By ANNA BEATY KERR

Joe Hurley was on his fifth pair of New Balance shoes when he reached the sleepy town of Mack last Sunday.

Which puts into question Forrest Gump’s single pair of Nikes taking him across the continental U.S.

Hurley is currently on a 3,600-mile journey across the country on foot. The 59-year old retired newspaper reporter from Danbury, Conn., is walking the entire length of U.S. Highway 6, one of the oldest and most pedestrian-friendly highways in the country. He is traveling with a photographer, Travis Lindhorst, to help him document the people and sites along the way.

The two-lane highway led the pair to Mack, where they stayed at Barb and T.J. Smith’s house Sunday and Monday night. Hurley and Lindhorst spoke to a small crowd of people at the Colorado Club bar and restaurant about their adventures.

“I tried to plan the trip to get over the mountains before it snowed and through the desert when it cooled down,” Hurley said.

The tread setters left Cape Cod, Mass., near the east terminus of Highway 6 in March. They hope to reach their stopping point, Bishop, Calif., the west terminus of Highway 6, by the first week of December — just in time for Christmas.

“It will be trouble if I’m not back by then, my wife wants me home,” Hurley said.

Hurley walks five days a week and Lindhorst follows in Hurley’s orange/red Geo Metro packed full of gear. Lindhorst also takes turns walking.

They take breaks every Monday and Thursday to rest and to send their photos and stories to their Web site and to papers across their route. Hurley’s freelance articles are keeping him going financially.

“I had a slush fund when I started, that’s gone,” Hurley said. “I’ll be in debt when I get back, but I’ve met a lot of good people.”

The purpose of his journey is not to generate publicity or break any records, it’s to see America firsthand, Hurley said. His mission is to meet as many people as possible and gain an understanding of every type of person in the country.

“People aren’t that different around the country,” Hurley said. “They don’t differ from the east to the west. It’s the country people versus the city people. Country people are nicer, they offer me rides or just wave hello.”

Hurley and Lindhorst will drive to Cisco, Utah, today where they will continue on foot toward Moab. This will be the last foot trek that Hurley plans to make. He and Lindhorst plan to drive back to Connecticut, the condition of their car permitting.