I used to love to hike with my Daddy. He called it "exploring" like it was an adventure. Now that I think about it, it was.
PUDS: hiker talk for pointless ups and downs. ie, the trail follows the lay of the land but after a huge "up" there is no reward like a nice view or anything neat...you are just slogging on to the next one.
but you are right...each trail has its adventure. i can think of only a few that were not worth doing.