Rev. Jeff Hood said he hasn't been keeping track of the miles he's traveled -- he just knows he's been walking for "three days straight."
The purpose of his trek, he says, is to bring an end to the death penalty in the Lone Star state.
Hood's walk began at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston where Texas death row inmates are jailed, and will conclude at the Capitol in Austin.
Along the way, Hood is seeking shelter from friends and acquaintances. He didn't train for the nearly weeklong walk, but said he runs on a regular basis.
Sunday, Hood made it to Bryan by 6 p.m., falling a few miles short of his intended destination, which was the Brazos County courthouse.
It would have been hard to miss Hood for those traveling on Texas 30 early in the afternoon and, later, Boonville Road. The bearded man with a shaved head was dressed in a white abbot, a blue stole and was carrying a walking stick.
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"There's no denying I'm here," Hood said of his appearance.
In addition to being a 30-year-old husband and father to twin 2-year-olds and a 6-month-old baby, Hood is working on his doctorate in theology at Texas Christian University and is an ordained minister who graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He's also a member of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and director of the Center for Theological Activism; he lives with his family in Denton where his wife is a professor at the University of North Texas.
While he's never been in favor of execution as punishment, Hood said his commitment to abolishing the death penalty was solidified in 2011 when Georgia executed Troy Davis, a man who maintained his innocence in the killing of a Burger King security guard up until his death.
Hood and his wife were among the hundreds of people who showed up to protest Davis' execution.
"I remember going home and praying to God, 'Why?'" Hood asked.
At that point, Hood said, he received a clear response from God, who told him: "I didn't kill Troy Davis, you did."
"In that moment, I went from a compassionate observer to an activist because I realized my complicity in the system," Hood said.
The walk from Livingston to Austin is about giving his body to the struggle, he said.
"You can't love your neighbor until their struggle is your struggle," Hood said.
Hood's feet were dressed in bandages clearly visible underneath the Chaco sandals he chose for his 200-mile trip.
Since starting his journey Friday, Hood said he's had some interesting encounters, the majority of which have ended on a positive note.
A woman on the outskirts of Livingston pulled over to inquire about his walk, and he told her what he was doing and asked her: "How can you love your neighbor and want to execute them?"
She said that made sense to her, and moments later the two parted.
Hood said he also had a discussion about his walk with some bar customers outside of Huntsville at a joint where he stopped to use the restroom. The men told Hood they disagreed with his position, but they appreciated what he was doing and wished him the best.
Through his walk, he said, he's hoping to bring awareness to the issue through unplanned encounters and media coverage.
Brazos County District Attorney Jarvis Parsons said he was unaware Hood was in town, but was familiar with his message. Parsons has tried three death penalty cases, two of which concluded in a death sentence and the third in a life sentence.
He's currently in the pre-trial stages on his fourth death penalty case, that of Gabriel Hall, who's set for trial in February.
"Reasonable minds can differ on whether the Bible authorizes the death penalty and I believe it does," he said. "But I don't think it's my job to delve into what is right or wrong. My job is to uphold the law in the state of Texas and act in the best interest of society."
While Parsons said he can't relate to Hood's trek, he also wouldn't try to discourage Hood from spreading his message.
Monday, members of Santa Teresa Catholic Church are meeting Hood at 10 a.m. at the corner of Texas Avenue and Harvey Road and from there they will walk to the church, which is 6 miles away at 1212 Lucky St. in Bryan.
Once there, Hood plans to speak to those in attendance about his walk and beliefs.
His intention is to make it to Austin by 5 p.m. Thursday when he plans to hold a press conference on the steps of the south entrance of the State Capitol.