Can you help make it happen? Can you pitch in $20 to sponsor a mile or more as your budget allows?

Big, visionary, long-distance trail projects like this have the ability to transform people’s lives. That’s their magic and their medicine.

Whether it’s through personal transformation by greatly improving one’s mental and physical state with daily physical activity in nature, the financial benefit for rural communities and trailhead towns proactively welcoming trail travelers, or becoming passionate about land stewardship it’s all powerful alchemy.

Launched as a project just a year and a half ago, in its current iteration the trail is a mix of quiet, rural, public paved, gravel, and dirt roads, a few highways, and 17 state, and 3 national parks or nature areas.

The trail meanders the width of the state through the bayous and piney woods in the East, then the heart of the most remote region of the Hill Country before dipping down into Big Bend and then up to the Guadalupe and Franklin Mountains before ending in El Paso.

The trail travels through some of Texas’ most rugged and wild rural landscapes. It is to be traveled at your own risk.

As the project progresses and raises the necessary awareness, connections, and funding, key sections will be navigated onto private land for greater safety and comfort, Plus, water, and shelter facilities with internet access will be added.

This trail is designed to be traveled in the late fall, winter, and early spring when other long distance trails in the U.S. and around the world are all but impassible.

Much of rural Texas is still an undiscovered treasure. Think about that. Not only Texans will enjoy it, but people from around the world bringing with them their valuable travel dollars!

Did you know that Big Bend is one of the least visited of the national parks? And yet, this majestic remote treasure is one of the largest Dark Sky communities in the world and a magnificent place for star gazing.

The creation of this once in a generation trail project was inspired by Charlie’s love of long distance hiking and biking, and his study of how other long distance U.S. trails were created, especially the Appalachian Trail.

The idea was sparked in June of ‘24 while Charlie was hiking in the mountains of Lake Tahoe and found himself waist deep in snow. A year before that he’d had to stop section hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail in x because the weather was still too cold and inclement.

My home state of Texas would be the perfect place for a late fall, winter, and early spring trail when so many other long-distance trails are impassible, he thought.

He called his wife Melissa (the xTx’s Chief Storyteller) to let her know he had a big new goal. I’m in so long as you included horses was her reply.

Note: If you’re having any challenges getting your donation to go through you can try the following work arounds:

• Try donating directly here: https://donorbox.org/trail-magic-and-medicine

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• Make sure your internet connection allows Google reCAPTCHA to load (sometimes restricted office or VPN networks block it).

• You can mail us a check made out to: The xTexas Trail Association, 701 Tillery St., Suite 12 #B283, Austin TX 78702