Faces of Texas

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. . ."We'll just turn you over to the Lord. He'll take care of you."
- John Hodkinson's parting words to me as he and spouse JoAn dropped me off outside of Henderson, where they had picked me up. I stayed with John, JoAn, and their grandson James for two days and three nights. I first met the Hodkinsons in Corpus Christi when we went to the same church together. I was 1.
Henderson, TX
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"That place is half the house I grew up in."
- Richard Hollingsworth, describing his childhood home in Fort Worth which was a few doors down from where my father grew up. When their street was widened by the city, Richard's father took a chainsaw to the home, literally cutting it in half. He sold half to a friend, and the family lived in the rest. My father's friend for over 65 years, Richard invited me to stay with him for a few days.
Longview, TX
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"I get to meet the most fascinating people. Everybody has a story that's worth telling. [My work] clues you in on how we're all connected [and] I like finding that connection."
- Cass County Life Interviewer Michelle Williams after spending an hour chatting with me about my hike. Michelle was the best person to that day, and when I started asking her about her work, she was vibrant, passionate, articulate. It was a real pleasure talking with her.
Queen City, TX
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"We're guys. That's what we do."
- Couchsurfing Host Michael Boyd, pictured with girlfriend Alicia, commenting on my story of making a bad mistake in a relationship. Michael was an amazing host and let me surf his couch for three days. Later on after making the above comment, Michael was sent to the grocery store with a detailed list Alicia made which consisted of two items. Michael picked up one, then checked out the movie rack, subsequently forgetting about the second item. He had to make a second trip to the store.
Texarkana, TX
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"I know she's too good for me. That's my one redemption. The fact that I know."
- "Clipper" Smith on his wife Claire. For five years, Clipper worked at the Disney Land in Paris as the stagecoach driver in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. That's where he met Claire, a Parisian, and knew he could not live without her. When Clipper next asked her to move from Paris, France to Texarkana, Claire said 'yes.'
Texarkana, TX
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"God knocked on the door three times, and they turned him away. So I wondered 'Is he Jesus?' I didn't want to turn him away just in case."
- Charles Son, right, pictured with friend Max Atchley, on taking in a Finnish traveler some time back. The man was crossing the USA and was looking for a place to camp when he knocked on Charles's door. Instead, Charles and his wife gave him a dinner, breakfast, and warm bed in between.
Shell Station on Highway 82, west of New Boston, TX
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"I used to do it all the time, and that was the only time I felt uncomfortable."
- Jackie Hazelwood on offering rides to hitchhikers. I met Jackie at the post office in DeKalb, and though I don't take rides along the perimeter (I do to leave the perimeter, of course), Jackie was reminded of a sketchy ride she gave a man several years ago. The man contradicted himself in the course of asking to be dropped off in a certain location, and after leaving him somewhere else, Jackie thought she probably shouldn't give rides anymore.
DeKalb, TX
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"Around here, if it snows, everything shuts down."
- Paris News Reporter Krista Goerte on the local response to winter weather. After the interview, Krista and I chatted about North Texas weather and what I'm going to do in the Panhandle.
Paris, TX
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"I think I got reincarnated this life just to have a good time."
- Jeffrey Varnado, owner of The Book Center, on why he's here. As I was leaving Paris, I stumbled upon Jeffrey's store. Books and magazines were everywhere, but Jeffrey is still slowly getting the store together. We had a great conversation. At the end of it, I traded him a Toni Morrison book for Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Paris, TX
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"We sacrificed so much to come here. I try to tell the boys,
'Do you realize how much we've given up?'
And they're like, 'Uh... are you going to make something for lunch?'"
- Liza Smith (not pictured) on her and her husband Norm's decision to move from Tucson, AZ to Direct, TX. While we talked, the boys (from left to right: Joel, Joshua, Reuben, and Zachary) played in the dirt and mud.
Direct, TX
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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...