Seeking insights on pen pals and mixed signals with a [27F] - I'm [29M].

This post is becoming quite lengthy. I'm writing it both to express my thoughts and to seek some guidance. **TL;DR:** I've developed an intellectual connection with a girl, who's surprised me by sharing many interests and mutual friends. However, she seems to have ghosted me for the past eight days, and I’m contemplating writing her a heartfelt letter. I met this girl—let’s call her Sarah—through mutual friends and have seen her at various local events since December 2024. Our community is made up of cave explorers (cavers), which is relevant to this story, as it’s a small, tight-knit subculture. She lives about seven hours away from me. Our second meeting was at a New Year’s party. We danced and chatted, and I definitely found her to be the most attractive person there. Sarah was visiting Trevor, a fellow caver and someone I know but am not close to. They left the party together shortly after midnight, and as far as I could tell, their relationship began during her last visit in December. Fast forward to mid-February when our local caving club hosted its annual banquet. Sarah stayed with Trevor for the weekend. At the after-party at Trevor's house, she, a female friend of mine (Hannah), and I ended up staying up late dancing and having fun. At one point, I tried to get Trevor to join us on the dance floor, but he declined, saying he "doesn’t dance." Sarah and I talked about various upcoming caving events, including a multi-week expedition in the Rocky Mountains that summer. She asked for my phone number, which I gave without giving it much thought; I was honestly more interested in Hannah at that moment, but things didn’t progress. The next day, Sarah reached out to me, kicking off a texting conversation that I initially didn’t expect much from. However, she began sharing personal details about her life, sending me photos from her work day, and I reciprocated. A few days later, I found out from Trevor that he and Sarah had ended their relationship, though I hadn’t mentioned my texting exchanges with her. We continued our conversation for almost two weeks, sharing details about our lives and our recent breakups, both of which were significant. I felt a real connection developing between us—she expressed interest in going dancing with me and even invited me to stay at her place for a concert. Sharing similar interests as project cavers—a lifestyle of exploring caves—felt amazing to me. In contrast to my previous relationship, where my passion for caving caused tension, I felt hopeful about this connection. One event we discussed was a planned cave exploration trip in her area. I had eagerly anticipated seeing her again. However, about a week and a half before the trip, she stopped replying to my texts. After a few anxious days, she sent me a message saying her phone was broken and asking how my weekend was. I replied, but then she went silent again. It was disappointing to feel ghosted, especially since we had mutual friends and were on a group email chain for the trip. I carpooled with fellow cavers for the trip—a seven-hour drive for me, just an hour from Sarah. Before we met up, I found out from the organizer that Sarah had texted saying she couldn’t make it, offering no explanation. I felt a mix of disappointment and confusion, but I focused on having a good time caving, pushing aside intrusive thoughts. I know she recently closed on a house, so I understand she may be very busy with that transition. There's undoubtedly more happening in her life than I’m aware of. Despite my better judgment, I clung to hope. I have her email address and want to reach out. I want to check in, see if she's still interested in the travel plans we discussed, and get a clearer idea of her intentions. Here’s my draft email: --- **Subject:** Just Checking In Hi Sarah, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out because I've really enjoyed our conversations over the past few weeks and have been pondering what it all means. The depth of our shared interests and connections is striking, and I felt an intellectual bond forming, which is something I deeply value. I would love to continue exploring that if you're interested, though there’s no rush. By the way, we missed you on the recent caving trip! It ended up being quite the adventure; we managed to survey around 1200 feet! [Trip Organizer] was thrilled—although I have to say it was quite a trek through some challenging spots. I hope your move went smoothly and everything is going well. Sincerely, mossman1223 --- I want to make sure my message doesn’t come off as too strong or pushy. She's a fellow adventurer and seems like an incredible person, making the wait worthwhile. However, the uncertainty and mixed signals have left me feeling confused. If I could just understand her intentions better, it would give me the clarity to either invest more in this connection or redirect my energy elsewhere. What are your thoughts?