Edmond Outlook - December 2017

December 2017

Timeless Toys

2500 Reasons to Smile from Collector Dalford Goodman Meet Trigger! Local Stray Turned Service Dog Everybody’s Favorite Christmas Hippo Song Edmond’s New Fire Station

Features

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‘Twas weeks before Christmas, my stuff’s in the shed No lights or stockings were hung, only my head It’s that time of the year when I wait for a sunny, semi-warm day and point my SUV toward my storage unit. As I navigate through the saddest genre of architecture ever built I locate my rental unit. I fumble with the lock and throw open the sash. There they are - in all their oversized tupperware container glory. The Miller family Christmas decorations. I’m feeling overwhelmed.

There’s a tub marked “tree;” another marked “ornaments;” and yet another marked “decorations.” At this moment, these are not a few of my favorite things. I’m hopeful that I can do this in one trip. But my arranging skills soon turn to jam-packing as I realize there are even more items to bring homeward - boxes of Christmas lights, a tree stand and wreaths. After several adjustments I get the tailgate to close. Sort of.

I Iock up my nearly empty storage unit and fully realize I’m paying for Christmas all year - 10 months to store it; two to enjoy it. “Let it go, Dave.

Go deck the halls,” I tell myself.

As soon as the tree goes up, branch by branch - I’m feeling a little less “Grinch” and little more “Elf.” It’s all turning around. By the time I’m tinseling (is that even a verb?), I’m ready to put on some holiday music.

Trigger’s journey from Edmond stray to service dog

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TIMELESS TOYS

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I WANT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS

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EDMOND’S NEW FIRE STATION

Over 2500 reasons to smile Young Gayla Peevey croons iconic, ageless song Q&A with the Deputy Fire Chief Chris Denton

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THE NEW GAME IN TOWN

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TRAVELING MAN

Board games find new life with families Outrunning wildlife and rockslides half a year at a time

Business

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Sadly, it’s been 3 years since I went full “Griswold” on this season.

But I’m ready to do it again. I’m wrapping presents for the grandkids and I’m thinking I’m glad I did some Christmas cheer, for me and my dog and cat.

A VETERAN’S BEST FRIEND

CIRCLE E, INC.

Animal health and nutrition store celebrates 25 years of success

NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM

Holiday events for cowboys and cowgirls of all ages

Columns

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

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DR. J. DAVID CHAPMAN

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LOUISE TUCKER JONES

Dave Miller Back40 Design President

Urban/Suburban Preferences A Christmas to Remember

Cover photography by Marshall Hawkins

ADVERTISING l Laura Beam at 405-301-3926 l laura@edmondoutlook.com MAILED MONTHLY TO 50,000 HOMES IN EDMOND/NORTH OKC 80 East 5th Street, Suite 130, Edmond, OK 73034 l 405-341-5599 l edmondoutlook.com l info@edmondoutlook.com December 2017 Volume 13, Number 12

PHOTOGRAPHY Marshall Hawkins

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Edmond Outlook is a publication of Back40 Design, Inc.

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© 2017 Back40 Design, Inc.

PUBLISHER Dave Miller l ADVERTISING MANAGER Laura Beam l GRAPHIC DESIGN Adrian Townsend www.sundancephotographyokc.com l DISTRIBUTION Edmond Outlook is delivered FREE by direct-mail to 50,000 Edmond & North OKC homes.

Articles and advertisements in the Outlook do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or Back40 Design. Back40 Design does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by the Outlook does not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information. We do not knowingly present any product or service that is fraudulent or misleading in nature. The Outlook assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

FEATURELOOK

By Amy Dee Stephens

A Veteran’s Best Friend Trigger’s Journey from Edmond Stray to Service Dog

This is the story of a veteran and his dog. It’s mostly about the dog, because for Dustin Rokicki, Trigger is a hero. Trigger is the service dog that makes his post-military life more bearable. Trigger eases the symptoms of his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which include social anxiety and severe night terrors.

Dustin met Trigger five years ago as the dog was being chased out of the neighbor’s yard with a broom. The neighbor was not happy to have a stray pit bull visiting her yard. “I called him over and he let me pick him up. I took him home, and he immediately fit into our household,” Dustin said.

Dustin posted signs and left his contact number with the animal shelter. He hoped no one would call, but they did, and Dustin’s heart hurt every time he faced the possibility of losing Trigger. Fortunately, no one correctly identified his markings, and Trigger became a permanent member of the Rokicki family.

Dustin’s wife, Amanda, a trained psychologist, immediately noticed that Trigger had a way of calming Dustin’s PTSD symptoms. “When Dustin

was having violent, flailing night terrors, Trigger would jump up on the bed, lay on his chest and calm him down.”

Dustin was also realizing that Trigger was helping him deal with his social anxiety attacks and alerting him of surrounding situations. After a year, it was obvious that with some formal training on how to behave in public, Trigger could be registered as a service dog.

Now, when Trigger is working, he wears his official Veteran Service Dog vest. Trigger is always present while Dustin is doing his contract handyman business, and Trigger is there when the Rokickis go to the movie theater or the coffee shop.

The Rokickis admit that having a service dog isn’t always easy. Strangers sometimes react to Trigger with skepticism. “We were on a date downtown and someone commented about my fake service dog. Really? You think I want to go on a hot date with my wife and have a dog following? We had to laugh. Sometimes a service animal is a pain. I always have four legs following behind me.”

In other cases, people are overly-friendly with the dog, petting without permission and causing distraction. Dustin prefers for people to ignore Trigger and allow him to carry on like everyone else. Having a special dog, however, is a treasure that the Rokickis choose to share with others when they can.

“We have a fantastic time at Christmas,” Dustin said. “Trigger gets dressed up like a reindeer, and we visit the elderly in retirement communities.”

“Trigger has a natural ability with terminally ill people,” Amanda said. “He seems to recognize the need for a warm body nearby or a head to pet. He’s really good at providing comfort and emotional support.”

Providing comfort and emotional support is exactly the role of this Veteran Service Dog in Dustin’s life, allowing him to function more fully in regular life. “It’s always in the back of my mind that he’s there. As long as Trigger knows what’s going on around me, I have the confidence to focus on my work,” Dustin said. “He’s a wise old soul, and he makes my

day better.”

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FEATURELOOK

Timeless Toys

By Amy Dee Stephens

Seeing Dalfred Goodman’s toy collection for the first time is like entering Santa’s Workshop. Every surface of the room is filled with shiny, colorful cars and trucks—all brightly clean and perfectly organized.

Goodman’s eyes twinkle as visitors gasp at the magnitude of his collection, which numbers over 2,500! He doesn’t just buy the cars, many of them he has hand-restored, returning their rusty metal hulls back into gleaming newness.

Proudly, he points out his favorites. “That one’s called a tether car….Look here, this one has a working motor…Cadillac gave a toy version of the car to new owners…”

Although the 75-year-old began seriously collecting as an adult, his love of cars goes back to childhood. He was a World War II baby, raised in a small two-bedroom house. The family had little space and few toys. “My dad handmade two wooden cars for me when I was seven. They were about the only toys I had, so I played with them for years and years, and I still have them,” Goodman said. “Dad got me my first real toy car from a garage sale.”

As a young man, Goodman mowed lawns so that he could save to buy a car. His first was a brand new Super Sport Impala. Later, he bought a 1935 Pontiac Coupe. Cherrylnn, Goodman’s wife of 51 years, said her husband has always appreciated cars. “He loves the beauty of cars, the chrome, the engine, the paint job, the artistic build.”

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The couple’s first date was at a stock car race at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds. They’ve spent their life traveling the country showing cars, which have ranged from a Model A to a 1961 Corvette. Although Goodman no longer follows the car show circuit, he’s still fired up about his toy cars.

“My love of the toys came from loving the cars,” Goodman said.

Each item is cataloged and identified with a handwritten tag. He has a pristine Lincoln and travel trailer, a replica from the 1954 Lucille Ball movie, The Long Long Trailer.” His rarest car is a 1923 American National fire captain’s car, which he has left in original condition. “I’ll never sell it,” Goodman said.

“I usually fix them up and make them bright and shiny--but not that one.”

Collectors by nature, the Goodmans also have other collections tucked around their house, including old-time cash registers, metal lunch boxes, cookie jars, autographed guitars, stained glass, and Oklahoma car tags dating back every single year since 1915. But no collection rivals his vintage cars.

“Maybe it’s because I didn’t have a lot of toys growing up,” Goodman said, with a catch in his voice. “I’ve put a lot of time and work into these cars.

Sometimes I’ll spend a month taking one apart and fixing it, so there’s an emotional connection for me. Let’s put it this way. After Cherrylnn goes to bed, I’ll go stand in the room looking at those toys. I can’t explain it--but I just like them.”

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FEATURELOOK What is it about this chipper little song that has stood the test of time? Oklahoma radio stations have kept the song alive for 64 years because of its distinctly historical roots. It was sung by an Oklahoma child-star, Gayla Peevey. She presented such a darling request that the community jumped on a promotional bandwagon to actually buy Gayla a hippo! The Oklahoma City Zoo gladly accepted the responsibility of caring for Mathilda for the next fifty years.

But it takes more than a good back story for a song to reach the status of an American holiday classic. The song’s original artist, Gayla Peevey Henderson, has her own insight into the song’s longevity. “The hippo song is a well-written, well-constructed song. The arrangement, the storyline and everything about it was quality. That’s why it’s stood the test of time.”

In the last 10 years, the song has not only seen a resurgence, it’s become a pop culture presence. Hallmark can’t keep its annual hippo ornaments, which play the song, on the shelf. A growing number of modern artists, including Kasey Musgraves and LeAnn Rimes, have recorded the song. In December, the hippo song is one of the most highly-downloaded holiday ringtones on iTunes. The United States Postal Service used the song in their holiday advertising campaign last year, which ranked as the #2 National Television Commercial by Billboard.

The song’s resurgence also changed Gayla’s life. For 50 years, she’d pretended that the song had little significance. Most people in her life had no idea she’d sung it as a child. “I didn’t want to be a “has-been” because that felt like being a failure, so I just never mentioned it.”

Following Gayla’s hit song, Columbia Records pigeon-holed her into singing kiddie songs, like “Kitty in the Basket.” Even Gayla thought they were silly and poorly written. Belting out country songs like “Your Cheatin’ Heart” was how she’d landed on “The Chuckwagon Gang,” a local WKY-TV show, and later, national shows including “Saturday Night Revue” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Gayla’s parents, lacking show business savvy, were overwhelmed by her popularity. They uprooted her to California, and by the time she was an adult, her recording Gayla Peevey career had ended. Her adult friends had no idea that she’d once Henderson performed on stage with Dean Martin, Jimmie Durante, Grace Kelly and the Count Basie Orchestra.

The hippo song, however, continued to live a life without her. In 2007, Gayla was visiting family in Oklahoma and she chanced to meet an Oklahoma City Zoo employee who was aware of her role in securing the zoo’s first hippopotamus. The zoo began planning a live sing-a-long event for 2011 to celebrate the song’s story. Gayla was nervous that no one would show up to see her, but a large, enthusiastic crowd arrived, and Gayla was surprised by the long line for autographs.

This year, the zoo is again hosting Gayla for a live sing-a-long on Saturday, December 9th. Gayla will perform and share her memories of receiving a 700-pound Christmas gift in 1953. Afterward, attendees are invited to meet Gayla in person and view artifacts from her personal history. Gayla will also be sharing a big announcement on behalf of the zoo.

“After an ordinary life, this is like stepping back in time. I’ve been so rejuvenated to know that people remember my connection to the zoo. It’s a happy, positive, joyful song to be remembered by, and I now treasure that.”

Photo: Courtesy of the Oklahoma History Center, Research Division

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To learn more about Gayla Peevey’s visit to Oklahoma, visit okczoo.org.

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FEATURELOOK

Edmond’s New Fire Station

By Morgan Day

Groundbreaking is slated for early 2018 when Edmond will welcome a new $6 million fire station at W. 15th Street and Kelly Avenue. With Edmond’s expanding population and the growing need to replace the 40-year-old station on South Broadway, the new project is a timely upgrade that allows for reduced response times. Deputy Fire Chief Chris Denton told us more about the state-of-the-art facility and how it benefits Edmond residents.

Q: We understand the current station located on Broadway near 15th is more than 40 years old. Can you outline another reason Edmond needs a new station?

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Q: We understand there will be an emergency medical triage room.

What is that?

A: A triage room is an area designed to triage and treat a walk-in patient. The current Fire Station 2 only has a small lobby where patients can be assessed. The new plans include a separate room where walk-in patients can be assessed and treated in a more private setting.

A: One issue is the very busy railroad tracks that cross our city. Out of our five fire stations, we have only one (Fire Station 3) located on the west side of the tracks where nearly 40% of the city’s populated urban area is. This new location will give Edmond two fire stations west of the tracks and the other three east of the tracks. Currently when a call is made west of Fire Station 2, the crews would typically travel west on 15th Street and if the crew is stopped by a train, our response time increases significantly.

Q: What will the new station cost, and how will it be paid for?

Q: Tell us about the station itself. What will it be like?

A: It will accommodate up to 10 people. The current station has four personnel and they’ll be moved to the new station. In the future, if we need more than four personnel there we have the facilities already in place. This allows for flexibility for the future growth of the city.

A: This facility is going to be 14,632 square feet, about double what our current station is. That includes living space and three apparatus bays.

There are several neat features to the building, but one in particular will be the four-fold bay doors. Instead of opening from the ground and roll-

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ing up, these will open from the middle and fold to the sides into four pieces, similar to a bi-fold door. The opening rate is much faster and their longevity and lifespan is longer. We’re all about “seconds count,” and those doors can shave four seconds off of every call.

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A: We’ve budgeted $6 million for this project and that will be for the construction and the other components that aren’t typically part of construction — the furniture, fixtures and equipment. Funding comes from the 2017 Capital Improvements Sales Tax which was approved by the Capital Improvements Project Advisory Board and City Council.

Q: How many people will be stationed there?

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BIZLOOK

Circle E, Inc.

By Morgan Day

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dealer since it first opened its doors, Circle E also serves as a one-stop shop for general pet owners looking for quick access to high-quality pet foods.

Not only that, but customers can also find a wealth of knowledge about animal nutrition from Circle E experts and their network of local veterinarians.

Twenty five years ago this month, Ed Black decided to leave the corporate world behind and build a business all his own. The ex-oil man opened Circle E, Inc. on the sparsely populated Waterloo Road and, in the past two and a half decades, has gotten to see the area grow and flourish alongside his family-owned business.

What separates this specialty store from others?

Circle E employees get to know their customers’ names and even carry their customers’ purchases straight to the car. Ed and Dee enjoy working and interacting with the public and find it especially rewarding to support area children participating in FFA and the Edmond Junior Rodeo.

Since opening its doors on Dec. 1, 1992, the animal health and nutrition store has seen its customer base expand and, in December 1999, the business moved to 125 W. WaterlooRoad — a newly constructed building that could accommodate its growing stock of animal foods, equine-related supplies, goods made in Oklahoma and products for folks with large farm animals.

“That’s mainly the thing I thrive off the most is just the good people we have in our life,” Dee said.

“To anybody who has ever walked through the door of Circle E, I thank them; they have been a treasure.”

“It was my husband’s dream to start this business,” Dee Black said. “He purchased nine acres on

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Waterloo Road, built an 8,000-square-foot store and did it all in 72 days. They moved everything in 14 hours from one building to the other; they never missed a beat.”

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And, 25 years later, they’ve never lost that rhythm.

Named for a family full of E’s (Ed, Dee and daughter Edee), Circle E serves as a tack shop featuring everything an English or Western-style rider needs, from equipment to boots and other riding apparel and grooming supplies. A Purina

Circle E is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays and closed Sundays. Learn more by visiting circleeok.com or call (405) 340-5425.

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FEATURELOOK

The New Game in Town Board games find new life with families Tucked into the back corner of PB&J Games, a spirited game of “Here Fishy Fishy” forges on between two tykes. The boys put their dexterity to the test as they reel in sea dwellers with miniature-sized magnetized poles.

Nearby, a group of 20-somethings donning faded tie-dye, beanies and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers attire navigate through the Munchkin X-Men card game.

On this recent Saturday afternoon, the newly opened Edmond game shop at 1201 NW 178th St. #117 is filled with gamers of all stripes eager to test drive new games, find the next gem to add to their collection, and, perhaps most importantly, connect with others. The picture inside PB&J Games is just one part of the Edmond area’s board game scene — a pastime whose popularity has exploded in the past few years. Reliance on digital streaming, smartphones and tablets has pushed many people toward outlets that cater to creativity and human interaction, said Parker Banks, who owns PB&J Games with his wife Jarah Banks.

“We want to encourage people to try out new games and find a different way to interact with family and different things to do with their time,” he said. “Sometimes all they do is watch TV or watch a movie together, but we want to facilitate communication.”

As the couple moved from city to city, they used MeetUp.com to tap into board game communities that, with their weekly gatherings,

By Morgan Day

provided built-in, face-to-face interaction and, soon enough, new friendships.

Storm Fisher, co-owner of Storm Brew Games in Edmond, said gamers are even ditching video games for entertainment that offers more creativity.

Like PB&J Games, the shop at 610 S. Kelly, Suite G, sells games as well as hosts gatherings of gamers but focuses more on tabletop gaming, showcasing games like “Magic: The Gathering,” “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Warhammer.”

“When you’re playing a video game, there’s nothing left to the imagination,” Fisher said. “With tabletop and role-playing games, it fits differently in everybody’s head and it fits the way they feel it would work out best, so it appeals to a wider variety of people, a larger audience.”

It’s clear board games are back in a big way, with companies and independent sellers churning out games faster than ever before and game sales on the rise, said Mike Dattolo, president of the Oklahoma Board Game Community, which encompasses about 2,000 members.

“Since around 2010 there’s been a huge explosion,” Dattolo said while checking out PB&J Games’ grand opening. “This is about the fourth store in the OKC area to open in the last couple years.”

In fact, Oklahoma City will play host to its first board game convention in Oklahoma City in October 2018 as it brings in game enthusiasts and vendors from across the state as well as the Dallas area for tournaments, panel discussions, awards and some appearances by popular board game personalities.

Interested in breaking into the board game scene? Check out meetup.com/okboardgame to find gatherings near you, join the Oklahoma Board Game Community Facebook group, or visit stormbrewgames.com and pbandjgames.co to connect with local board game experts.

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BIZLOOK

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

By Morgan Day

Winter events are heating up at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, with holiday happenings taking place all month long for cowboys and cowgirls of any age.

For starters, the popular “A Date with the Duke” movie series that features beloved American actor John Wayne gets the holiday treatment. The event, which takes place from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 6, spotlights the 1948 classic “3 Godfathers,” which tells the redemptive story of three on-the-run outlaws who do a good deed on Christmas Eve. The for-adults event features a cash bar and feast catered by the Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City. Guests are treated to salmon with lemon caper sauce on a bed of spinach, balsamic glazed

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chicken with all the trappings and a dessert bar.

The event is $40 per person, or $35 for museum members.

“The movie series is just a really fun time for folks,” said Tara Carr, the museum’s interim Senior Marketing Manager. “It has sold out every single time we do one.”

Also in the holiday lineup is the Dec. 21-31 winter break all-day drop-in activities for kids, free with museum admission. Activities include exploration in Prosperity Junction, the museum’s turn-ofthe-century frontier town, and a scavenger hunt that takes children throughout the museum to learn about Western history, art and culture.

“We’ll have those family-friendly museum scavenger hunts in the galleries featuring our little cowboy elves named Howe and Dee,” Carr said. “Kids have a great time finding them and also learning while they search throughout the museum.”

And throughout 2018 the museum will continue with its summertime Saloon Series, a lineup of weekly happy hour events for young adults in the Silver Dollar Saloon and Prosperity Junction, as well as Saturdays for Kids in which all children can enjoy free admission on the first Saturday of every month. “With programs for everyone from kids to young adults and seniors, the museum has a little something for anyone to enjoy.” Carr said.

“The West is for everybody,” she said. “It means something different to each person. When people come here for the first time, we want them to explore, and learn and have fun and ultimately figure out what the West means to them.”

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is located at 1700 NE 63rd St. in Oklahoma City. Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org for more event details or call (405) 478-2250.

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CITYLOOK

Urban/ Suburban Preferences

By Dr. J. David Chapman

There is a supposed trend, much celebrated in the media, about young people moving to city centers, instead of remaining in the suburbs where they were raised, and their desire is to stay there for the rest of their lives. Urban theorists, such as Peter Katz, have maintained that millennials show little interest in returning to the strip malls, cul-de-sacs, and suburban traffic sprawl of their teenage years. In books and articles referring to the death of suburbs, numerous authors declare this new generation will escape the material trap of suburban living and work that engulfed their parents. Should Edmond leaders panic and stop preparing for growth in our school system and city?

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There is an unmistakable, growing preference for urban living among young adults. What our UCO Risk Management, Resilience, and Built Environment Policy Institute is interested in analyzing is what changes in lifestyle these young adults make once they are married with children. A close look at the migration data reveals a more complex reality. The millennial flight from suburbia has not only been vastly overexaggerated, it fails to deal with what may best be seen as differences in preferences correlated with adult life stages.

The first group of millennials are now in their 30s, and it turns out that they are beginning, like preceding generations, to move to the suburbs.

They are making the choice based on the very thing that built suburban communities. They seek

appropriate education choices for their family, less expensive housing, and the appearance of a safer environment. The early results tend to lead us to believe they indeed start to consider the suburban lifestyle once they start a family.

However, our research also shows they still prefer a walkable, bike-able, urban fabric in which to live, with access to entertainment, culture, parks, and recreation.

For cities such as Edmond, Broken Arrow, and Norman, this could be the new growth model for the future of these communities. All three are good examples of cities that maintained their urban downtown fabric with alleys and a walkable grid street system. If the leadership in towns and cities such as these will create entertainment and affordable housing, while maintaining quality schools, they will likely be the choice of families in the future.

Dr. J. David Chapman is an Associate Professor of Finance & Real Estate at UCO. jchapman7@uco.edu

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ALOOKBACK

A Christmas to

Remember

By Louise Tucker Jones

It was a Christmas of many “firsts.” Our first holiday season together as husband and wife with Carl finally home from the Army. My first year of teaching school. And best of all, our first baby was due in three months.

Because of contract & discharge dates, neither the Army nor the school district would provide medical insurance to cover the birth of our baby. Knowing we would be completely responsible for all medical bills, we saved every penny possible from our small salaries, living in a sparsely furnished, one bedroom duplex.

The only presents we bought for each other that year were winter coats, which were desperately

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needed. My coat would not reach around my protruding stomach and Carl still wore his old Army parka.

The only thing I missed was a Christmas tree.

We just didn’t have enough money to purchase one. But knowing we would spend Christmas Eve at my parents’ house, who always had a huge, fragrant cedar with lots of decorations, made up for our lack of one. Meanwhile, I decorated the living room with cards from family and friends.

Then a couple of weeks before Christmas, Carl came home from his night class with a surprise. He excitedly pulled a box from a shopping bag—a three foot silver Christmas tree—along with a package of blue bulbs and tinsel. A department store had put the items on clearance, practically giving them away. Carl snatched them up, knowing how much I missed having a tree.

He quickly put the little tree together. We docorated it and set it on a table in front of the window for all the world to see. I thought it was beautiful.

Today, as I look back at old pictures, I see a scrawny, little tree with sparse branches.

Except for the precious few ornaments Carl purchased, it was completely bare. But on that Christmas, exactly fifty years ago, it was not really the little tree that I saw. It was my husband’s heart, doing everything he could to give his wife a Christmas to remember.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Louise Tucker Jones is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker & founder of Wives With Heavenly Husbands, a support group for widows.

LouiseTJ@cox.net or LouiseTuckerJones.com.

Because Living at Home is the Best Way to Live This Holiday Season, help your senior loved one live safely and independently at home with top-notch care from Home Care Assistance.

Call today! 405-285-4191 HomeCareAssistanceOklahoma.com Serving North Oklahoma City, Edmond and surrounding communities

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FEATURELOOK

By Amy Dee Stephens

Traveling Man Outrunning wildlife and rockslides half a year at a time

Some people only dream of taking off on cross-country hikes. Quentin Tobey lives it. He spends half of the year working to raise travel money, and he spends the rest of the year trail hiking. In the last three years, Tobey’s walked over 8,000 miles!

While tackling trails like the Continental Divide and the Pacific Crest, the 26-year-old has encountered beautiful scenery and physical danger. Despite the difficulties, Tobey is driven to hike in exchange for the chance to escape the busyness of city life. “You can step back and breathe,” Tobey said.

“There’s no rushing around. There’s no phone. You really get away from it all.”

For Tobey, hiking is simple. He carries one pair of clothes, a tarp, a sleeping bag, a cook stove, and some lightweight food. Every four or five days, he hitchhikes to a town to grab a meal and restock his stash of peanut butter, energy bars, and instant potatoes. Tobey also makes an occasional call to his family—who support his hiking lifestyle, but are still anxious to hear his voice.

“What my mom doesn’t know, though, is about the time I got caught in a rockslide,” Tobey said. I ran to the side to get out of the way, but I slipped and slammed into the ground. I was 100% sure I hadn’t made it out of the way.

Luckily, I did.”

Tobey has also encountered his share of wildlife, from moose to bears. On the Appalachian Trail, he unknowingly got too close to a baby bear in the bushes. “Then mama bear stood up and started walking toward me. So I took some quick pictures and backed up!

Weather is another unpredictable factor that can make hiking challenging.

Unless there’s lightning or hail, Tobey usually keeps walking through rainstorms, since “sitting in a wet shelter is just as miserable.” If it’s cold, he keeps moving to stay warm, and if it’s really hot--he pays close attention to his water supply.

So why put himself through these physical obstacles? According to Tobey, the scenery is breathtaking, with huge lakes, green pine trees, and rolling mountains. He also likes the challenge, stating that, “Most of the trail is a mental game. After the first few weeks, the physical elements are no longer an issue, because your muscles are built up and you know what you’re doing—but there’s a mental challenge of not letting the trail or the loneliness get to you.”

Tobey is currently back to “real” life. He’s working to financially support his next journey, an international hike through New Zealand. He hopes that someday he’ll be able to incorporate hiking into a profession, but for now, he’s loving his freedom.

“Hiking has definitely made me more laid back,” Tobey said. “Out there, you have to accept what comes. When I’m back home and I’m feeling stressed, I remind myself, ‘Remember the shin splints? Remember the time you were in the desert and ran out of water?’ You just have to learn to roll with the trail you’re on and not let it get to you.”

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80 East 5th St., Ste. 130 Edmond, OK 73034