The call of adventure is a life-long endeavor for many Americans.
But there are limited opportunities for some outdoor enthusiasts.
And a Texas man just launched a new project that has adventure junkies over the moon.
There is a “triple crown” of adventure for hikers and bikers.
There will now be a fourth major route
The Triple Crown consists of the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and the Continental Divide trails.
But now there is a new adventure route in the nation and it spans the entire state of Texas.
According to the route’s inventor, it’s going to be traversable by next spring.
“This is a route that is rugged, remote, rural, and therefore, romantic,” Charlie Gandy, a retired community design consultant and former State Representative, told Fox News Digital.
Gandy announced plans last month for the Cross Texas Trail or “XTX.”
The XTX is a 1,500-mile trail for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.
“As a native Texan, I’m a 66-year-old guy who likes to challenge myself to big, hairy goals and adventures — and it seemed to me like it was time for Texas to have its own Pacific Crest-type adventure route.”
Gandy and some friends got together with Bike Texas, a non-profit bicycle advocacy and education organization, to plan the rough and scenic single track route.
The new route stretches all the way from the southeast corner of the state to the Mexican border and the border of neighboring New Mexico.
“It meanders through the bayous and lowlands and the Big Thicket [National] Preserve,” Gandy said.
From the lowlands to the hills and beyond
The trail starts in the lowlands on the border with Louisiana.
“It goes from the rolling hills around Navasota up to Luling and New Braunfels and into Hill Country, past Fredericksburg. It goes down towards Concan and then out west into Big Bend National Park and then up through Big Bend Ranch to Marfa and Fort Davis. From there, you reach the highest peak in the state, Guadalupe Peak — and then you still have another 150 or so miles to El Paso,” Gandy added.
As of now, the team has mapped out a draft route and they are in the process of testing it.
They are also working on getting sponsors and financial supporters who will help them turn their dream into a reality.
“What we’re finding is that sometimes the road doesn’t go all the way through and we need to reroute,” Gandy said, before adding that “in other cases, we have people saying, ‘Well, that looks fine, but have you considered going this way? Because I own some property over here, and I would love to be on this legacy route.’”
Traversing private property is a must for this endeavor.
96 percent of the land in Texas is privately owned.
And the longest continuous trail in the state is only 96 miles long and goes through Sam Houston National Forest in East Texas.
Gandy said the XTX scout team is also taking advantage of gravel backroads and one-lane highways throughout rural Texas.
“These roads are only being used by the people who live on those routes,” he said. “So they’re quiet and they’re scenic. And that’s exactly where you would want to ride a bike or a horse or walk as opposed to drive.”
By design, the route doesn’t go through any big cities.
It does just the opposite and goes through diverse landscapes and sometimes quirky small historical Texas towns.
“I can get going on the history of La Grange and the Chicken Ranch. There’s a reason we’re going through La Grange, and ZZ Top told the story pretty well,” Gandy said.
Gandy has already put $10,000 of his own money into the project and he’s working with Bike Texas and others to secure more sponsors in order to get the digital and print maps in place by spring.
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
