There is a dirtbag* proverb about hitch-hiking that goes something like this, “as long as the car is moving, you are safe. Once it stops, get out.”
There are times when hitch-hiking really is the way to go. For instance, say you were in Denali National Park, wanting to stay a night in the backcountry, knowing you also wanted complete a 20 mile packrafting trip the next day that was an 1.5 hr drive away and a 21 mile hike, but could be cut down to a 3 mile hike if you were able to hitch a ride. What do you do? Of course you would spend the night in the park and hitch-hike the next day, why am I even asking you this question?
So there we were, on George Parks Highway, with our backpacks on and our thumbs out, hoping and praying for the kindness of a stranger. After about 45 minutes and wondering if we were going to be able to accomplish the objective for the day, we saw a suburban pulled of down the road and a couple shuffling items around for additional passengers. We conversed, that since they were so far down the road there must have been a discussion about whether or not to pick us up.
With a big smile on her face our host, Hannah, introduced herself and her husband Joe. She said, “we saw you guys with your backpacks, we just had to pick you up, you looked so cute!” They helped us get our bags into the vehicle. As we sat down in the car, Joe took the passenger seat which had a metal bat, visible, at his left hand. I got the feeling he just wanted to tell us, “we will give you a ride, but don’t mess with my wife.” I can respect that. I wasn’t going to mess with his wife.
Before the wheels even started turning, Hannah wanted to get to know all about us. She had one of those personalities I would imagine is similar to Timothy’s. You know where Paul says, “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.**” She asked us how we all had met, where we went to school, who we were dating, what we did for work, all that good stuff. Joe and Hannah were a bit hesitant to answer similar questions, we were scary hitch-hikers for goodness sake!
We did find out they had 6 kids and had ditched them for the day to have date day (and they still picked us up! Such a blessing!). As they dropped us off, it became very evident Hannah was a mom, “do you guys have any snacks? I don’t have any, but do you have some?” They refused money for gas, and reluctantly dropped us off on the side of the road, offering to take as far as they could down the 2-track. As they drove away, Adam said, “I think we need to have a moment of silence for Joe. He’s probably getting berated by his wife right now.”
*Dirtbag according to urban dictionary: a person who is committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other social norms in order to pursue said lifestyle. So, most kayakers, alpinists, climbers, bikers, Megan’s friends, etc…
**Philippians 2:20
for my friends who are moms 