By Gabriel Manninen

The journey began on the coast of Oregon in June 2003. Mick Thompson, a life-long cowboy from Wyoming, loaded up on his horse, Hawkeye, and began his personal pilgrimage across the U.S.

Restless and bored, he longed for that which every cowboy seeks, the wide, open trail and the wilderness. “I wanted to see if I was tough enough”, Thompson says as he spoke of the true spirit and simplicity of the real American cowboy of the old west. This was something every man can relate to, something wild and unbound except by the laws of nature. Although it’s not over yet, Thompson’s journey brought him close to many people, closer to the land and probably even closer to God.

His three daughters thought he was a nutcase when he told them what he was doing, “They think it’s cool now that they understand what I’m doing,” states Thompson, who is now 51-years old with three grandsons.

“The first few years I stayed in the forest”, he indicates referring to the wide open unpopulated spaciousness out west. Yogi, his loyal Australian Shepherd cowdog would follow as they meandered through the mountains of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado. Perhaps they were lost, perhaps they weren’t. He carried a couple guns, cooked over an open fire where he pleased when he was hungry, and slept under the stars like a true cowboy does. Heading eastward, they would progress over days and months sometimes covering as much as 75 miles a day when they absolutely had to.

As winter would draw on, Thompson would typically, by the will of something greater, happen upon a kindred soul that would give him room and board through the frozen months in exchange for his cowboy skills. His “Jack of all trades” abilities has allowed him to help Larry McMillan, owner and operator of Southeast Pack, Inc., through this passing winter. “He has been a great help taking care of and training horses, working on the house and we’re glad to help him on his journey in return,” say McMillan. Southeast Pack, Inc. of Jamestown, Tennessee has been in operation offering trail rides in the Big South Fork area for 19 years.

As Thompson came out of the mountains, his journey brought him through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and things changed dramatically. The mountains gave way to the open plains and the plains gave way to civilization. Thompson’s cowboy epic morphed into town after town. He found himself eating at convenience stores when there was no suitable place to build a cookfire. He would often have to set up camp under bridges and at truckstops as he trekked through the heart of modern America.

As he made his way east he would camp and occasionally find friendly refuge at rodeos and ranches. His survival rations would often consist of noodles and Bisquick mix. Thompson has kept a journal along the way and somewhere along the lines has picked up the support of a publisher for his book, The Cross Country Cowboy.

“It’s been intriguing”, says Thompson, “the people I’ve met, there’s a lot of good people out there.” The cowboy seems amazed as he remarks on all the good people that have helped him along the way. “They envy me, the simplicity of my life on this journey, no taxes, no IRS. I would stop and ask for water for my horse and next thing you know they invite me to stay for dinner and to meet all their friends.” He is grateful for his blessings. Winter is coming to an end and Thompson is preparing to start up the final leg of the trail. His plans are to head northeast up through McCreary County in a couple weeks to eventually pick up the Appalachian Trail somewhere near West Virginia and follow it all the way to Maine. From there he’ll make his way back to Wyoming to reconnect with his family.

If you see him along the highway, give him a friendly wave. If you have the time maybe stop and share a friendly word. Mick Thompson’s book, The Cross Country Cowboy, is due to come out sometime in late summer. Thompson is also currently looking for a companion to help along the last stretch of his journey, to help transport his aging dog and food for his horse. His daughters maintain his website which can be found on myspace.com/crosscountrycowboy.