in high school, we’d venture out to the ghost town trail in dilltown to do our weekend long runs. as freshmen, we did 5-6 mile long runs and eventually progressed to 10 miles by the time we were seniors. doing a 10 miler was sacred. i think i only ever did one in high school. my mom and i go out to the ghost town trail every time i’m home. we do anywhere between 12-20 miles and she educates me on the rivers, the mining, the ecology and the railroad history from the 1800s. she also points out the sections that resemble the forest in the princess bride, the section where she crossed paths with a bear and her favorite part- the rainforest. we’ve seen many snakes of varying types and her reaction is typically of the “shit! shit! holy shit!” sort. not dramatic, at all. she tells me i’m not friendly enough to other patrons of the trail, and I tell her i’m introverted. she’s tied to nearly all my recent memories on the ghost town trail, and it’s now every one of these miles that i consider sacred. @sueyingling ❤️ 📸: @shitinthewoods