Will’s Walking West: One Step at a Time

Will’s Walking West: One Step at a Time

Florida man passes through on his trek to California

ralphhardin@gmail.com Americans have always romanticized the West. Just a few quotes about the land to the left: “One cannot be pessimistic about the West.

This is the native home of hope. When it fully learns that cooperation, not rugged individualism, is the quality that most characterizes and preserves it, then it will have achieved itself and outlived its origins.

Then it has a chance to create a society to match its scenery. — Wallace Stegner “Those roads provided breath-taking views.

There’s something special about an empty road going on and on and on to the horizon where the sun burns the world away into a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth.” — Dave Gorman “Go west, young man.

Haven’t you been told?

California’s full of whiskey, women and gold,” — Toby Keith (with a nod to Horace Greeley) So, perhaps with those sentiments in mind, it came to Will Smith to leave it all behind in his home in Lakeland, Florida, and set out, on foot no less, headed for the West Coast.

Or maybe it was just something to do.

In any event, Smith, who is pushing 60, passed through Crittenden County last week doing just that — walking West from Florida to California, by way of Arkansas and several other states before he reaches his destination.

“I don’t know, call it a bucket list kind of thing,” Smith explained as he sipped a coffee while sitting in the McDonald’s on Petro Road. “I’ve always enjoyed walking. In my younger days, my brothers and I would hike all over Florida. I’ve always wanted to see the Pacific Ocean, and this just seemed like something I could do and do while I still can.”

And so, Will’s Walking West… at least that’s the name of his Facebook page, where Smith shares his journey with his 1,418 followers.

Smith is traveling alone and traveling light. His military- grade backpack is stuffed with a few clothes, his sleeping gear, a few camping essentials, and his laptop, which was the only technology he took along for the trip.

“No cell-phone,” said Smith. “My family wasn’t too keen on that part, but I check in with them when I get to the wi-fi… thank you, McDonald’s. I just didn’t want the distraction. I didn’t want to be walking on the side of the highway with my face in my phone.

I didn’t want to miss anything.”

Smith left Lakeland (which is just north of Orlando) in July. And over the past six months, he hasn’t been in any kind of a hurry. “I spent a lot of time in Alabama,” Smith said.

“Maybe too much time, but there were a lot of interesting things and I met a lot of interesting people there.”

Ultimately, Smith left the Yellowhammer State and made his way up and over to Tennessee. Despite having very few dangerous moments in his journey, friends and followers raised concerns as he approached Memphis.

“They even offered to pay for me to get an Uber all the way to the bridge, but you know, I thought that wasn’t really what I was looking to do,” Smith said.

“I’ve had only a couple of times along the way where I really thought, ‘well, here we go.’ Once was less than 20 miles from where I started, and once was in Alabama. There, I came across what was basically a homeless community. But they welcomed me, talked to me, made sure I had food. That’s the thing…

people are basically good.

So, I walked all the way through Memphis. Sure, I got some looks and there were some bad areas, but Memphis is a neat town — a lot of cool things to see.” And last Monday, Smith made the trip across the Mississippi River, via the Big River Crossing, out of Tennessee and into Arkansas. He shared a few pictures of the Arkansas Visitors Center in West Memphis with his Facebook followers to let them know he had survived the journey through the Bluff City.

“And that’s when I found out I had a couple of nights at the Days Inn waiting for me, which was nice,” he said.

Fans of the Will’s Walking West page had put Smith up for a brief stay in a hotel, something he appreciated as the area was in the midst of a cold snap.

“You don’t mind the cold so much once you get moving,” Smith said. “I left out in July and people were concerned about the heat.

Now it’s the cold. You get used to it.”

So, it all begs the question… why? Why do it?

“If you’re asking what sort of cause am I representing?

Or what am I trying to raise awareness for? Well, there’s not really anything.

I mean, I don’t really get into that. There are organizations that take care of those things. I’m a veteran, but I’m not walking to raise awareness for veterans.

That’s what the VA is for.

I’m not collecting money for anything. Although people do try to give me money, I used to get offended. Like, I’m not homeless, and I’m not looking for a handout. But I was talking to a pastor in Alabama and he explained that it’s really not for me to judge people. He said if people feel led to give you money, it’s not for you. It’s something that’s been laid on their hearts. So, I’ve gotten OK with that. And it’s something I can pay it forward somewhere down the line.”

On Monday afternoon, Smith hitched up his gear and took off once again, heading west, with a little detour to the north.

“I’m going through Marion,” he explained. “I haven’t really mapped out the whole thing. I know I want to see the Grand Canyon, so that’s on my list, but there’s really no set path, no set schedule… just to get to California.

And then?

“I don’t know,” said Smith. “We’ll see how I feel when I get there.”

By Ralph Hardin