Chapter 22 Summary

Ray learns that Japhy has decided to travel to Japan to study for a prolonged period of time. He leaves his mother's home and hitchhikes to Georgia. He catches a ride with a drunk driver and does not enjoy the trip, so instead of continuing by hitchhiking, he takes a bus to El Paso. At El Paso, he hikes a few miles out into the desert and camps for a night. His pack and equipment make him feel completely self-sufficient, and he spends a happy night.

In the morning, Ray hikes back to El Paso, leaves his equipment in a bus-station locker and walks to Juarez, Mexico. In Juarez, he meets some people and spends the day in a smoky bar, drinking and smoking marijuana, but he misses the clarity and beauty of the desert. He returns to the United States, pursued by...