Creating a Trail Across Texas

Charlie Gandy is a veteran trail hiker, bike-riding adventurer, and proud native Texan. After graduating from North Mesquite High School in 1976, Charlie traveled around the world solo and received a political science degree from the University of Texas in 1980. At age 23, he was elected to represent Mesquite and East Dallas in the Texas House of Representatives. Charlie went on to work for the governor, the Texas Nature Conservancy, and host the historic Tug O’ Honor event across Town Lake three years in a row to raise funds for Austin’s first Youth Hostel before founding BikeTexas.org. He came up with the idea of creating a hiking, biking, and equestrian route across Texas while hiking in Lake Tahoe California in June of 2024 and encountering way too much snow. It dawned on him that his home state of Texas is perfect for a late fall, winter, and early spring long distance trail. Two months later the website for the xTx was launched and he began physically ground-proofing the draft route. Charlie has climbed all the 14ers in Colorado, hiked over 4,000 miles including the coast of California and biking across Washington state. He’s a serial entrepreneur and has owned several businesses, including a travel agency, a Colorado mountain lodge, and an urban design firm. He currently splits his time between Poulsbo, WA, with his wife Melissa and traveling across Texas organizing the xTexas Trail Project. 

Becky Irvin

Born and raised in Central Texas, I spent the past seven years in Northwest Arkansas working in the cycling industry. While there, I earned my master’s degree in Recreation and Sports Management from the University of Arkansas, and I focused my research on women’s’ barriers of entry to the sport of mountain biking. Following grad school, I cofounded Grit MTB Festival and All Bikes Welcome, 501c(3) in order to increase trail access and ridership for members of historically marginalized communities. In 2023, I opened my own consulting practice where I helped secure over $1 million in funding for projects that focused on outdoor recreation and conservation. All of this led me to being honored as one of the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas in the Fall of 2023. Since then, my heart called me back home to Central Texas, where I’m excited to continue this work in my home state. I’m especially passionate about conserving public and working lands, advocating for our incredible biodiversity, and ensuring that Texas’ landscapes remain open and accessible to future generations. When I’m not working, you can find me pedaling down gravel roads, swimming in a river, photographing native plants, or reading something nerdy—often about dinosaurs or western water conservation