Cross-country traveler stops in Nevada

Thursday, July 29, 2004
Lynn A Wade/Daily Mail Cross Carrier Chuck Johnson passed through Nevada once again, carrying his cross and along with a simple reminder "that you need God in your life." In five years, he's traversed the country eight times, but even so, the five-year trek is not his first. He was carrying the cross as long ago as 1986.

By Lynn A. Wade

Nevada Daily Mail

He's at it again -- or still. Cross Carrier Chuck passed through Nevada on his eighth tour of the U.S. -- you guessed it, carrying a cross.

The message is obvious. Chuck Johnson simply wants to "remind people that they need God in their lives."

The cross he now carries is made of plastic. Chuck has worn out a few crosses during his journey. The first was made of wood and weighed about 86 pounds.

It takes less than a year to cross the country, following non-interstate highways that allow him to travel on foot without gleaning the interest of law enforcement. He started his travels about five years ago, and, in fact, passed through Nevada last on July 2, 2003. He's been in Nevada several times, it seems. A Daily Mail file photo shows a slightly stockier Johnson carrying what appears to be a wooden cross -- most likely his first. That cross was emblazoned with the Biblical reference, "Luke 10:27," which states, "And he answered and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself,"

The journey began in Tiajuana, Mexico; and he says "the Lord always gives just what is needed." For example, he said, when he started he had $55. Materials cost $53 and change, "He knew to the dollar how much I'd need."

Johnson also reports that he waited for some time, wondering if he should go right or left. A man took him into his home for the night and "looked me square in the eye, and said, 'don't worry about whether you should go right or left. Find a road and follow it.'" Johnson said.

He travels light -- a change of clothes, rain gear -- and lots of socks, he said with a wink. His backpack was obviously little more than half full, and a plastic water bottle protruded from it. He relies on the people he meets along the way for sustenance and shelter -- but never asks for money, food or shelter.

"I sleep where I can. If no one offers me a place to stay, sometimes I sleep outside," he said.

One Nevadan who saw him as he paused near JT Maloney's on Austin said, "It's kind of a neat thing. He just keeps doing it. I've seen him in the news, other places."

His journey has taken him as far as North Dakota, and through several southern states such as Florida and California, and he's made many a headline along the way. Last August found him in Gallatin, Tenn. In December, he made his way through Baker County, Fla., where a reporter compared the journey to movie character Forrest Gump's running trip across America. Gump said in the movie of the same name, that he "just felt like running."

The reporter made a comparison that Johnson's journey had similar beginnings. He simply decided to carry the cross. In June, he was in Chillicothe. From here, he's headed toward Joplin.

He meets with mixed reactions. "Different places, different people -- I couldn't begin to tell you all of it," Johnson said.

Johnson admits he doesn't always walk -- sometimes he accepts rides. "I just carry the cross. God does all the work," he said. And sometimes, Johnson's road is rough. Sometimes his bed is the earth. "But God is good all the time."

For more about Cross Carrier Chuck, visit his Web site at www.crosscarrierchuck.com.

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