Hitchhiking

So Caleb and I had to hitchhike several times in our adventures, it was just what needed to happen. If you're 10 miles from town, there's absolutely no way that you're walking that. It would be a whole day wasted, because walking next to a road is about the least favorite thing in the world to do. So our thumbs went out. There are a few tips that were communicated to us by Rock Dancer, that I'm going to pass on.
The Hierarchy of Who Gets Picked Up in What Order:

Girl
Girl with Dog
Guy
Guys
Old Man

First of all: Check your location. You always want to be seen in enough time (both for your protection, and for drivers to see/think about picking you up), and you always want stopping space behind you. Someone leaning towards picking you up could be dissuaded if they can't actually stop and pick you up. So enough space fore and aft.

Secondly: Get yourself ready. Pack up everything you can, collapse and stow the trek poles, and make sure you can pop your bag into a car in about 5 seconds. They stopped, now your job is to interfere with their trip as minimally as possible. So be quick, because if they have a good ride, other hikers may be likely to be picked up, and you want that to happen, because it could always be you as the next person.

Third of all: Thumb out, smile on. This is tougher than it sounds. First off, the thumb gets tired. No biggie, cars aren't all the time, so you can rest it. But the smile part...that can get tough. When car after car drives by, it can get really discouraging really fast. Suddenly you see yourself as random people see you: just another person. They can't see that I'm a scientist and Caleb is an incredible pianist, they can't see that we love dogs and good food, that I enjoy theater and Caleb loves literature. All they could see is all they saw: two hairy, smelly hikers with packs.

Fourth: Listen to the gut/vibe/feeling you get. There's always a vibe with a ride. You can tell pretty much immediately. So maybe say a bit to them before hand. While this interferes a little with #2, you can always be ready, but just ask "How far ya goin?" or something along those lines, and get a feel from there. While a few sentences aren't much to go on, they're enough. Caleb and I had one bad ride, and I knew it immediately. I slid into the front and wanted to hop right back out. The subconscious is great, listen and follow what is says. It isn't as hard as it sounds. After all, you've been with yourself for a while if you've been in the woods hiking, so hearing it is really easy. Pay attention.

Fifth: This is less advice and more a general rule. There is always a price. If you have to listen to some racist invective (which C and I ran into once), if you have to listen to a Jesus presentation (which I did once when C was in the back of the truck), or whatever, there is always a price. Remember that you can always say no thanks. Even to a ride, even if they pulled over and were the first ones to do so for 20 minutes, you can always say no.
All and all, it was kinda fun. It wasn't as dangerous or frightening as I've heard. It was really easy. Thumb out, eventually a car stops, and eventually you get in and roll on your way. Have some interesting conversation, experience, and be done. Now that I've done it, the thought has crept into my brain to do it here and there. Maybe wander down to Asheville for the weekend or something, but purely on hitched rides...it could be interesting...