Warned me about rednecks.

Nice local lady with a pug named Bug drove us into town.

This woman stopped for us because she thought we were PCT hikers. She works for Save the Children and had some interesting stories. She drove us out of the park.

A sweet couple from Mississippi stopped for us, we rode in the back of their pickup all the way to our farm. We were super touched, because they pulled over a few times to make sure we were warm, giving us blankets and extra sweaters to put on. Really good people.

A woman named Kaitlin, she thought I was a PCT hiker. Drove me to her trailhead.

A group of college kids going hiking. Drive out of their way to get me to a decent spot.

A gay man who grew up in Klamath Falls. We talked about his life and rural Oregon and listened to show tunes.

Cougar Hot Springs →Eugene

Rilo drove me to Eugene after a day at the hot springs!

Arcata →Cougar Hot Springs

I was hitchhiking with a woman from Slovenia and a man from Spain. They were heading to Grants Pass, I hoped to go further. Rilo stopped for us, and I ended up going all the way to Cougar Hot Springs with her and camping there for the night.

Sebastopol

A woman with her daughter drove me to a better spot

Sebastopol →Freestone

A kiwi man gave me a ride a few miles out. He said "the more you travel the more you trust."

Freestone →Gualala

A fisherman named Tony picked me up. He's a pacifist who likes helping out travelers. Drove out of his way.

Gualala →Point Arena

A Christian man picked me up. He evangelized and shared conspiracy theories.

Point Arena →Elk

Two kids going camping picked me up. Told me about the local queer scene and gave me recommendations.

Eugene →Roseburg

A man who struggled with poverty in the past, and tries to help others when they are down and out.

Roseburg →Canyonville

A woman with kids and a grow in Canyonville.

Canyonville →Grants Pass

Man traveling in a van with his dog. Great hitchhiking and train hopping stories from the 60's and 70's.

Grant's Pass →Cave Junction

Man named Geronimo. Has a grow in cave Junction. Really sweet person.

Cave Junction →Crescent City

Cool outdoorsy guy who lives in Arcata.

Ontario → rest stop north of Baker City

Connie was this sweet woman in her sixties driving a red pickup truck. She made it a point to show us scenic views of Snake River and stop at historical spots along the way. She said it was her "me day" so she was doing whatever she wanted.

Baker City → La Grande

A pair of truckers stopped and drove us to La Grande. The one driving was from Florida; he's done some awesome long distance mountain biking trips and he was a marine for a while. He was training the other man, a young guy named Vladimir from Brooklyn. They were funny and interesting.

La Grande → Morgan Lake

An amazing woman named B picked us up! She drove out of her way to take us to our camp spot because she "couldn't pass by other women." She is a retired trucker and president of La Grande's vintage car club.

Kanab → Great Western Trail

Bronwyn picked us up almost immediately! Super cool woman in her mid twenties who said "I couldn't drive by two other women and not help them out" :) We vibed super well. Terrific conversations. She was driving across country and dropped us directly at our campsite.

Lake Powell → Hwy 89

A Navajo woman named Rose picked us up while we were hiking out and gave us a short ride to the highway. She works at the lake cleaning boats. A very kind woman!

Hwy 89 North

A family of five picked us up in their RV! It was very cush. They were super nice, had three kids ages 13, 6, and 4. They were on vacation from SLC. They were heading to a slot canyon so they dropped us off on a stretch of desert highway.

hwy 89 → Kanab

Vee picked us up after a two hour wait in the desert! She was from Page, AZ heading to Fredonia, AZ and the most direct way to get there was through Utah. She talked about hunting with a bow and arrow, living in a rural area, and her family.

German couple with a 5 month old baby

Dutch art curator on her way to visit her father in a nursing home.

My first hitchhiking experience!

I was taking a rideshare to Phoenix from Flagstaff when the driver's car broke down. Stranded on the roadside, another passenger named Kayla and I decided to try to hitchhike instead. It worked! We stuck out our thumbs, and an SUV pulled over shortly after. It was a mom and her four kids, driving down to Phoenix to get a tattoo. We were hooked!

Ride in the back of a farm truck with a bunch of olives

A woman from Neot Semadar picked us up. Neot Semadar is one of the few kibbutzim in Israel that have not been privatized. Everyone who lives there shares finances, no one has a specialized job, and they truly live as a community. It was fascinating to get her perspective on what it is like to live in such a place, as well as her opinions on why so many kibbutzim have moved… (read on in Trip)

Pine → Strawberry

Didn't like the vibe with this man, we probably shouldn't have taken the ride. Nothing bad happened, but I felt sketched out.

Hwy → Canyon de Chelly Visitor's Center

Young boys (looked too young to be driving) in a pickup. We sat in the back with the two dogs. Martina's hat flew away :(

Flowing Springs Campsite → Pine

A mom in her 30's with tattoos and three girls ages 8,9,10. Had been camping nearby us.

Visitor Center → Junction Restaurant (Chinle)

A woman who was "just going for a drive." Recommended the Junction restaurant for good local food, and dropped us off right where we needed to be… We ate Navajo tacos.

Burnside → Canyon de Chelly (North Rim Hwy)

A Christian Navajo woman who asked me if I believe in the Bible. She said "It seems simple enough to me."

Chinle → Campground at Canyon de Chelly

A family gave us a ride in the bed of their pickup, just as the sun was setting.

Strawberry → Burnside (Navajo Nation)

A lovely woman in her late 20's named Larose picked us up. She is Navajo. We stopped at an outdoor flea market in Dikon, most people were selling stuff out of the trunks of their cars. Bought some Kneel Down bread (good!) and talked with locals. Stopped at her mom's house in Greasewood. She told us about her high school sweetheart, who used to drive his quad across the open… (read on in Trip)

Hwy → Antelope House

A young girl driving quickly to pick up her mom, whose beadwork is destroyed in rain.