Still blown away sometime.

I'm sitting on top of a mountain right now just south of pearisburg, VA drinking a warm beer I've been carrying since the last town, eating a honey bun while the sun warms my back. The view is unbelievable, I'm looking over a small farming valley, listening to the cows moo occasionally.
A few nights ago 8 of us were crammed into a shelter for 6 while it rained ( which we DESPERATELY needed ) And we all had a great time, not one person complained about the rain, the smell, or the size of the roof over our heads. You could not go anywhere else put 8 strangers in a 3 sided " shelter " for 6 who had gone many days, some weeks, without a shower, and have them be civil towards each other. Honestly I don't think 7 of my friends and I could have done it without 1 seriously not 1 negative comment. But here I was with 7 stinky strangers sardined into this hut having a blast, these are my people this is where I belong. No one is fake, those people went back to their cubicles, their comfort zones, being told what to do and when to do it. Everyone who is still on the trail now will make it to Maine barring any unforseen events, an injury, a family emergency, or no one to watch their poor dog. Out here we have all been hurt, wet, questioned why we were still here, but everyone has pushed past that with Kahtadin on their mind and continued North. So while I sit here taking a break enjoying yet another breathtaking view I revel in the fact that out here all you have to be is yourself, and for once that is good enough. There is no pretending to know about shoes, cars, numbers, people, stuff that doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things, there is who you are and that is all.