Impressions from the first day: the walk

June 22, 2026 – The night before the adventure begins

My Appalachian Trail adventure officially began today… well, before the sun even thought about rising.

The alarm went off at 3:00 am. After a last cup of coffee with my wonderful son-in-law around 4:15 and a big hug goodbye from my daughter Shea, I boarded the Groome ferry at 5:00. We were barely 35 minutes on the road when the driver had to stop to use the bathroom. Actually? We hadn’t even started yet!

Things didn’t exactly get better once I arrived at the Atlanta airport. Let’s say customer service didn’t win any awards today. I don’t know why some people find it so hard to just be nice.

I finally landed at Washington Dulles around 11:00 am and called «S», the shuttle driver taking me to the hostel. He greeted me yelling because he thought I had left the airport through the wrong exit. Fortunately, once he realized I wasn’t the complete idiot he apparently assumed I was, the rest of our 50-minute drive was actually enjoyable.

When I arrived at Cross Trails Hostel, everything changed. They welcomed me with open arms and I immediately felt at home. One of the biggest blessings of the day was receiving my first (and probably only) Learning Curve backpack trial. I can’t thank you enough. We managed to shave four pounds off my pack and I know my shoulders will thank me along the way. I met some really wonderful experienced hikers. Their names will be etched in my heart forever: Trailer Park, Learning Curve, Candy Crush, Seeker and The Great Pumpkin. I hope to see you again on the road!

For dinner, I walked about a quarter mile to a fantastic little Mexican restaurant before heading back to the lodge. Tonight’s plan is simple: go to bed ridiculously early so I can get up at 5:00 am for coffee and pancakes before going for a walk at 6:00. Tomorrow, first steps on the path!

P.S: On a completely unrelated note… I got to watch Messi score his 18th goal and become FIFA’s top scorer before I went to bed. Epic moment!

Trail Tips:

One last piece of advice for anyone staying in a hostel: DO. NO. FORGET. EAR PLUGS. Otherwise, prepare for a symphony that sounds somewhere between a Three Stooges one-act parody or the garage version of your favorite heavy metal song (not a favorite!). Trust me… you’ll thank me later.

Again and again,

Alpha Selah

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