Here we go!
The peak on the last day
At the cabin the next morning
Last week I was treking through the appalachian mountains with two of my sisters. We had an amazing time. The first day was incredibly scary since I had no idea how difficult the journey would be. Our driver told us about black bears, rattlesnakes, and bobcats and then dropped us off on the side of the highway along with our 25 pound backpacks. We had no idea that the next 6 hours would be straight uphill, or that we would run out of water, or that darkness would descend before we made it to the cabins we had reserved ahead of time, or that thunder and lightning would light up the sky and turn the trail into a river. Mosquitos buzzed in our ears, so the rain was a welcome reprieve from the critters. We were hot and sweaty, but the rain made everything a little heavier, a little tougher, a little scarier. My middle sister weighs 105 pounds and has no muscle and she was losing the uphill battle. I had carried her backpack along with my own for about a mile, but she took it back and was inching her way along the trail. The oldest sister, now dubbed “braveheart” went on alone to find the cabin before it was too late to get a key. My thoughts were filled with how I was going to tell her family how we couldn’t stop her from going on ahead…alone. “Never separate from your friends” was what I had read about treking through the mountains. But now there were only two of us and I wasn’t sure if Sally was going to make it at all. I found a decayed tree stump for her to sit on. Water ran between her eyes and off of her chin in a river of its own. Sally looked defeated and I felt defeated. All we could see was water running down a steep trail ahead of us, but Sally pushed on and she made it. By the time we found Cathy she was headed back toward us to save Sally. She had found our cabin and was so happy we were all safe. She also had found three mountain men to help us carry sally if needed. 
We took showers and then plopped down on the bed and passed out for the night. No dinner. No idle chitchat. Just sleep. It rained through the night but the sun was shining the next morning and we left bright and early in hopes that we would have more time to get to the next lodge. That first day on the trail made the next three days seem like a breeze. Although it did take us about 7 1/2 hours each day, we stopped to smell the roses along the way. It was a journey I will never forget. We saw deer, snakes, ravens, and even a black bear! A thrilling experience.