Final Resting Place, Wichita County, Day 148
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Bragging Rights, Wichita County, Day 148
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Day 148: I got mobbed on my way out of Electra. I was on my way out of a Subway/convenience store when I was recognized by some fellows in a truck. There was a little girl trying to sell them some tickets to a barbecue (I know this because I had given her a little money earlier), but when they saw me, they started talking to me. One of them had read the article in the Wichita Falls paper (I know this because at some point in what followed I heard, "Hey, I'm the one that actually read the article!"). I started to leave, but one asked if a photo would be okay. I said sure, and before I could say Wichita County I was surrounded by several men opening their cell phones, trading places, the giddiness and excitement filling the space. Even a guy who had no idea who I was came over and started opening up his cell phone to take a shot. Suddenly, the show was over as quickly as it had started. I walked away chuckling, the words of one fellow replaying in my mind: "All these people say they want to backpack around Europe, but you said to yourself, 'I'm gonna backpack around Texas!'"
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Streak, Wichita County, Day 148
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Idiot Box, Wilbarger County, Day 149
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Day 149: Camping in the rain - more specifically breaking camp in the rain - tests the resolve of the traveler. You move quickly because every moment spent preparing your sleep set-up is one less moment inside of it. Things go wrong. You curse the weather, your powerlessness. But the sleep is sweet when you've fought for it.
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Tarp Tent, Wilbarger County, Day 150
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Day 150: This is my basic tarp set-up. I tie the center grommet to a tree on either side and stake down the corners. If I only have one tree or post, I wrap the string around a hiking pole and stake that to the ground in addition to the corners. It works great, but strong wind tends to tear the grommets out. The fresh air and weight makes the whole thing worth it to me (and there are even lighter tarps out there!).
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Evening Sunset, Hardeman County, Day 151
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Day 151: For several miles, there was no where to camp, and the only space between the road and private property was the shoulder plus another ten yards of grass and mud. I hadn't planned on hiking as much as I did (about 20 miles). However, since the sun was up and no great campsites presented themselves, I kept moving. When I finally found a place, I placed tumbleweeds around my area to make me invisible to passing vehicles.
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Medicine Mounds, Hardeman County, Day 152
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Day 152: Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of Carol Whitmire of the Quanah Tribune-Chief, Bertha Woods and the Quanah Chamber of Commerce extended a welcome that will be hard to equal. A hotel, shirt, cap, museum pass. She also placed me in touch with the fine folks at K&R Kitchen who not only fed me the best steak dinner in Texas but offered to feed me breakfast the morning after!
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Tribute to a Chief, Quanah, Hardeman County, Day 153
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Quanah Depot Museum, Quanah, Hardeman County, Day 153
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Day 153: Before leaving Quanah, I visited the local museum, an old train depot, and saw the handiwork of Scarlett Daugherty, Museum Curator. This was not the Smithsonian, but it's charm was irresistible nonetheless.
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Icy Conditions, Childress County, Day 154
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Day 155: Yesterday, I woke up to an ice storm and hiked into Childress. It was freezing rain, and even blades of grass were covered in an inch of ice making hiking on them near impossible. When I got to a hotel, I discovered sheets of ice on my jacket and pack. Thank goodness for hiker heat. The rain stopped during the night, and the walk into Estelline and the Caprock Canyon Trailway was smooth and enjoyable.
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Turkey Hotel, Turkey, Hall County, Day 158
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Day 158: I was heading back to the trailway when I struck up a short conversation with some people in front of the Turkey Hotel (built 1927). As I started to continue along my way, one of them suggested I stay at the hotel. I guess I had been more interested in it than I had known. The owner cut me a great deal, and for several hours, I was the only client in this huge two-story building. It was the warmest night I've had all winter.
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Service Station, Turkey, Hall County, Day 158
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