TEXARKANA, Texas — It was near Mount Pleasant about three days ago when Ethan Kimes had one of his most harrowing moments on an 830-mile trek across Texas.
It was about 10 p.m., and the Army cadet and junior at Texas A&M University at College Station was taking a break.
“All of a sudden, I hear one little coyote, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ And then I hear seven, and like they’re getting closer,” Kimes said Saturday night as he enjoyed his first big meal in days at Pecan Point Gastropub and Brewery.
Kimes said he banged his walking sticks to make as much noise as possible in hopes of scaring the small canines.
Only 50 miles away from finishing his run-walk in Texarkana, Kimes said he saw a bit of twisted humor in his situation.
“You know, like 780 miles into the race, not kidnapped, not run over, but five little coyotes take me out,” he said.
Saturday marked the end of a journey that Kimes began a month ago. Following a route taken by runner Don Muchow in 2019, Kimes left the airport in El Paso about 8 a.m. Dec. 17 and arrived at Texarkana’s City Hall about 8:17 p.m. Saturday.
Unlike Muchow, Kimes wanted to have the fastest known time for a self-supported trans-Texas trek. To be self-supported — that is, no traveling team to provide supplies and to gather what he needed himself — Kimes carried a rucksack that at the start weighed more than 150 pounds.
He also was trekking to bring awareness to suicide among veterans and to raise money for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.
“The mission of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network is to assist firefighters and EMS providers and their immediate families diagnosed with cancer,” Kimes states on his Facebook page. “This organization has helped firefighters I know personally with getting through their battle with cancer.”
He had a goal to raise $250, which he exceeded.
Traveling mainly along Interstate 20 to Dallas and then onto I-30, Kimes endeavored to complete the route in fewer than 25 days to best Muchow’s time, but the terrain presented an early challenge.
About Day 3, Kimes — a history major with a minor in military strategic studies — had to cover 60 miles up and over the Guadalupe Mountains on his way to Pecos
“My pack was about 150 pounds at that time, so I decided to get a shopping cart to push it up, not realizing I had to push it up a mountain,” he said.
That cart was discarded when he realized it added a layer of difficulty to the journey.
To stay on track, Kimes said he did not stop to rest until he got to Pecos. That leg of the trek was more than 90 miles.
Kimes said he tried to average about 40 to 50 miles a day. To fuel the journey, he consumed energy bars and the occasional fast food meal — “There was a great guy who gave me some orange juice and sweet tea and some McDonald’s” — but staying sufficently nourished was difficult.
“I was burning from 3,000 to 7,000 calories a day,” he said, estimating he had lost about 30 pounds off his 6-foot-2 frame.
On the final leg of his journey Saturday — down U.S. Highway 67 from Simms to Texarkana — Kimes said he burned about 6,000 calories. He consumed energy bars, an energy drink and “a bunch of candy for lunch” to replenish himself.
Despite carrying a large amount of water in his rucksack, Kimes said he also was taxed by trying to stay sufficiently hydrated. In those moments, he was grateful for the assistance strangers offered.
“There were a few times that I went by some volunteer firefighters, and they handed me some Gatorade. And there was even a taxidermist, who, one, let me use the restroom, which is really nice, and then he also gave me some Gatorade,” Kimes said.
However, the most significant challenge along the way was of the four-legged variety.
“The No. 1 thing that scared me the most were dogs,” he said. “My little tracking poles weren’t going to take out German Shepherds, and there were a few cases where I was walking by and these big dogs were 3 feet away.”
Kimes said he never felt threatened by others. He said the optics — a tall guy walking with a backpack who may or may not be talking to himself — provided the protection he needed.
He also never had issues with the authorities. The times he was stopped by law enforcement, they let him carry on after they noticed he was wearing fatigues and had university identification.
Along the way, Kimes slept in hotels and even in post offices, which he did in Simms on Friday night.
Sleeping in a public place was a time-saver, he said.
“Being in the hotel was nice, but the hotel adds a lot of time,” he said, adding there were times when he could get 10 hours of sleep. “If you were getting in at 9 p.m., check in, take a shower, clean up, and eat, it’s almost an hour and a half, two hours. If you’re sleeping in a post office and I take off the boots, it’s 30 minutes. That’s an hour and a half of sleep time.”
Kimes, an ultramarathon runner, said he kept himself occupied by listening to podcasts, including the Jocko Podcast and the show by endurance runner David Goggins.
As he rounded West Seventh Street onto Texas Boulevard on Saturday, Kimes’ mother, Michelle Tippins, of Austin, was there to greet him and remind him to stop his time as he jogged to the sign at City Hall.
Tippins said she had reservations when Kimes wanted to start ultra-endurance activities because of the physical strain.
“If you tell them no, they’re just gonna do it anyway 10 times harder — and he’s an adult,” she said.
Tippins said Kimes and his younger brother are no strangers to adventures. The family has been taking road trips since Kimes was about 5, when they traveled to Arizona.
“We were very familiar with West Texas, so I think after almost 15 years of that, I trust him to be safe out on the road,” she said.
Additionally, she said the ability to check in with him regularly by cellphone helped to ease her worries.
As Kimes ate and discussed his experience, Pecan Point employee Jessie Koenig, who enjoys hikes, peppered Kimes with questions.
“I think it’s a life-changing experience. And to do it so young with the support of his family is really cool,” Koenig said. “It sounds so dangerous, but I think it’s so inspirational.”
With his journey over, Kimes already had his sights set on his next adventure: lunch Sunday with his brother.
“My brother and I were planning on having Panda Express,” he said. “We’re going to be chowing down on some orange chicken and some noodles.”
Kimes is also preparing to get back to class. A&M was on break for the majority of his trek. He hopes to be a commissioned officer by his senior year.
To have his trek officially logged by the Fastest Known Time website, Kimes has to provide documentation of his trip — including GPS data and any other information to show he trekked self-supported along the route. The organization will then review the information to see if his time makes a record.
Regardless, he is proud of his accomplishment of traversing the state on foot and self-supported.
“The goal is hitting the finish line, right? I really wanted to do 25 days, and I think we’re at like 30 something,” he said. “But, again, no one’s done this before.”
And his advice to someone else thinking of trekking across Texas?
“Don’t go during the winter,” he said. “Don’t buy a shopping cart.”
Ethan Kimes poses for a photo at Pecan Point Gastropub and Brewery on Saturday night, Jan. 20, 2024, in Texarkana, Texas. The Texas A&M University junior's 830-mile, self-supported trek across Texas ended Saturday at City Hall. (Staff photo by Stevon Gamble) 
Ethan Kimes takes a portrait of himself and his newfound traveling companion about 20 miles west of Odessa, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Kimes)
Ethan Kimes gives a thumbs-up after completing an 830-mile, self-supported trek across Texas at 8:17 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at City Hall in Texarkana, Texas. Kimes, a junior at Texas A&M University at College Station, began the journey Dec. 17 in El Paso. (Staff photo by Stevon Gamble)
Ethan Kimes, seen on the first day of his trans-Texas trek, takes a self-portrait to document his time and starting point Dec. 17, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Kimes)
The night before the last leg of his journey to Texarkana, Texas Ethan Kimes slept in the post office in Simms, Texas. He completed his trans-Texas journey at 8:17 p.m. at City Hall. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Kimes)