One of my good
friends at
Virginia Tech lived in
Daleville, Virginia, about 2 minutes from the AT and 3 minutes from
Interstate 81. Having taken the exit near his house (Exit 150, should you care) many times en route from
Blacksburg to
Richmond due to the relatively cheap
gas and plentiful
grease to be found there, I once asked him why there were an unusual number of
"No Hitchhikers" signs to be found on the ramps leading from US 220 to I-81.
It seems that Daleville (actually Troutville at I-81) is near the 1/3 point of the AT (most thruhikers start from the south and head north), one of the closest approaches of the Trail to an Interstate highway, and home to a lot of truck stops. Once they've hiked 700 or so miles, many of them realize their minds are writing checks their bodies can't cash. So, since most thruhikers aren't exactly in a condition to call a cab, ride to the airport and fly home from beautiful Roanoke, they attempt to hitch, which is illegal in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hence, "No Hitchhikers" signs in abundance.