During the past month, University student Luke Vaughn crossed 34 states and traversed almost 11,000 miles while traveling with complete strangers, creating one of the ultimate, and most coordinated, hitchhiker excursions.
Vaughn, 22, used online forums and a podcasting program to attract more than 300 people who volunteered to drive and/or host him on his trip from Eugene to New York City and back.
Vaughn asked fellow viewers of the New York-based video podcast program, “The Show With Ze Frank,” via an online forum, for transportation to Southern California to visit family. He received 20-30 replies offering free rides.
“Well, if I do that I should just go across the country and back,” said Vaughn, who returned on Sunday.
Vaughn, a math major, adopted the nickname Human Baton, replacing his former alias, RunningFool, because of his love for running, after Ze Frank announced Vaughn’s project on the show.
“I’ve always been really shy and quiet,” Vaughn said of his former self, which he used as motivation to take the trip and overcome his fears and insecurities. “It’s given me a perspective on what I want to do in my life.”
Vaughn’s friends said they were surprised when he told them about his project, but they were proud of him for putting himself out there.
“I think it’s one of the coolest things anybody could do, but especially Luke; he’s kind of shy,” said Chase Sbicca, a University senior and former roommate of Vaughn.
A friend of Vaughn, Patrick Callero, added that he believed this would be a once in a lifetime experience.
“I think he would be the last person to throw himself out there,” said Callero, a University senior, while waiting for Vaughn to return Sunday night.
The Human Baton left Eugene on Dec. 8, heading down to San Francisco for the first leg of his trip, staying at a different house every night, except on Christmas.
An average day for Vaughn began around 8 a.m. (although sometimes as early as 5 a.m.), when he would run between eight and ten miles before getting in the car for a couple of hours of driving until he was handed off, usually during a meal stop, to another volunteer for a few more hours of driving.
Vaughn spent as little as two and as many as 12 hours a day in the car, sometimes having up to six hand-offs, all recorded and remembered by the button each driver pinned on his jean jacket. Vaughn’s favorites are the name tags from businesses.
In return for wearing the jacket, Ze Frank bought a video camera for Vaughn to record his adventures and post them online.
Four coordinators worked with Vaughn, posting his video clips, creating a “fool finder” map of his travels, updating his itinerary and contacting participants at www.humanbaton.com. Additionally, Vaughn posted blog entries about his experiences on the Web site when he was able.
“I followed him on the Web site,” Sbicca said. “We watched some of the videos.”
Being the Human Baton for a month only cost Vaughn $150 ($95 spent on a hotel room he ended up not needing), a bargain for anyone, but especially for Vaughn, because he describes himself as having a superhuman metabolism.
“I’m always hungry,” he said. “I will eat the biggest meal I can at a restaurant and go home and have dinner again.”
Food is a must under the “Care & Handling” instructions for the Human Baton because he “burns through calories like a butane flame through flash paper,” according to the Web site.
The instructions also request a reliable alarm clock for overnight stays and a thank you in advance for those who let him play Ben Folds’ live CD in the car.
While hitchhiking can be dangerous, Vaughn said he felt safe knowing the majority of his drivers were fans of “The Show with Ze Frank” and wanted to participate in his project.
“There were some bad drivers,” Vaughn said, recalling being nervous while a volunteer sped to 109 mph and almost caused an accident.
However, most of the people Vaughn met were friendly and supportive of his project. When the pass between Spokane, Wash., and Seattle was closed due to weather conditions, his dinner party in Seattle chipped in and paid the $101 for his plane ticket, he said.
Laura Bartko, a nurse and fan of “The Show With Ze Frank,” drove Vaughn from Portland to Eugene on the final leg of his trip.
“It’s such a phenomenal project,” Bartko said. “I’ve done a lot of traveling and have some good karma to pass back.”
Vaughn said he wants to create a Web site that matches up volunteer drivers and home stays with people who want to travel on a budget.
“If I could keep traveling like this I would, but I don’t think people want to drive me anymore,” Vaughn said, who has decided to take the term off and discover what he wants to do in life, following the advice of newly made friends.
Contact the people, culture and faith reporter at [email protected]
The Human Baton
Daily Emerald
January 8, 2007
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