Nothing you'd expect and everything you wouldn't

Eleven miles down from dicks gap. About 15 minutes spent crammed in the cab of an 80's pickup driven by a man who must be named Rufus. A skeleton hung from the rearview mirror and an alligator peered from beneath a bandanna on the dash as the title of a song, "Bone thugs in harmony" scrolled Across the screen. We were rolling into Hiawassee in style. After forking out some cash for the ride that will become free tomorrow(seasonal rates) we walked casually down Main Street with our packs on our backs, one symbol dominating the horizon and our mind... The famed Golden Arches. After successfully eating all the fast food breakfast we could manage, Chase, Sam and I headed back towards Hiawassee's finest budget in. We ran into an older woman who inquired of our travels and quickly stated that she had hiked the trail back in 1990. I never would have expected this kind old soul to have tackled the trail in her older age, even if it was 23 years ago. She had a lot to say about it but the boldest statement struck me deep. "People ask if I enjoyed it and I smile and shake my head, no I didn't enjoy it. It was tough and it was a job, you get up and you walk and the next day you do it all over again."
Now step back five days and you would find us 70 miles south, 20 people unmet, and standing on springer. Optimism thickened the air that day more than the dense fog that obscured the scenery. Go back 4 days and I would be praising that woman's statement saying that it was a painful trip that was worth little more than bragging rights; a glorified folly only a hardened fool would make. Mountains on mountains of steep inclines and downward spirals, marked only by blisters and an inflamed ankle. Three days ago, add a hell of a storm to the list and you have the perfect postcard from the underworld. Two days ago the weather took a turn for the worst of the soggy and our spirits took a turn for the better. We ended up camping that night a shelter where we met three other guys who are my age and are Also thru hiking. Yesterday we hit a high, metaphorically and literally. Twenty one miles covered and three of the largest peaks around; we hiked and laughed and talked and I even sang a few Disney songs. A little trail magic at unicoi gap and a breathtaking view on tray mountain gave us a little extra boost. Last night we camped late and rose early this morning to grab a shuttle, six miles from where we camped. In an hour and a half we watched the sun rise, snow fall and we traversed 2000 feet in elevation change just to end up at our goal, a beat up pickup at a road crossing in the middle of nowhere. 
The woman was right about it being work and she was right about it being hard but she ended her conversation with a smile and a promise, "it won't all be fun but there will be joyous moments full of beauty" and that is what keeps us going.
-chastan