About a week ago on the lonely road from Great Basin NP to the 15, we passed a guy walking along side the road, pushing a fancy stroller thingy. After passing him, we realized he was walking, that was his mode of transportation. Honestly, we didn’t give him second thought, just cracked a few Forrest Gump jokes, and never really spoke of him again and certainly didn’t mention him here.Fast forward to the morning October 11, and the Old Man is making a run to the store in Page (must be for King Cans or Chew), and lo and behold, there’s Walking Man headed south. CW slows to get a good look, convinced it’s the same guy, he maintains his course, fills up with whatever foolish indulgence he thinks he needs, and vows to stop on the way back to Wahweap to meet this mysterious Walking Man.
As it turns out, Gary Hause is a different walking man. He had literally begun his walk about 15 minutes before CW spotted him. Little did we know, Walking Men have to do shakedown cruises before embarking for the great unknown. In this case, Gary has two days off, and using it to fine tune his steps and machinery. He was only going to Page to meet friends.
Come November 1, Gary takes off for real, his first destination . . .the border crossing at Nogales, Arizona. Gary’s intended plan this winter is walking to Mazatlan, taking the ferry across to Baja, then walking back up the Transpeninsular Highway to the States. Last winter, he crossed at Brownsville, Texas and made his way to the Panama Canal. Turns out, Gary is no Forrest Gump weirdo at all. He’s a former college professor who gave up the grind and routine of daily life for something else . . . a fascinating experience to share. He spends his summers in National Parks as an employee (he waits tables at the Lake Powell Resort and pays zilch for room and board), and then every autumn he takes off. Thus far, he’s logged 50,000 miles on foot or bike. He views the world at an unhirried pace, often finds himself welcomed into the homes of strangers, meets countless people along the way, and, as he said in a very Forrest Gump manner . . . “I head out, not sure of a final destination, I go where it feels right”.I wondered, as I watched Gary head down the road away from me, how many of us would trade places with him?
wow
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