Today would have been George Washington’s 279th Birthday. With only one natural tooth left the day he was inaugurated as President (it’s true!), I can only imagine what he would have looked like today at 279. Growing up outside of Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress and where the Declaration of Independence was signed, there’s a lot of history. One of the original colonies,  there’s a lot of old (for America) history here.  The area is dotted with homes, barns and farm buildings dating back to before the Revolution.

With so many buildings hanging “George Washington slept/drank/ate here” signs, being so close to history is something I’ve always taken for granted. In fact, my favorite place to run in the area is Valley Forge National Park, a short drive from my parents. For those of you who don’t remember, Valley Forge is where the Revolutionary Army spent the winter of 1777-1778 and became an army instead of ragtag group of settlers. Although no battles were fought over 2,000 soldiers died of cold, malnutrition and disease.

A few weeks ago, with too much snow on the ground for a run, we slowed down a bit and took a walk around the park. Taking time to enjoy the natural beauty and appreciate it as a historical site, not just a nice place to run, here’s a walking tour of the park through some photos we took along the way.