A walk across Texas for Walk Across Texas

Walk Across Texas challenges teams to build physical activity into their daily lives over eight weeks, working toward a collective goal of 832 miles, roughly the distance from Orange to El Paso. This year, to mark the program’s 30th anniversary, Michael Lopez decided to bring that iconic distance to life by walking it himself.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service developed Walk Across Texas in 1996 to help Texans build healthier habits through teamwork and encouragement. Since then, more than 875,000 participants have logged millions of miles together through locally led challenges – with teams typically working toward the 832-mile goal over eight weeks.

Lopez, DrPH, an AgriLife Extension health specialist and assistant professor in the Family and Community Health Unit, decided to walk the iconic distance in one continuous journey to honor the people who have shown up for it, mile after mile, for three decades.

Over 47 walking days, Lopez covered 834.68 miles, crossed 31 different counties on foot and logged more than 1.79 million steps. But somewhere along the way, Lopez said the miles became less about the distance and more about the people and places that connected the journey back to Walk Across Texas.

More than one pair of shoes

Lopez said his feet and body began to feel the miles early, with a few blisters and some discomfort in his left Achillis tendon and right hip, which he attributed to the subtle slope of the roadway toward the shoulder. As the weeks progressed, he adjusted his gear and recovery based on what his body needed.

By the time he finished walking, he had worn out three pairs of shoes, traded his regular socks for compression socks somewhere around week three and became more deliberate about hydration and fuel throughout the day.

As the miles passed, Lopez began to experience Texas differently. On foot, he watched the landscape change with each passing mile, from the towering pines of East Texas to the wide-open landscapes and mountains of West Texas. There were waves and honks from passing drivers, encouraging words from strangers and plenty of unexpected wildlife, from colorful birds and insects to bison and zebras.

“The journey was never about me,” Lopez said. “It was about recognizing the people who have been accomplishing this challenge together for decades. Every mile represented the commitment of participants who choose to take one more walk or encourage a fellow team member to make physical activity part of their daily lives.”

Finding the program’s heart on the road

Lopez may have walked the miles himself, but his journey was supported by family, friends and colleagues across the state and beyond. His father and, later, his sister drove a support vehicle, waiting hours at designated stops with water, snacks and gear while he covered 5- to 10-mile stretches on foot. And his mother kept things running while he was away.

He stopped by a Zumba class with the AgriLife Extension family and community health agent in Jasper County and spent a morning birding with the 4-H agent in Gillespie County. Others checked on him through countless texts and occasionally met him on the route.

Lopez said some of his favorite miles wound through Sam Houston National Forest and the Hill Country, where wildflowers still bloomed after a wet spring, before the landscape gave way to the mountains of far West Texas.

But it was the people, not just the scenery, that stuck with him most. Outside Menard, he chatted with a group of Aggies about their time at Texas A&M University and Walk Across Texas before they rushed off to a baseball game – just one of countless interactions as strangers stopped to ask where he was headed and why he was walking. Those brief encounters became a reminder that even on the most remote stretches of roads, he was rarely without support.

“It was really humbling to see the kindness and generosity of Texans,” Lopez said.

One mile at a time

Not every mile was gentle.

The toughest stretch came on a truck route north of the Texas ghost town of Orla, where triple-digit heat, blowing dust and semis passing with little shoulder to spare made for his most grueling day on the road, Lopez said. But even the hardest stretches reinforced a lesson that stayed with him: progress came one mile at a time. His 834.68-mile route ultimately took more than 265 walking hours.

“We often underestimate what a short walk after dinner or a few extra minutes of movement each day can accomplish,” Lopez said. “But when those efforts are repeated day after day, and multiplied across team members, they become something remarkable.”

What’s next

This fall, AgriLife Extension will push toward an ambitious goal of having at least one team from all 254 Texas counties participating in the program. Starting in September, the program will weave highlights from Lopez’s journey into participants’ own Walk Across Texas experience, giving them a chance to explore the state’s landscapes and communities alongside their own mile counts.

Lopez said he came away from the journey with a new appreciation for the state he calls home. More importantly, the walk reinforced what he has seen through years of leading Walk Across Texas: big accomplishments are often the result of millions of small efforts, taken one step at a time.

“Walk Across Texas helps people discover what they are capable of and our team members provide the encouragement to keep taking that next step.” Lopez said.