Dahlonega Hiker Hostel---April 14th

The overnight bus from Pensacola, Florida arrived in downtown Atlanta shortly after 7 a.m.  My pickup time at the North Springs MARTA station was scheduled for 11 so I had four hours to try and find new hiking shoes, the pair I was wearing having done the last 800 miles of the Florida Trail.  Using the service phone near the bus station, the lady I contacted informed me that there was a mall near the Dunwoody metro stop.  I exited the station at Dunwoody and followed the signs that directed me to the mall.  Once inside I found a Footlocker and bought a pair of black New Balance running shoes along with three pairs of socks.  Sat on a bench just outside the shop and it was out with the old and on with the new.  Always a great feeling to have a nice soft pair of socks caressing your toes and a new pair of shoes giving the proper support to your feet.  Returning to the metro, I continued to North Springs to wait for my ride.
Right at the top of the hour I met Nature Boy, the driver from Dahlonega  Hiker Hostel.  He asked if I would mind waiting a bit longer because another hiker was supposed to be arriving at the station soon.  Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, another Appalachian Trail hopeful emerged from the station with a pack on his back and a smile on his face.
On the way to Dahlonega we talked about the trail, what we'd be facing over the coming months and what our past experience has been.  It's interesting how the fact that I'd done two long trails previous to this gave me instant credibility.  People realize that you know what you're doing.  The other guy from Maine was making his first go of it on the AT and was concerned about equipment choices, feeling he had brought too many things which added to a high pack weight.  Certainly for first-timers there is an adjustment period finding out about just what you need and learning to live without all the rest.  However, a few weeks into a thru-hike and that's pretty much taken care of.  You have a good idea of what is truly necessary after that.
When we arrived in Dahlonega, we stopped at the local WalMart to buy any food or other items that we cared to get before hitting the trail tomorrow.  I bought some things for lunch and dinner as well as enough vittles to get me through to the next resupply.  Shopping done, it was on to the hostel where we were shown our rooms for the night.  After settling in to one of the top bunks in the six-man bay, I went to the small assortment of books they had in a central cubby.  Looking at the titles, I found a copy of "Into the Wild" and decided to have a read.  I'd seen the film before, but was eager to see how it compared to the book.  That's how I spent the rest of the day; reading, grabbing a bite to eat and something to drink now and then.  By nightfall, I still hadn't finished, but I was close.  I supposed I could finish the tragic ending in the morning before breakfast.  In the meantime it was time to hit the hay.  The reading had helped take my mind off of the beginning of my own hike, but as I lay in bed, I had trouble falling asleep, thinking instead of all that awaited me in the light of day.