37 Maps 17 Mail Drops

[paintplongo]

Don't do maildrops, it's very easy to resupply in towns and will actually be cheaper in almost every case if you factor shipping in the prices.

[Jack Tarlin]

Lots of information on maildrops, re-Supply, alternate mail locations, etc. in the "Articles" section of this website.

[ShelterLeopard]

The list here is for maps only I tried to make my choices close to the end/beginning of a map. The map/s that I am done with will try and mail them home when possible. It would be helpful for me if you that have done this before could give me some input. If you see a spot that could be moved and why just say so I can look into it. Thank You



1) Blueberry Patch Hostel

2) Fontana Village, Nc

3) Standing Bear Farm

4) Erwin, Tn

5) Damascus, Va

6) Pearisburg, Va

7) Glasgow, Va

8) Waynesboro, Va

9) Luray, Va

10) Harpers Ferry, Wv

11) Boiling Springs, Pa

12) Delaware Water Gap, Pa

13) Great Barrington, Ma

14) Hanover, Nh

15) Gorham, Nh / Pinkham Notch

16) Stratton, Me

17) Monson, Me

I'm NoBoing next year too. Can I make a suggestion? Don't plan too many maildrops after the first month. First, there are tons of good places to resupply, second, right now, you probably don't know what you'll want to eat after a month of hiking and pasta dishes and oatmeal.

My plan is to have three (or even four) boxes in the first month with everything I need, including food, then after that month, I can call home and say what I need in the next boxes, and I have a feeling that it'll only be maps, my issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and some "specialty" foods.

Of course, I've never thru hiked, but I feel like this could be a good approach. Or it'll be totally wrong and I'll die on the trail. Whichever.

[Ladytrekker]

So whats better the AT thru hikers guide or the trail data handbook?

[ShelterLeopard]

I personally am a devotee of Appalachian Pages- the 2009 edition is very good, informative, and all around great.

[Rockhound]

you don't need any maps and you don't need any maildrops. Just be sure to plan all your spontaneity at regular intervals.

[emerald]

I personally am a devotee of Appalachian Pages...

Got a link?

[ShelterLeopard]

To where you can buy it, yes (though the 2010 isn't out yet)

http://www.appalachianpages.com/

It has all the information I've ever needed!

[emerald]

Danke schön!

[ShelterLeopard]

Bitte schön!

[Jack Tarlin]

There may well be some dramatic changes with Appalachian Pages this year.

I would wait to hear more from the authors in regards to their plans before pre-ordering the 2010 edition.

[emerald]

They're not publishing it auf Deutsch, are they?

[pjbarr]

i'll be carrying a lot of maps on my thru next year not because i need them, but because i love maps. instead of reading at night, i look at maps. i'm addicted to them. i'll have a print out of a 1:24,000 scale topo map of every foot of the trail, not all at once of course. and sheets of paper burn easily. i love topo maps, profile maps, and descriptive guide books. rather than help me know where i am, i mainly enjoy them for use of knowing where i've been or where i'm going. they help with writing journals and recalling locations and of course planning the next days or week ahead.

also, i like them to know if there is anything of particular interest to me just off of the trail that otherwise i might miss. like an old cemetery, a waterfall, a peak of interest to climb.

for me, maps enrich my experience and are worth the extra weight.

[ShelterLeopard]

Ich denke nicht so, Emerald! (Af far as I know- maybe that's the big change Jack means!)

And Jack- what changes- should I be glad that I got the 2009 edition instead of waiting for the 2010? (I thought the 2009 wasn't too different from the 2007...)

[Jack Tarlin]

The biggest change is that Appalachian Pages may not be published in 2010; however, one of its authors, David Miller (AWOL 2003) will be coming out with a new guidebook, which will hopefully be available early next year.

[mikec]

I've used about as many maildrops as the original poster. I have copied sections of the data book/companion/appalachian pages and placed them along with the correct map in my mail drop. One thing that I did learn in New England this summer is that you don't have to carry more than 4-5 days of food (except for the 100 mile wilderness.) I ended up bouncing a box forward so that my pack would be lighter. The only problem with that is that I beat my bounce box to my next stop and had to buy food anyway.

[10-K]

The biggest change is that Appalachian Pages may not be published in 2010; however, one of its authors, David Miller (AWOL 2003) will be coming out with a new guidebook, which will hopefully be available early next year.

Ah, that's a drag... I carried the AP and 501's book because I found them to be complementary to one another. Very frequently one has good information the other lacks. Now what?

[weary]

Seems like a lot of drops to me, too, especially if you're planning to include food at all these spots. Keep in mind that many of the places you cited have perfectly good supermarkets, i.e. there is no reason whatsoever to send food to many of these places. .....

Well, there is one small reason. The stuff in supermarkets comes in sizes that are either bigger or smaller than what I need to sustain me until the next supermarket -- or at least that was true in 1993 along the trail, and remains true in 2009 at the three supermarkets that I shop with some regularity.

Also, by shopping the sales and specials one can eat cheaper. Generic oatmeal, rice, and other staples can be bought much cheaper over the months at home, than is available in the convenient food sections of trail stores.

However, I partially agree with you. Should I attempt another thru hike -- unlikely, at age 80 with multiple ills that make long distance hiking extra challenging -- I would shop more in stores along the trail, for a variety of reasons --including shipping costs. But while doing so, I know I would be faced with weight and cost challenges. I would likely regularly be carrying more than I had needed to carry when I reach resupply stores, or would from time to time find myself skimping in anticipation of the next store or restaurant.

This, I know, is less of a problem for new hikers, who won't know what they need, or will like, or even can still eat, weeks in advance. But having fed myself on and off trails for the past 65 years or so, I pretty much know what I need for food to sustain each days activity. And even what I will still enjoy for the umpteenth time, and what I won't.

Buying as one goes along has its many advatages. But so does buying in advance and using the USPS for resupply, at least for some of us.

Weary

[Awol2003]

Ah, that's a drag... I carried the AP and 501's book because I found them to be complementary to one another. Very frequently one has good information the other lacks. Now what?

"The A.T. Guide" will have everything that App Pages had and more. Website is same as book's name without periods or spaces.

[10-K]

"The A.T. Guide" will have everything that App Pages had and more. Website is same as book's name without periods or spaces.

Works for me, thanks for the info.