>>1987012Had a buddy who has done countless hitchhiking in the late 1980s from Ontario to British Columbia. I asked what his sketchiest incident was. He said one summer night in 1987 he was 19 and hitchiking west along the Trans-Canada highway between Medicine Hat and Calgary, Alberta. Middle of nowhere, dark, deserted highway, a half-ton truck approaches, he sticks out his thumb, they drive right on by. Damn. He could see that there were 3 people inside the cab. But what got his undivided attention was that they got a little ways ahead of him then killed their lights and pulled over. Something felt wrong. He heard them get out of the truck and start walking back towards him quietly.
In open prairie there isn't many places to hide but he did see a copse of trees a couple hundred feet off the road so he noped right out of there, hopped the barbed wire fence and ran to the trees. He said his deep unease turned to horror when he hid and then watched as the 3 guys hopped the fence and headed his way. Without uttering a word (which creeped him out even more) they started searching the bush for him in the darkness. They never used a light of any kind. He said it lasted about 20 or 25 mins but felt like hours. Finally they left but he stayed hidden for another 45 mins or so before walking back to the highway. Moments later an RCMP officer came along and drove him to the next town. Buddy told him about the encounter and the Mountie had cops in the town ahead keep an eye out. Nothing more came of it.
I just remembered another incident a former co-worker had in the 90's that probably belongs more in the realm of /x/.