The adventure begins

I left the house at 4:45 AM this morning to catch a 6:15 flight from Dallas to Atlanta (thanks Mom for waking up so early). And after leaving Houston less than 24 hours earlier, I was back at Hobby airport for a layover. No one can ever really escape Houston. After a quick lunch with Alex, I went back to his place to relax for a bit, and check out piedmont park. Then off to REI for some fuel and then off to the hostel. The hostel is probably the best one I have ever seen. It's secluded in the woods with two poches and great veiws. Eveything is new, clean and cofortable. The dorms were booked so I had to dish out for a private room, but I don't mind since it will be my last night in a bed for a while. There are about 10 other hikers that will start with me tomorrow. Two guys from germany, a bunch of dudes from around the country, and one girl from canada (I hear this is typical ratio so Amy doesn't have much to worry about). The ages range from 20 to 60 so the group is pretty diverse in that respect. The hostel owner said that about 30 thru-hikers have been starting the trail each day for the past month, so the campsites will likely be crowded. I'm anxious to start the trail tomorrow and I hope I get a trail name soon. I feel like geting a trail name is like getting baptized in AT culture. Well, I'm off to get one last shower in before the trail.