What does an experienced politician, bicycling advocate, and native Texan do to fill up their time when they retire? If youā€™re Charles Gandy, you try to create a Texas version of the Pacific Crest Trail. Gandy is spearheading efforts to develop the xTx trail, a 1,500-mile thru-hike that crosses Texas from Orange to El Paso. We chatted with Gandy to understand his vision for the trail, challenges with its development and what participants can expect.

The xTx will be a unique way for adventurers to see and experience the state. ā€œThis ainā€™t Dallas. This ainā€™t Houston,ā€ Gandy says. ā€œIā€™m inviting people to get to know Texas by dirt, and itā€™s a whole different deal than Texas on paper. Iā€™m excited about sharing the friendly and dirty sides of Texas.ā€ The trail, which will be open to hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians, runs through three major Texas regions (East, West, and ) and winds through Devilā€™s River, , Santa Elena Canyon, and Hueco Tanks. Gandy is excited to showcase parts of the state that often fly under the radar.

ā€œEast Texas is one of the most beautiful parts of the state, and you would never see it or learn about it unless you walked through it,ā€ he says.

Developing the xTx has come with its own unique challenges. About 90 percent of the Appalachian Trail and PCT are located on public land. In Texas, however, about 96 percent of the stateā€™s land is privately owned, so almost the entire xTx will cross private land. For Gandy, that means speaking with (and securing deals) with about 100 individual landowners. He presents the xTx as a potential way for ranchers to earn money for the upkeep and maintenance of their land.

ā€œRanchers are making money in the fall on hunters, and then itā€™s dormant during the wintertime, and thatā€™s hiking season,ā€ he says. ā€œIā€™m showing them how they can extend their season. I, as a hiker, can stay in their guest house for money or camp outside for free. We want to show them the big idea and how they can participate.ā€ Gandy also has to convince landowners to install wells or watering holes on their land, since there is currently on the entire trail route.

When you hear Gandyā€™s life story, itā€™s as if every moment was designed to lead him to found xTx. After getting a degree in political science, Gandy worked in Texas politics and for the Texas Nature Conservancy; he later founded BikeTexas, an advocacy group devoted to expanding biking access. Gandy has spent years building relationships with local philanthropists, politicians, and nonprofits. Gandy is taking a lifeā€™s worth of political and advocacy skills and applying them to each conversation he has with a rancher. ā€œItā€™s going to be a hundred different scenarios that we get to negotiate with a hundred different landowners,ā€ he says.

Since officially launching this summer, xTx has received a groundswell of support and donations from hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. ā€œAs a hiker, Iā€™m surrounded by these 30 year olds, theyā€™re taking on these big, hairy challenges. And theyā€™re turning out, theyā€™re the ones that are looking to be the trail angels of tomorrow,ā€ Gandy says. ā€œTheyā€™ve done their big thing, and now they want to help other people do it.ā€

As far as timetables are concerned, Gandy has given himself five years to ink deals with all the parties necessary to make xTx happen, and heā€™s got a strategy in place. ā€œIā€™m sincere about inviting hikers out next spring to what weā€™re calling ā€˜Sweaty Taste of the xTxā€™ and hosting people to participate in hikes [of sections of trail].ā€ Heā€™ll talk with small business owners and point to trail towns on the PCT and AT experiencing economic development. The project has an approximate budget of $5 million dollars to develop trail infrastructure, set up watering holes and secure landowner agreements.

By 2030, the first thru-hiker should get to experience the reality of Gandyā€™s dream in Texas. Gandy is confident that his slow-but-steady, deliberate approach will work, in part because patience and inspiration are in no short supply. For Gandy, the xTx project is the culmination of his lifeā€™s work.

ā€œThis is a legacy project for me,ā€ he says. ā€œI get to play the role that Benton MacKaye played for the Appalachian Trail or Clinton Clarke did for the Pacific Crest Trail.ā€

For more information on the xTx, visit .Ģż

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On Tuesday, October 10, Alex Honnoldā€™s solo record of the Nose, set in 2010, fell quickly and quietly. By late afternoon, Nick Ehman had outpaced the prior record of 5 hours, 50 minutes, topping out after 4 hours, 39 minutes. Both climbers used a mix of aid and free climbing.Ģż

The first Nose-in-a-Day solo was completed in 1989 by Steve ā€œShipoopiā€ Schneider in 21 hours 22 minutes. Over the past thirty-plus years, the feat has only been accomplished by a select few, including record-setting climbers Dean Potter and . Climbers completing the feat have used a variety of techniques, including free soloing, rope soloing, and ā€œMetrovichingā€ā€”using daisy chains to clip into two or more pieces; the term was coined by Russ Mitrovich, who used the technique on a rope-less speed-solo of Zodiac.Ģż

Ehman, originally from Bloomington, Indiana, has worked in Yosemite Valley since 2020 as part of the Search and Rescue team. Over the last few years, he has fallen in love with the Nose, estimating that heā€™s completed it at least 36 times. ā€œIā€™ve spent a lot of time thinking about [soloing] it,ā€ Ehman says. ā€œBy getting really comfortable short fixing without self-belay ā€¦ doing that for the last three years up there allowed me to feel like if I went back up to rope solo it I wouldnā€™t feel like I needed to do traditional systems like belaying myself with a Grigri.ā€ Taking the Jardine Traverse enabled Ehman to use a shorter rope, which he considers key to his success. Not only did it allow him to feel light and unencumbered, but it also provided a sense of calm. ā€œI knew that if I wasnā€™t feeling it, I could just fall back on different tactics that would be more comfortable. [It meant] being able to start up it with a short rope and less gear, but still have a lot of peace of mind,ā€ he says.

On that morning, Ehman wasnā€™t setting out to beat Honnoldā€™s time: He was merely aiming to spend a gorgeous day climbing some of his favorite lines. ā€œI knew it was something that I wanted to try, but I didnā€™t think that morning that that was something I was going to do,ā€ he says. ā€œI just felt so good when I tried itā€¦. I felt super secure and that just gave me more confidence that built throughout the route.ā€ As Ehman went on, the smoother he felt, the more the record creeped from the back of his mind to the forefront.Ģż

As he topped out and took his phone off airplane mode, Ehman was quickly hit by waves of emotion and an outpouring of support from friends and family. ā€œItā€™s a little surreal ā€¦ I had such a good time and Iā€™m really psyched,ā€ he says. News of his achievement quickly spread via Facebook and ElCap Report author Tom Evans.Ģż

Honnold was congratulatory, telling Climbing, ā€œIā€™d love to talk to Nick about his whole experienceā€“he must be feeling super dialed on the Nose. No one has really been playing the speed climbing game for several years; itā€™s great to see someone getting after it again,ā€ he says.Ģż

Both climbers played coy when asked if the 4:39 mark would stand for long. ā€œIā€™m content with it, but I know I could go faster if I wanted to,ā€ Ehman says. Will Honnold ever make a return to take possession of his record once again? Itā€™s doubtful, but not impossible. ā€œIā€™m not sure if Iā€™d ever try to go faster. It would take a lot of time in Yosemite and Iā€™m just not there as much anymore. But it sure would be fun,ā€ he says.Ģż

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