Date: 2005-03-31
To: HikerHostel
Miles today: 0.0

Bumpy plane ride, but made it with only a slight hour delay prior. Hopped a train and shuttle to the hostel without a problem. I am run down from traveling but still enjoy it nonetheless. After all the flights I've been on, I still enjoy sitting in the airport. I really like seeing poeple waiting for arrivals. Their eyes have a distant, anticipant stare with slight smiles and exited expressions on their face. It is a happy occasion for them to see their loved ones, and I absorb some of the positive energy as I pass them by. I have a wanderlust just sitting around an airport even with only 3 hours of sleep. The anticipation of the trips/adventures ahead keep my spirit awake. Traveling even within the country on the east coast is great. Like a child seeing things for the first time, I notice small, familiar details in a new light. Details in the background of everyday society that are usually glossed over from the drudgery of day to day life become more evident and somehow more interesting. I feel like a kid in some kind of store. The same old trees are nicer, houses and architecture, landscapes are all appealling even though they might not be anything out of the ordinary. This goes for all of traveling, not just hiking. Here in GA I notice an earlier Spring start with speckles of green as trees are already pushing leaf buds. I also noticed large vines climbing 50 feet taking over many trees. These parasitic plants already have ovate leaves the size of sand dollars while most trees are still bare. With the right conditions, this "Kudzu" vine can grow 24 inches in a single day! It comes from Asia and is outcompeting native fauna. I also noticed a lot of pick-up trucks. Brett mentioned seeing about 7-8 trucks in a row on the two lane highway we took to the hostel. We are definately in the South.        Tonight we stayed @ the hikerhostel (www.hikerhostel.com). They shuttled us into town this evening for dinner. I had a chicken parm sandwhich with fries and a 20 oz. budlight. It was delish, and I finished it hungry for more. One thing Brett and I are worried about is the food issue. Most people can't eat enough food and lose weight. We already eat like horses, and I am already pretty damn skinny.        There was about 14 hikers out to dinner. Atleast 17 are staying here @ the hostel tonight. Josh (one of the owners) said that they average about 10 a night in the spring. We are about mid-way through the rush here. Josh estimated anywhere from 70-100 hikers are going to start the trail this weekend. Looks like I'll have to elbow my way to a shelter. More great news: a major thunderstorm rolling through all day tommorow. Can't wait to get soaked, but it still beats even a good day at work. My pack weighs around 32 lbs with food and water as well as my camera and mini-disc player. Not too shabby. Took a while of packing and unpacking to get it to ride right. But I battened down the hatches for the rain. In the words of the great Steve Miller "everything's better when wet." Atleast I won't be sweating my balls off yet.         The weather is very humid here and it will probably dip down into the 20's at night in the mountains. Probably around the 50's during the day. The crowd here at the hostel is definately older. Aside from one other, I am the youngest here. The average is about middle-aged with a few much older. Most staying here are slacking-packing as far as teh hostel will take them. I don't understand this "getting their feet wet" attitude towards the trail. They are eventually going to have to stay out there sooner or later so they might as well quit dipping their toes into the first thirty miles. Its not as if there isn't a place to camp or shelter atleast 3 times every mile practically.         The most interesting person at the hostel tonight goes by the name "Oriental Legs". The story I gather from Josh is that he came over from Japan last year with his wife who was on a month long business/conference dealy. He hiked a large section of the trail for that month. He is about 50 years old and speaks very little English mind you. He liked it so much he is back again this year to hike the whole thing. He bows when he recieves something and the only thing I heard him say was "Shower good?"