3/10/25 Media Advisory: xTexas Trail Group Ground Proofing Begins!

For Immediate Release March 10, 2015

Media Contacts: Melissa Balmer Melissa@PedalLove.org cell (360)265-2883

On trail Charlie Gandy gandy.charles@gmail.com cell (562) 298-7681

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Austin TX - This evening, a group of tough, talented volunteers will camp in Kirbyville at Adams EE Stringer Funeral Home as day one of the "Sweaty Taste of the xTx: First 100 Miles" group ground-proofing project is completed.

14 volunteers of hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians (and four horses!) began this morning from the start of the trail at Quicksand Creek at the Sabine River near the Louisiana border on a group ground-proofing project. The majority of the group will travel 20-mile days gathering information for the xTexas Trail Project's first 100 miles of trail conditions, water sources, camping locations, re-supply stops, and more.

Two members of the group will travel the full 1,500 miles of the route over March and April.

The full 1,500-mile xTexas Trail Project route has been ideated, mapped, and ground-proofed by project founder Charlie Gandy, who leads this group expedition. Today’s group ground-proofing departure is the beginning of Phase 2 for the project. You can find the GPS draft route and print quality maps here: The GPS Route — xTexas.org

The camping stops for the first 100 miles of this group ground-proofing are:

• Monday night 3/10 Adams EE Stringer Funeral Home in Kirbyville 111 S Margaret Ave, Kirbyville, TX 75956.

• Tuesday night 3/11 First Baptist Church in Spurger 12676 F.M. 92 South Spurger TX 77660.

• Wednesday night 3/12 First Baptist Church in Woodville 202 S. Charlton St.
  Woodville, TX 75979, but the camping site is adjacent in the Grove.

• Thursday night 3/13 Circle J Farm in Barnum 1215 east Barnum loop, Corrigan Texas 75939 close to the Barnum First Baptist Church.

• Friday night 3/14 in Livingston - address to come!

Media are invited to meet the ground-proofers at the campsites for interviews, or for the hardy outdoor types, join the ground proofers on the trail!

About the xTexas Trail Project

The new xTexas Trail Project (nicknamed the xTx) is Texas's first cross-state trail. It begins on Quicksand Creek on the Sabine River in the East and ends in El Paso. Founded by 5th-generation Texan and active living advocate Charlie Gandy, the xTx rambles through quiet public backcountry paved and gravel roads, public trails, state and national parks, and will eventually cross private ranch land and farms once permission has been established. It ends in El Paso and includes Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains.

While Charlie Gandy was hiking California’s Tahoe Rim Trail in June of 2024, he wondered why his home state of Texas didn’t have its own cross-state, long-distance trail. He realized Texas is perfect to hike in the winter and early spring when many other popular long-distance hiking trails in the U.S. are unavailable. He decided to do something about it. By August, the xTexas.org website was launched, and Charlie had begun ground-proofing a route that would share the wonders of Texas with other trail enthusiasts.

The xTexas Trail Project exceeded its launch fundraising goals and has garnered the interest of over 200 volunteers thus far, eager to share their time and talent. The xTx has been featured in NPR's All Things Considered, CNN’s 5 Good Things Podcast, Condé Nast Traveller.com, the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly, The Texas Standard, and Texas Public Radio, among others. Find out more at xTexas.org. xTx is a project of the non-profit BikeTexas.org.