Dr. Ruth G. Shaw describes the Thread Trail, a 1,500-mile network spanning 15 counties across North Carolina and South Carolina. The project recently hit its 100th mile and fifth anniversary, connecting urban, rural, and riverine communities including sections along the Catawba River, with plans to expand for decades.
It captured my imagination at the very first moment, and I wanted to be part of it. And I thought it was one of the most audacious thoughts I had ever heard, the idea of taking 15 counties in Piedmont North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina and building an interconnected system of trails. It's like the story The story of the elephant, depending on where you touch it, you think it's either a rope or a sheet of canvas or a fire hose. There are urban segments of the trail. There are also very rural segments of trail that go along your wonderful waterways, along the Catawba River. So it is many things to many people in many communities. I had a young man come up A man came up to me the other day and said, Ruth G. Shaw, you're Ruth G. Shaw? And I said, yes. He said, I run on your trail every day. The trail is a project that will last for decades. We just celebrated the 5th anniversary for the trail and simultaneously the 100th mile of designated Thread Trail. There are 1,500 miles of trail to date, so we have miles to go before we sleep.
