Can you share a story of someone who had a lucky experience while hitchhiking?

You could say that any time you get a lift these days is lucky. Fewer people are obliging, and I seldom see people standing by the side of the road with their thumbs out.

Was my luck finally going to run out?

After an hour, I had just rung that friend when a brand-new four-wheel drive stopped and took me right to my front door.

What measures do celebrities take to protect their images from being used for commercial purposes without permission? How much does this typically cost them?

Then, right at 6 pm, relatively late in the day, a car stopped and took me to the highway. Still 50 km to home, but a guy swigging a beer stopped within five minutes. He was only going to Wakefield, less than half the distance I needed.

Yes, you need to be lucky.

I drove down in my two-wheel drive car and, within just 150 m, realised it was a poor idea. But you cannot turn for 6 km once you’ve started.

What are some cute picnic ideas for a romantic date?

I asked them for a ride to the other side of the lake, and suddenly, I was hitching on a boat and saving myself at least two hours retracing my steps.

^ There’s 6 km of super narrow road. January 2025

^ Road chiseled out in 1886. Visibility is limited. January 2025

What do you think about wearing sheer pantyhose?

A week later, I walked out from a hut, 53 river crossings involved with no bridges, and reached the road around lunchtime.

1. Skippers. Skippers is one of New Zealand’s most famous roads. It was built in the 1880s for gold miners and is essentially unchanged and still gravel. It’s 98% one-way, with numerous blind corners and no safety rails. It’s a long way down.

^ Hitching on a boat??!!. Why not! | February 2025

What is the lowest probability event you have personally witnessed?

^ You can get sick of this easy walking, even if the weather has improved considerably. | March 2025

Lucky? Obviously.

No cell phone reception as I was still in the mountains, so I couldn’t phone a friend. Better start walking.

What do you think hell is like?

Man, it was quiet.

Here are three of my lucky recent experiences.

^ Ready to hitchhike out of Skippers Canyon. January 2025

Do countries with free health care generally have co-pays or deductibles to discourage use?

I still had another 30 km to go. It was Friday evening, and there was no shortage of cars. Too many. Half were driven by women, who seldom pick up strangers, and it was almost suburban traffic where they were often turning off.

But I realised I’d probably used up my luck in the hitchhiking department.

Most people these days wouldn’t like the uncertainty.

Having read so much about Archie and Lilibet not actually existing, does anyone have any proof that they not only exist but that Meghan gave birth to them?

I took the $48 bus.

Twice, I’d been thinking I was in trouble and would end up in my damp tent for another night. I’d hiked 35 km with my pack for the day, but I was home to my dry bed, some fresh food, and a hot shower, not necessarily in that order. The sun was still shining.

It’s a tricky spot to catch a ride.

I’m wondering about attachment and transference with the therapist and the idea of escape and fantasy? How much do you think your strong feelings, constant thoughts, desires to be with your therapist are a way to escape from your present life? I wonder if the transference serves another purpose than to show us our wounds and/or past experiences, but is a present coping strategy for managing what we don’t want to face (even if unconsciously) in the present—-current relationships, life circumstances, etc. Can anyone relate to this concept of escape in relation to their therapy relationship? How does this play out for you?

Then I met a four-wheel-drive going the wrong way, weed spraying, so moving at a glacial pace. I walked on, up the hill, for another 3 km.

One problem is that you exit the track onto a dead-end gravel road that is 38 km from any road with traffic on it.

It’s a hard gig.

Kuorans can you write a sad story about kpop?

No, another vehicle approached, going the right way this time, but it turned out to be a flat deck truck with two beekeepers occupying the only seats.

It helps, as in life, to have limited anticipation, considerable patience, and boundless enthusiasm—also, the ability to cope with rejection.

2. Mavora Lakes. I’d walked up one side of the north lake, about 12 km long, to visit a hut off the main trail. On the way back, I thought I’d do a side trip to visit another hut, West Bay Hut, usually accessed by boat, but on the other side of the lake from the main track. It would be an 8 km deviation, and I hoped I could walk around the lake’s edge. I could.

I’ve a dismissive avoidant partner who said that he’s overwhelmed by our relationship and that he wants to break up, how do I get him back?

“Sure thing! Thanks.”

When travelling by yourself, using your best material in conversation is okay, so I went through my usual routine.

Plod on.

Why does Rahul Gandhi have so many haters?

Of course, a better idea would be to hitchhike.

I’d been walking for two hours. But I could see a four-wheel drive coming up the hill behind me. The weed sprayer had finished for the day. So that was my first available car, and I was picked up. It wasn’t long before he dropped me at my very dusty car.

I did manage to return, only meeting one four-wheel drive on a blind corner, but at least I had right of way.

Why doesn't speeding significantly decrease one’s commute time? I've done a lot of road trips and driving and have experimented by increasing speed by 10–20%, but somehow this never equates to arriving 20% sooner, even on clear roads.

3. Wangapeka Track. Just a few days ago, I had my most recent hitching experience. I’d walked the five-day, very well-manicured Heaphy Track, it’s basically a 78 km long mountain bike track, and decided to hike back home. I chose a convoluted route through some remote and lightly tracked terrain that took 10 days.

No cars, as it is remote and not many vehicles go in. I started walking. And walking. After 3 km, I spotted a van parked by the side of the road, and as I approached to around 100 m away, the solo driver got back in and drove away. (Yes, he saw me.) Not lucky.

Now, all I needed was to go and retrieve my car from the mechanic who had repaired it when I had driven us over to near the start of the Heaphy Track, and where the accelerator cable in the car had disconnected.

Is it possible for buyers to negotiate after an inspection if the appraisal is lower than expected?

“If you are lost, I can’t help you.” “Is this the way to Milford Sound?” Hint: it’s nowhere near. Etc.

A few days later, I parked my car at the top of the pass and by the time I’d put my pack by the side of the road and gone back to lock the vehicle, a four-wheel-drive stopped and asked if I wanted a ride to exactly where I wanted to go, which was about 20 km.

Lucky! For sure. It was the only boat I saw on the lake that day.

Four hours later, the first car went past, the wrong way. It was now getting close to 6 pm, and I’m still on a dirt road.

Due to heavy rain, I hadn’t made it to the hut closest to the road and had to hike 2.5 hours to that hut, then another 3.5 hours to the road. That meant it was 1:30 pm by the time I made it.

Yay! Lucky! Mid-week, there are only about ten vehicles a day on that road.

I’ve had a few hitchhiking experiences recently, as I spent three months hiking in the New Zealand mountains as part of my final rehab/test for a torn Achilles tendon this summer.

And fewer drivers stop. I have a large hiking pack and hiking pole, and it’s obvious I’ve been hiking, but even single occupants of four-wheel-drive vehicles, despite having a kayak on the roof or mountain bike on a rack, generally drive on by.

20 minutes after getting there, I heard a boat, and four people cruised in for a look, somewhat surprised to see a random weather-beaten dude standing outside.