the Jim Thorpe eXperience
Guided Historic Adventure Tours
484.225.1209 theJTX@hotmail.com
Experience the Best of Jim Thorpe and the Western Poconos
Guided Historic Adventure Tours
484.225.1209 theJTX@hotmail.com
Experience the Best of Jim Thorpe and the Western Poconos
About the JTX
The idea behind the Jim Thorpe eXperience – JTX – was hatched in 2002, when Tom moved to the beautiful, historic town of Jim Thorpe with his soon-to-be wife, Michelle. For years he had been visiting this area to ride its amazing mountain bike trails with friends who had the all-important ‘local knowledge.’ During their cross-country journeys of 2000-2001, Tom & Michelle decided to open a lodging establishment catering to adventurers and travelers, and they would do it any place that they could find – all across the country – that was better than Jim Thorpe, PA. 55,000 miles later, they returned to PA and started planning the move to the Poconos… that’s right: in all their 13 months of traveling, no other place had impressed them more than Jim Thorpe! It took a while, but Mary’s Guesthouse (www.marysjimthorpe.com) was born in 2004, and so was the plan for JTX, which was revisited over the years as our knowledge and love of the area grew. Many things happened in between 2002 and 2008, but finally a series of conversations with fellow adventurer Shawn really solidified the idea that people need this service! We started the JTX to help Jim Thorpe visitors dig deeper into the history and culture of this incredible area, while also helping you have a great adventure suited to your ability and in your time frame.. You could go anywhere, but you choose Jim Thorpe and the western Poconos because there is so much here, on so many levels - we help you make the most of your visit.
Our guests get a well-rounded experience with the adventures put into context: we are riding or hiking trails; we are seeing beautiful natural and man-made sights; we are floating down a wild river; these are all true, but we are also moving through history, a unique and intriguing mix of stories that have contributed to the area’s reputation and appeal. With JTX, you'll get the whole picture, you won't get lost while enjoying it all.
Living here for seven years (each) has helped us put together the best combinations of adventures and historic site visits to give our guests a distinctive look at a fascinating area through its history and culture. We believe that to get the best of the area you have to get out in the woods, you have to walk or ride on these trails, get the views of the mountains and lakes, but also look closely at the rocks and dirt, trees and shrubs, and even the barren areas. There are stories in all of this, as we’ve learned over the years, and we will help you put it all together in a matter of hours or days.
Tom has been interested in the local history since coming here, and through research and listening to neighbors and locals, has amassed many facts, stories and local legends that JTX will share. His love of anything bi
cycle or hiking related will also shine through as he leads tours around his hometown. (picture above)Shawn is a very experienced hiking leader and also an accomplished biker, and will share many things he’s found in his more ‘extreme’ exploration of the area.
If Rod happens to be on your tour, you’ll love his dry sense of humor and his deep historic knowledge of the canal and transportation topics, plus his 20 years of dealing with bicycles and tour groups all across the land will inspire confidence. (picture at right)
In fact, Tom, Shawn and Rod have all worked as bicycle mechanics, which should also help you feel safer while riding with us in the wilderness.
But it is our love of this area, a place to which we each came to live, which will help you get the most out of your visit. Just as Tom did from 1996-2000, relying on a friend for ‘local knowledge’ of the trails around Jim Thorpe, now you can enjoy that local knowledge, too, by going with JTX!
