Why Hitch-hiking?
Hitch-hiking wasn't something in my life span at all, until I met a friend who hitch-hiked all the way from Kansas to New York City. His name is Elwin （侯李睿）.
Elwin is a quite adventurous guy. In fact, he really inspired me to start planning about my own adventures and setting my first step. Before I met him, he was on a road trip from San Francisco to NYC. Somehow his friends had to drop out in the midth of the trip when they were in Kansas. Instead of giving up, Elwin made a board that said "HITCH-HIKING TO NYC, CAN YOU HELP ME?" and ventured on.
It took him about 15 days to reach NYC. Luckily, through another good friend I heard about a Chinese guy who was going to do a cross-the-US marathon from NYC to LA. Elwin heard about the story too, and volunteered to help resupply him along the way.
So, in one summer, Elwin ran through the entire United States TWICE, west coast to east coast and then back to west coast. That Chinese super runner was able to make the entire coast-to-coast in 89 days with the help of Elwin and other volunteers who drove the car and resupply him along the way. His name is Wang Xuan (王玄).
This was the summer of 2011. Back then, hitch-hiking wasn't on my to-do-list at all! However, having friends who dared to do it, and really DID it, really opened up my eyes. Both Elwin and Wang Xuan were my early inspirations to take on something big, challenging, even dangerous. And yet spectacular. Two years later, in the summer of 2013, the seed they had planted grew into a big tree--and I was ready to start my own hitch-hiking trip too.
为什么要搭车？说来还要追溯到我在2011年认识的一个朋友--侯李睿。当时他一个人从堪萨斯搭车到了纽约，又在同一个夏天帮助中国马拉松长跑者王玄从纽约跑到加州。在一个夏天内侯李睿横跨了美国两次！当时我还没有严肃地涉足穷游和户外，但侯李睿和王玄的经历可谓是让我大开眼界，也在我心里埋下了一棵种子。没想到，两年后的夏天，我也开始了自己的搭车之旅。
Don't you know how dangerous it is?
Indeed, I knew. I know it doesn't sound that trust-worthy when I said it. But, really, trust me, I was aware of the dangers and risks I was taking--hitch-hiking SOLO.
I did not want to die. I did not want to get raped. I did not want to be robbed, burned, or whatever. NO. Life was precious enough to me that I feel I should hold onto it tight. Tight enough for me to protect myself in every way I could.
So, instead of the traditional way of hitch-hiking (standing by a freeway/highway and sticking your thumb out in order for a car to notice you and hopefully stop by), I tried something else. I would only go to the gas stations near highway entrances and ask people face-to-face for a favor to pick me up.
I understand that this would not eliminate the danger of hitchhiking, but it is indeed safer. Why?
- The time is longer for both parties to make decisions--should I get into the person's car, or should that person take me. It's an interaction between people. Easier for both of us to figure each other out.
- If that driver refuses me, it would at least make him/her feel a little bit guilty. But waiting on the street wouldn't necessarily do that trick.
- It's safer, since I am not standing on a road and letting cars pass me by.
- It's faster, because I can ask and get the answer from 100 people in less than half an hour.
- It's easier. If I wait in the right gas station, almost ALL CARS are going to the place I want to go to, thus increasing the chance that I will be picked up by someone
独身搭车可谓是找死--我可能被杀，被抢，被强奸。而且我是一个瘦弱的女生，并无还手能力。于是我采用了另一种搭车方式：去加油站等，询问经过的车主。虽然这不能完全消除搭车的风险，但起码有如下优势：
1. 更靠谱。面对面的交谈，能让我和车主对彼此有一个初步印象
2. 更微妙。如果车主拒绝搭我，他/她起码会有一点愧疚，而在马路上飞驰而过的那些车就不一定了
3. 更安全。在加油站坐着，总比在公路旁站着安全。
4. 更快。在公路上可能2小时也不会有车停下，但在加油站，可以轻松地在半小时内遇到很多人。
5. 更简单。只要找对了加油站（高速入口，目的地方向），就基本能保证大多数车辆都是会经过我要去的目的地的。这样大大增加了我被搭载的几率。
How did I prepare for it?
Hitchwiki.org has this great tip sheet for all beginner hitch-hikers: http://hitchwiki.org/en/Top_Tips. Read it, and you won't make as many mistakes.
Do some research about your route. Which cities/towns look like good locations? More specifically, which gas stations receive the most traffic, or are closest to highways?
I did my research. I was about to hitch-hike out of Salt Lake City, towards Denver. There are two major highways that go out of Salt Lake--I15 and I80, and numerous other freeways. Thus I picked a gas station which is closest to the junction of both interstate highways (within 1min drive distance). I also went to the gas station and informed the cashiers of my plans, so it won't be a surprise for them to see a hitch-hiker the next day.
Besides, I also contacted several friends who had extensive hitch-hiking experiences.
我是怎样准备此次搭车的？推荐一个网站--http://hitchwiki.org/en/Top_Tips。另外，我研究了出盐湖城的几条路线，决定在两个高速路交叉点附近的加油站等待。出发的头一天，我去加油站踩点，并且告诉里面的工作人员我第二天会在这里搭车。最后，我联系了几个有丰富搭车经验的朋友，确保万无一失。
This is the Maverik gas station where I started my trip. It's within a 1min drive from both I-15 and I-80.
这就是我挑好的加油站，离出城的两条高速都非常近。
The next blog post will be about my actual hitchhiking experience, stay tuned!!
我的下一篇博文将会详细讲述我的搭车经历，敬请关注～
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