I’ve entertained various ideas as to why he walks the highway. One day I thought I spotted him carrying what looked like a briefcase. So my idea that day was that he was some sort of businessman who did daily exercises by walking. I even fancied that he might be a naturopathic doctor following the same advice he gives to his patients, namely, get out and walk. Another thought I entertained was that he probably works at the Goodwill Store located on this same highway. Well, of course I entertained other thoughts; for such is the way my mind works.
But today when I saw the man on the park bench, I stopped during my walk around our Prescott Courthouse Square where the gentleman was sitting on a bench to ask if I might ask him a question. He hesitated a moment and then said, “Sure, go ahead.” When I began to tell him of a man I often see walking the highway wearing similar clothes and a distinctive hat, he interrupted me with a smile and said, “Yup, that’s me.”
Well, a friendly conversation followed. His name is Robert, and he told me that he walks every day, rain, snow, wind or sunny and warm, as most of our days are in Prescott. I did not ask probing or leading questions; he shared freely. He shared that he walks because he chooses to do so. He doesn’t own a car and does not plan on ever having one again. He lives in a tent in the nearby forest. He walks around 8 to 12 miles a day, and since he has been in Prescott, about 15 months, he estimates that he has walked at least 5,000 miles. Since the day he gave up driving a car, he estimates that he has walked around 33,000 miles. At one point in our conversation I did ask about shoes and how many he has gone through. He laughed and said probably dozens.
We did not speak long, perhaps 10 minutes. When I continued my walk around the Square I had the idea to check my wallet. I found that I had ten dollars and put it in my pocket. The next time around, if Robert is still there, I intended to give it to him as a way of thanking him for sharing some of his day with me. When I neared the bench where Robert sat as we talked, he was not there. I continued my walk and looked for him, but did not see him again. I call him, Robert … the walker.
– Joseph