The Anthem Hitchhiker Waits for a Ride to Nowhere
Image courtesy of Ken Lund via Flickr
Hitchhiking may have lost its popularity in recent years, but the mysterious Anthem Hitchhiker still tries to catch a ride with drivers along I-17 north of Phoenix.
Legend has it that the hitchhiker was struck by a car and killed as he tried to hitchhike his way into Phoenix many years ago. Now, drivers traveling at night see a shadowy figure holding a lantern, waiting for a ride that will never come. Those who have stopped say they saw the figure vanish into thin air.
According to Haunted Places, the desert near Anthem is a “hotbed” of paranormal activity. In addition to the hitchhiker, people claim to have seen ghosts of Native Americans fighting.
Turns out there are quite a few urban legends about hitchhiking ghosts all over the country, including a story about a young girl who hitches rides with drivers outside Baltimore, only to mysteriously disappear from their car during the trip.
Have you experienced paranormal activity in the deserts near Phoenix?
Funny. You’re a few days early in posting this.
I used to “commute” to “Phoenix” to work from “B.C.C.” . Every now & then as I passed by the intersection at “Carefree-Hwy.” “Southbound I would get a whiff of “sometimes “perfume” & sometimes “Mens-colone” ! It was always in the same vacinity !
Nice post. There will always be a ghost story in everywhere you go and this hitchhiker is not unusual. But i salute the cars who stop by because even though they know that it is a ghost they still care to stop. They somehow helps the spirit of the mysterious hitchhikers. I wonder what happen to him. Thanks for sharing this post.