Dear Perimeter Hiker

Now it's time for another installment of "Dear Perimeter Hiker." Let's go straight to the questions:

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

You've been a little light on the blog. What gives?

Surfing for Blog Posts
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Dear SfBP,

I apologize to you and the other faithful readers who have had to get by on the 140-character tweets that fly from my phone on occasion. I don't carry a laptop and have had to make due with whatever computer time I get, whether in public libraries or at a friend's home.

I also have to obey various restrictions from place to place. In many instances, this has meant that I can't upload photos or files of any kind. This should explain the many picture-less posts I've put up.

I am currently at the Muleshoe Library, and the entire Facebook site is blocked. Imagine Facebook being blocked! That's like punching in google.com and being denied. What is this, China?
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

How have you handled the panhandle winds?

Please Take Them with You
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Dear PTTwY,

I'm from Corpus Christi, and the winds can get pretty nasty there. There's a big windsurfing competition every year to give you an idea. Down in Corpus, I've probably walked or rollerbladed at most a few miles in the wind, and I mean that for my entire life.

The winds in the Texas Panhandle are an altogether different beast. They come in through New Mexico or down hard from the northern plains. They have nothing to buffer their intensity for hundreds of miles in all directions.

There were several places I had to endure the wind. Walking into Canadian, while doable, was an exhausting affair. The wind plowed into me for hours, perhaps 30 to 40 mph with occasional big gusts. Hiking from Texhoma to Stratford proved to be doubly difficult because it was windy AND snowy. The weather stayed warmish (as warm as wet snow can get at any rate), but the moment I felt the temperature drop, I had to break for camp. By the time I got my sleeping bag out, my fingers had become numb. And in Dalhart, I just plain lucked out. It was windy when I walked into town, but nothing compared to what struck a couple of days later. While I was staying with my couchsurfing host, the wind was around 50 mph in town with gusts even faster!

While I can't take the winds with me, I promise put up some resistance with "winds" of my own. Not sure if that will help or not...
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

Are you nervous about hiking the border?

Concerned about You Vato Loco Perimeter Hiker
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Dear CaYVLPH,

Yes, I'm nervous.

I was just told that Fort Hancock, Texas got taken over by a Mexican cartel. In case your geography's not that great, Fort Hancock is smack on I-10.

This is just a rumor, mind you. Something like that is likely to be all over the news. However, I don't really want to know what part of the rumor comes from fact and what part comes from fiction.

I'll be introducing myself to the law enforcement agencies that govern the border region when I reach El Paso. That may take a while, as several government agencies and homegrown agencies have stepped up in recent years to patrol the area. I hope to get some good advice from these folks.
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

When do you expect to finish?

Waiting in Corpus Christi
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Dear WiCC,

I'd like to finish by July, August at the latest. I pitched both my columns as a year-long, twelve-part run (with an introductory column), so that's part of what's guiding me in.

If the walk takes longer, though, I'm committed to taking as long as I need to take. I'm especially sensitive to safety concerns and will be taking every precaution.
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Until next time, folks...

Dear Perimeter Hiker

People ask me things about my endeavor all the time. "Why?" is probably the most frequent question, and I think about what it means and how I would answer it just about every day. The questions I use in these "Dear Perimeter Hiker" installments are pretty close to what was originally asked. I go off the assumption that if one person was curious there might be others equally curious.

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On my way out of Paris, I met a bookstore owner who asked me some pretty tough questions. One is a version of "Why?", and the other is a good all-around question. His are the first and second ones.

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One Foot into Arkansas, Bowie County & Miller County, Day 73

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What was your goal before starting your trek and are you accomplishing it?

Gotta Stay Focused

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Dear GSF,

I had a lot of surface goals before starting the trek. In no particular order, they were: to do something never done before, to have an adventure, to see Texas, to meet interesting people, to see different things, to visit places I'd never otherwise visit, and to write about all of the above. I have accomplished these goals and checked them off.

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If all I had were these goals, I might be inclined to quit while I was ahead. Both fortunately and unfortunately, it goes deeper than the above list.

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Just slightly deeper is the notion that I wanted to accomplish something, to start and finish a project that I had created, and that the creation and completion was enough just by itself. As with anything, if a person conceives of an idea and follows through with it, a pattern is created that can then be repeated. Likewise, a person can conceive of some do-able idea and choose not to do anything with it, also creating a pattern and a similar though opposite effect. In my case, I was tired of not doing anything and wanted to reverse that.

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However, there is something underneath all of the above reasons that defies my attempts to explain it. I feel compelled to walk, as if my future relied upon it in ways I have yet to understand. Comprehension is not the goal, though; it's a byproduct of giving myself this time. I'm open to the possibility that I'll never understand the impact of this project on me and my life, only that it was important for me to do.

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Is God Satisfied with Your Life?, Red River County, Day 78

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What if anything have you learned thus far?

Looking for Answers

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Dear LFA,

I've learned that homemade peanut brittle is wonderful, that some people are trusting of strangers and others are not, that camping in the middle of nowhere is not terribly difficult, that people offer rides even when you're not asking, that the importance of meaningful human contact is impossible to overvalue, that store purchases are decent icebreakers, that no matter how you act some people will always judge you on your looks, that walking on a paved road really hurts after a while, that walking with a foot injury hurts even more, that East Texas is beautiful, that Couchsurfing.org is a great idea, that my family and friends are rooting for me, that Texas newspapers are going to be around for a long time, that DeKalb is pronounced DEE-CAB, that it's fun to visit with friends of my parents when my parents aren't around, that a smile is just about the best thing to receive after a long day, that mountain lions aren't real fun to hear close at night, that I harbor within me the same prejudices I experience, and that God has presented himself everywhere I have traveled. There's probably more, but that'll do.

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Texas Bricks, Longview, Harrison County, Day 62

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What are you going to do during the Panhandle winter?

Getting Cold Just Thinking About It

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Dear GCJTAI,

I have a few options. I can attempt to go through it as long as the weather holds up decently. This is difficult as the blue northers usually sweep in without much warning. With good boots and a good sleeping bag, I'm confident the hiking would be manageable.

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However, I'm not thrilled with the idea of hiking wet or - worst case scenario - in a white out. If I feel like I need to bail for a few weeks or more, I have two non-hiking options: 1) get a job up north or 2) volunteer at a park in the region. I intend to look into these options during the Thanksgiving break.

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Stay tuned! More updates on the way...

Dear Perimeter Hiker

It's time for another session of "Dear Perimeter Hiker"! Let's just jump right in, shall we?
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

You tweeted that your shoes and socks have holes in them. Well, what does a worn out shoe from the Texas Perimeter Hike look like?

I like my Shoes New

Dear ILMSN,

If you regard the above picture, you'll see a small tear in the shoe toward the middle right of the photo. I noticed this when I felt a tingling in my foot. Looking down, I could see my pinky toe through both shoe and sock! Upon further inspection of my footwear and a quick calculation of the miles walked in them (over 400 miles... I got them after Palacios and then walked a lot of the beaches barefoot), I realize that it's time to retire said shoes. Hard to say what I'll replace them with though. More on that later.
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

I notice your mileage is way down. How's that toe treating you?

Stay off the Foot

Dear SOTF,

After 50 plus miles, I've come to the conclusion that I fractured my toe as opposed to breaking it. It hurt badly the first couple of days out of Texarkana, but it's gotten much better since. I use two poles and do my best to keep the weight off of my left foot. In the picture above, I have used the "buddy system" of toe healing. Underneath the bandage is a slightly swollen and slightly bruised toe. It feels better but still has a ways to go.

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

You haven't posted a picture of yourself anywhere. What do you look like these days?

Looks Aren't Everything

Dear LAE,

The weather has changed and with it any chance for looking even remotely like everyone else. The straw hat has been replaced with the stereotypical homeless head-hugger. The normally awesome Patagonia polypro has many holes in it, but since it does the job, I'm hesitant to invest in a new one. I'm wearing longjohns under my shorts now that the cold has come in (low 40s today in Paris, TX), and I imagine even these looks will change in the weeks to come.

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What are you doing for the holidays? Are you plunging ahead into the Panhandle or what?

Watching Your Progress

Dear WYP,

I am getting off the edge of Texas! I am spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends. I just hope I don't come back to an arctic Texas.

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Until next time, wanderers...

Dear Perimeter Hiker

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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

Has the BOSS survival course training helped you on this trip?

-Was It Worth It?

Dear WIWI,

When I participated in my survival course, I had originally envisioned it helping me in the western part of the state where the topography and climate would be more similar to that of Utah’s. I didn’t know if any of the knowledge would apply in my day-to-day living.

There are two answers to this question:

As per direct knowledge, the answer would have to be an excruciatingly painful ‘no.’ Sure, I use a knot or two that I learned in my survival course when setting up my tarp, but I don’t make fire from scratch, haven’t caught a fish with my bare hands, don’t make my own rope, haven’t tried trapping wild animals with a figure four, don’t eat out of a wooden burn bowl, and haven’t killed and processed a large animal.

However, there is a certain quality to the course which falls under the realm of experience. In this regard, the course has done me a great deal of good. I’m confident in ways I don’t think I was before. I’m more analytical when it comes to making decisions about where to sleep and how to sleep. It’s impossible to quantify this aspect of the experience. For example, if I have no supply of food or water and am two full days from either and my feet hurt and the weather is against me, I’ll still remain upbeat. It’s hard to imagine having that kind of confidence prior to the survival course.
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What are you eating out there?

-Get In My Belly

Dear GIMB,

I carry snacks and basically just skimp on my meals. I’m passing through so many communities that I’m not worried about having tons of food or a truly balanced diet. Put another way, I’m almost always a day or two away from a nice sit-down restaurant. So why carry food on my back?

When I happen to be on a multi-day stretch toward civilization, I eat peanut butter, raisins, and bread. Right now, I’ve switched out the peanut butter for some Nutella. It’s been decent, but I really think the chunky peanut butter is where it’s at.
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Dear Perimeter Hiker,

What tech & navigation gear do you have with you? What kind of phone, GPS, maps, etc?

-Geeked Out On Technology

Dear GOOT,

I am not using much in the way of navigation gear. I have a standard road map and a standard phone. I do not use GPS or specialized maps. I originally carried a compass with me but cut it out of my pack due to non-use.

I have heard of people using the SPOT device to track their movements on various trips. I considered this, even so far as asking SPOT to sponsor me, but ultimately decided against it. Furthermore, walking alone doesn’t lend itself to bulking up on expensive equipment.

The one area that I might re-evaluate is my map carrying. I walked on the most beautiful side road a few days ago. Trees stood right by the road (instead of being cut back), parts of the road were flooded (which I enjoyed since it wasn’t raining), dogs ran up on me, people waved. I wouldn’t have known about the side road had my host not had a county map.
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Until next time, hikers…