Jimmy Wayne photo courtesy of the The Valory Music Co.

“It’s really not that heavy. It’s really not that heavy. It’s really not that heavy.”

Jimmy Wayne recited a mantra New Year’s Day after strapping a large backpack with a tent and sundry provisions for a two-month walk. Jimmy set out from Monroe Harding School, a Nashville-based facility for displaced youth, on a journey to Phoenix that will take at least two months as he brings awareness to teen homelessness.

Jimmy, who found himself homeless at age 14, determined to kick off his walk in the middle of winter, guaranteeing that he would endure many of the same obstacles that kids in trouble face on the streets. The temperature in Music City Friday morning was 28 degrees. It’s the beginning of the elements — rain, snow, heat in Arizona — that he can expect along the way.

“Actually,” Jimmy said of Friday’s 18-degree windchill, “it’s warmer than I thought it would be.”

About 100 people showed up for the beginning of his journey, including fans, media, friends and executives from his record label, the Valory Music Company, which seeded his effort with a $50,000 donation. Grand Ole Opry star John Conlee came by to give Jimmy a thumbs-up for his effort, and Nashville’s congressional representative, Jim Cooper, made a point of applauding him.

When teens under state care “turn 18, most kids are turned out are homeless,” the congressman said. “The statistics are awful. There’s a 50 percent chance that within two years after you turn 18 and are turned out from the home, that you’ll be pregnant or in jail or both. So we’ve got to solve this problem.”

Many of Jimmy’s kick-off visitors set out to walk the initial mile with the singer, who planned to cover about 20 miles the first night before pitching his tent overnight somewhere west of Nashville, likely in the neighborhood of Highway 70. The itinerary for his trip features 12 pages of directions, single-spaced, though plans are likely to change along the way. He’ll occasionally stop walking just long enough to travel to other cities where he has concert obligations, but he’ll return each time to the trail, where he hopes to cover about 25 miles on many days.

Beginning the walk on New Year’s Day carries a great deal of symbolism. It’s not only the start of a new decade but also an outgrowth of Jimmy’s personal reflections on 2009.

“I thought, ‘I’ve had a great year, but man, I haven’t done anything as far as charity-wise,’” he noted. “I said, ‘What if I go out and sleep out on the street in Nashville and raise some awareness?’ And I thought, ‘Nah, that’s probably not gonna do anything. They’re probably just gonna drive by. What if I walk halfway across America? Now, that’s an idea!’”

He expects to do a good bit of media along the way, and to keep fans abreast of his progress via Twitter and http://www.jimmywayne.com/.

“This is what I consider an epidemic,” Jimmy said of teen homelessness. “I been talkin’ about it and talkin’ about it, and I been tryin’ to talk about it through my music. And I figure what’s the next step? I’ve gotta make a step. I’ve gotta make a big step. I’ve gotta walk halfway across America. So we’re gonna hope that this at least gets some more attention. If not, boy, imagine the next step!”

For now, imagine staying overnight in a sleeping bag on rock-hard ground in a windchill below 20 degrees. Jimmy will need more than a few mantras to get him through the next two months.

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