Date: 2010-03-24
From: Greenville TX

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0

Hi All Journal ReadersMy big day has finally arrived (going to Gainesville to start AT Hike). I thought this day would never come. I spent most of the night trying to pack my backpack. My new pack (Granite Gear Women's Nimbus Ozone). The pack is very light but difficult to pack probably best suited for disorganized person. I like the weight and fit but packing it is not good. After the pack ordeal it was time for sleep only got a few hours. I was up by daylight trying to get finished with last minute house hold errands. Of course time got away from me had to really rush to get everything in the truck and head to town to the bus stop. I was for sure I had missed the bus. Thank goodness when I got there and went inside to buy the ticket the bus pulled up. I had enough time to buy the ticket get my bag on the bus and off I went. I live in Greenville, TX and the route the bus took is the same route I take a couple of times a year to visit family in Ohio. Scenery was all very familiar to me, the bus made many stops in Arkansas. First stop was Texarkana, then Mt Pleasant, Hope, Melbourne, Hot Springs this is the scenic route to Little Rock. We also went to Forest City. There were many different races of people on the bus. There were a lot of hispanics I assume they were migrant workers being they were in Arkansas. The bus driver made a lot of funny jokes, I could tell he really likes his job. Oh before I forget there was an altercation between a biker looking lady and a young black boy who made a comment about having his seat by himself. As the biker lady had to move her things to give a new passenger the seat beside her, she did not like his comment. She really let this boy have the what for and really put him in his place. It was so funny and unbelieveable that a person would do that in public. Quite an interesting experience, one that I won't forget. I had sat in the seat next to this boy. I actually asked him "if I could sit in the seat"beside him. He was real polite and said "Yes ma'mm you can". My reason for asking to sit in the seat is I couldn't see any other seats open and if there were it would have been amongest the hispanics not that I'm prejudice or anything I was just going on my feelings they were looking at me strangely just felt weird to me. There was a very nice black lady that boarded at Hot Springs, AK. She liked to talk and had many interesting things to say. We sat together after leaving Memphis. The bus driver from Nashville to Dalton, GA was very military acting and was very direct in giving out directions to passengers. I also met a lady who was making a life change.She was very worried about if she would be happy in her new home. She told me she was a very unhappy person. She also told me that she used to work at different horse racing tracks all over the place. I told her she would probably like her new place as she would have her own apartment. She told me she had never really had her own home. In the end of our conversation she told me she was the mother of Chris O'Rosier who was on the TV show Jockeys that plays on Animal Planet. Very interesting story she told me. Oh yea I forgot to mention that when we were boarding to go to Nashville my seat partner was a hispanic gentleman. I had seen him earlier and I just knew he was going to sit next to me when he saw the seat was open. He was dressed very nicely and a real nice gentleman. He told me that he and his wife work for Herbal Life vitamin company. He had a little booklet telling about the vitamins he sells. He says he lost 60 lbs and and his wife lost eighty lbs, They were taking a Herbal Life weight lose supplement. While waiting for the bus to Gainesville Georgia I met an enthusiastic thru-hiker that talked my head off. His name is John, trail name (Catfish) he was going to the Hiker Hostel also. Our bus arrived in Gainesville on schedule (Mar 25) at 9:45. We arrived at the hostel about 11:00am. Overall the buss trip was interesting experience."Life Is A Climb But The View Is Great"Jannie