The Two New Hitchhikers

Let me deviate from talking about my book so I can jot down another entry pertaining to real-life happenings in the world of hitchhiking.  To help commemorate my book signing on Monday, I saw not just one but TWO hitchhikers on the road in the past two days! This is remarkable because it’s been years since I’ve seen any sort of thumbing activity. We didn’t pick up either guy and let me explain why. The first was as we made our way from church to the book signing. We passed a young man on the I-78 entrance ramp in Bloomsbury, NJ. He was tall and formidable, with a large backpack (no sign), standing openly in the correct manner; obviously an earnest long-distance traveler. With Andrea in the back, we had no room for him. The second guy was on PA-378 south of Bethlehem, during a freezing rain. He was walking with traffic, definitely soliciting, arm held out, with money waving from his fingers. We couldn’t see his face, plus he was wearing a hoodie—so no pickup. I’d never seen a hitchhiker displaying money like that. As I reflected, it seemed like those are the two modes of thumbing: People who are purposefully on the road as an intentional way to reach a destination, and those who would never be out there except as a necessity, someone who has swallowed their pride and dignity and has no other options. The first maintains boldness in movement through the generosity of the hitchhiking network . . . the second is out there because there’s simply no other way to get there.