Underplanning vs Overplanning

[Another Kevin]

You might check with the USPS - my experience is that even with Priority Mail 3-4 days isn't enough time for some of the more rural post offices (i.e., all of the ones on the Trail. )

I know one person who as trying to do an advance food drop at a tiny town. He couldn't find anyone in the town that was willing to hold a box for him. He got the idea of bringing it to the post office and mailing it to himself c/o General Delivery AT THE SAME POST OFFICE. When he got back to the post office on foot a week later, the box hadn't arrived. Apparently, all mail at that post office was all sorted in some larger city, and so the box had to be hauled away to the sort facility and then sent back to the post office it came from.

[fadedsun]

I'm told that Sun Tzu says the no plan survives contact with the enemy. This certainly applies to most plans in my life.
Plan too carefully and it becomes a tyranny over your hike. It is certainly possible to resupply as you go, provided you are not too choosy.
If you want better resupply, you can get someone at home to send a drop to your next resupply point.

[Odd Man Out]

I know one person who as trying to do an advance food drop at a tiny town. He couldn't find anyone in the town that was willing to hold a box for him. He got the idea of bringing it to the post office and mailing it to himself c/o General Delivery AT THE SAME POST OFFICE. When he got back to the post office on foot a week later, the box hadn't arrived. Apparently, all mail at that post office was all sorted in some larger city, and so the box had to be hauled away to the sort facility and then sent back to the post office it came from.

That's funny Kevin. I wonder why the PO is losing money??

[garlic08]

Some only plan as far as the next blaze. Some package 40+ mail drops before they even set foot on the trail.

Some hikers end up adopting a hybrid approach. Every month, say, you can take a long day in a larger town and shop and ship for the next month. That's a flexible approach. It's likely your tastes in food, and mileage traveled per day, will change in a month or two. And it's likely, as mentioned already, that the farther you get the less you'll plan ahead.

On a modern AT hike, with the preponderance of information available, the relative proximity of civilization, and over 80,000 white blazes (just going north), there's really no need to plan beyond the first few days, as others have said.

[magneto]

Please don't forget that you won't die if you don't eat every single day. Even hiking heavily, you have enough calories in stored in your body as fat to go for many, many days. You will need water frequently, but food is not required. I speak from experience here. You will not starve between towns, even if you go hungry a for a day or two. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but you will survive to hike another day.

[Cassafras]

Thanks for all of your responses. I talked to my spouse about this, and she reminded me that my friend also did not think it wise that her own sister who is an avid hiker and marathon runner, thru hike the AT again (they did it together). So I am going to chalk this up to her own anxieties, and try to not take it personally. As some of you reminded me, I am doing this for me, in my own way, on my own time frame. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about how I am preparing myself. I'm not doing anything unsafe, and if I make it the whole way then that will be awesome, if I don't then it is my own failure to deal with. I just have so much negativity surrounding me about this trip (because I am going solo, and my friends and family are sure I will be murdered or get eaten by a bear), that it has been hard to discern valid concern, and what are actually the unfounded fears/anxieties of others.

[Southern Oz]

Mate, my plan is to get from Brisbane Australia to Atlanta by the 16th March, get some food and a gas bottle, get to the start and start. After that it all depends on what I encounter. For training I am just doing my usual, plus I have a 675km thru walk in Nov/Dec in the Australian Alps. Then it will be just my normal fitness routine, which has very little impact work (walking), till I leave. The first couple of weeks will get me trail fit so why push it before hand.

Yeah just let it come to u it will sort itself out...

Just a quick one for u tho fella, off topic but I'm coming from Adelaide and doing the same next yr. How u going with VISAs. all the research I've done says we can only stay in the states for 3 months before having to leave and re enter. Any thoughts ideas?

[squeezebox]

I like the comment from the person who said over plan - then use the plan for the first camp fire.
Don't plan too much, but know your options.

[garlic08]

Please don't forget that you won't die if you don't eat every single day....

This is one of the greatest lessons I learned on my first thru hike, while traversing the Sierra Nevada on the PCT. After that, I was less afraid of running out of groceries, and the hiking got more fun.

[Dogwood]

Please don't forget that you won't die if you don't eat every single day. Even hiking heavily, you have enough calories in stored in your body as fat to go for many, many days. You will need water frequently, but food is not required. I speak from experience here. You will not starve between towns, even if you go hungry a for a day or two. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but you will survive to hike another day.

This is one of the greatest lessons I learned on my first thru hike, while traversing the Sierra Nevada on the PCT. After that, I was less afraid of running out of groceries, and the hiking got more fun.

Many people, particularly gross consuming U.S. citizens, are slaves to their appetites. This includes their food consumption. Perhaps, it becomes even more obvious when you meet U.S. citizens new to trail life. Life isn't always about feeding your face or having basically unlimited convenient access to it. ADAPT. Get over it.

[CarlZ993]

I too am a planner of the 'over-planner' variety. I used AT Guide's website for planning my AT thru-hike. I used the 15MPD itinerary & created a spreadsheet based on that. I tweaked it some. Noted where I would mail my food resupplies (all but one were mail drops). I included my first two zero days - Hot Springs & Damascas - into the schedule. I plotted it all the way through (w/o any additional zero days scheduled in the spreadsheet) until the summit day of 8/19/2013.

I remained on schedule until Damascas. After Damascas, I found myself able to do more miles. I was able to add some days 'into the bank' as I went down the trail. If one section called for 5 days, I only needed 4. As time went on, I stayed ahead of schedule. I took additional zero days as I needed them (12 total; the others were Pearisburg, Daleville, Waynesboro VA X 2, Harpers Ferry, Port Clinton, Salisbury, Rutland, Gorham, & Monson). I thought I was going to finish my hike earlier than 8/19. But, NH & ME slowed me down. I did summit Katahdin on 8/19/2013.

[jjozgrunt]

Yeah just let it come to u it will sort itself out...

Just a quick one for u tho fella, off topic but I'm coming from Adelaide and doing the same next yr. How u going with VISAs. all the research I've done says we can only stay in the states for 3 months before having to leave and re enter. Any thoughts ideas?

I haven't applied as yet but have talked to the consulate. You are obviously talking about the ESTA Visa Waiver Program max 90 days, but to do the AT you have to apply for a non immigrant visa. The amount of time you get is done at the border based on what you want and what they feel like giving you (that was her direct quote) up to 6 months. Other people that have done the AT just told them, at the border, what they were doing and that they would like 6 months and got it. Go to this site and have a read http://www.ustraveldocs.com/au/index.html . When were you planning on starting?

[Traveler]

"Forget Moose and Squirrel, I have plan!" B. Badenov