View Full Version : only 2 mail drops
Bencape4
02-28-2014, 15:08
hey sorry to post something that im sure is all over this site, but i have a lot of trouble really digging through here.
so, im mostly resupplying as i go, but i was just wondering what the 2 or 3 places are that make that the hardest.
i think i remember hearing that fontana was a hard resupply.
any advice would be appreciated.
bamboo bob
02-28-2014, 15:16
Never used a mail drop on the AT for resupply. Bought 100% in trail towns.
Lone Wolf
02-28-2014, 15:25
Never used a mail drop on the AT for resupply. Bought 100% in trail towns.
me too. even at Fontana. i can't help ya Bencape4
Old Man Joe
02-28-2014, 15:38
Didn't use any mail drops but, would have liked to have had one in Monson. When I arrived there the general store had been fairly well cleaned out and what little was available was expensive. I found Andover, ME very limited for choice. Overall, though, not a problem resupplying.
Just Bill
02-28-2014, 16:54
Monson and Fontana, especially if you are with the main crowd.
Apparently mail drops became the uncool thing to do, but I still like them and would use them again.
You can also shotgun drop to reduce postage and not plan. When you hit a big town (and you're zeroing anyway) go shopping and pack up the next few stops and ship them off. Local postage rates are cheaper, less waste, easier to get what you want without having to guess months in advance. Easier to split up things like batteries, toilet paper, olive oil, etc. You can always buy the candy bars and craving pleasers as you go, but the main B,L,D stuff is covered without trying to plan five days of meals standing in a one isle gas station.
You can also just go by trail rumor/advice as you go and ship one drop at a time to yourself when you know a bad section is coming up.
Well here's a dumb mistake nobody else needs to repeat. I sent a mail drop to Mt. Holly Springs, somehow forgetting that Boiling Springs was just a few miles away and right on the trail. D'oh. It was a long walk into town, too. In the rain, in mud-splattered Frogg Toggs. Not sure why I couldn't get a hitch.
South Mountain PA is a good town to avoid. Ugh.
It's sort of a crap shoot to by your food along the way. Yah, once in a while you may not be able to get exactly what you want to buy, but that's what makes it interesting. You won't starve buying food along the way. I always kept a couple of Roman noodles for a back-up and I never had to use them. Happy trails and enjoy your adventure.
On the other hand...you do walk, er Hike, right past the front door of the post office in Hot Springs, NC. Assuming you can get there during post office business hours, or don't mind waiting until the next morning. Might be a good place to send some special goodies. USPS Large Priority Mail box is the most economical way to send a package of decent size to yourself. If you miss the pickup, the USPS will forward the box to the next handy post office free for nothing.
Have fun!
Wayne
Ox97GaMe
02-28-2014, 19:49
I agree with the Fontana mail drop. the general store there is very small and in heavy thru hiker season runs out of a lot of the hiker staples. And they used to be closed until Apr 1. not sure if that is still the case. Dropping a box here can save you from carrying the extra Smokies food in from Franklin NC. That is pretty brutal 30 miles if you are carrying 7-9 days worth of food.
I didnt do mail drops in 97 and it was pretty easy to resupply. Lots of additional options are now available; additional hostels providing shuttles, more trail friendly establishments in towns, etc.
takethisbread
03-01-2014, 06:43
my main concern is hot springs to Erwin, which is a pretty good haul. 5 days maybe with some effort, and I hear there is a new store somewhere between but I'm not sure it's still going. don't want to resupply at hemlock hollow , it's not good for that IMO if it's still running,
do I risk it and count on that store along that road crossing or haul all my food from hot springs?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Starchild
03-01-2014, 08:06
Fontana is a no-brainer, resupply there is expensive and undependable stocking + the long haul to Standing Bear means if you planed here you may find your diet for the next few days very limited.
Standing Bear is nicely stocked for a hostel but that's it, it's a nicely stocked hostel. I don't think I would use up one of my only 2 mail drops here but might consider sending something as a treat.
Same thing with Erwin if you just plan to stay at the hostel, it is well stocked for a hiker hostel but if you are not planning to go into the main town of Erwin then it would be a good choice for a drop to get you to your next resupply.
After that you are in Maine, Andover is limited but sufficient (I got a ride to WalMart about 50 miles away it seemed - with 5 other thru hikers), So is Catatunk however you are very close to Monson at this point, I think 1 overnight IIRC, so you don't need much.
Monson has very little but it's easy to get a ride to the supermarket in the town (AT) west of the trail (which is really North of Monson), but if you plan not to go into the other town a mail drop here would be welcome to get you thru the 100 miles ahead.
If you do mail drops it makes sense to use mail drops at motels, resorts, hostels, trail angels. I can remember several hikers having to wait for Post Offices to open on a weekend or a long holiday weekend. Many places accept mail drops and your re-supplies are waiting for you. I had mail drops at Fontana Dam Resort not the P.O., Standing Bear Farm(hostel) Hartford TN, Hanover NH (trail angels home), Monson Me ( a hostel).
on all my thru's i bought 100% of my food along the trail but if i was going to do mail drops i would have these.
1 Neels Gap ( the food here is a little espensive).
2 Fontana Damn ( i have always been able to find ample amout of food at the PIT-STOP but it would be a little bit easier to have a drop here ).
3 Monson ( for some reason this has always been the toughest resupply for me ).
these three is all i would have, Good Luck and happy Hiking.
garlic08
03-01-2014, 18:35
I bought the whole way. The only place that sticks out in my mind as a difficult area was Harpers Ferry.
bamboo bob
03-01-2014, 18:55
Actually one trip I stayed at the Hike in. They pick you up at the road crossing near the Fontana lake (The Hilton) and drive you to Robinsvile? . Anyway, there's a regular grocery store.
Also maybe sometimes I ate candy bars and slim Jims for a few days instead of Ramens. But I am not proud.
garlic08
03-02-2014, 10:06
Actually one trip I stayed at the Hike in. They pick you up at the road crossing near the Fontana lake (The Hilton) and drive you to Robinsvile? . Anyway, there's a regular grocery store.
Also maybe sometimes I ate candy bars and slim Jims for a few days instead of Ramens. But I am not proud.
I got an easy ride into Robbinsville from Stecoah Gap, about 15 miles before Fontana Dam. So I didn't have to stop at Fontana except for the free shower at the dam. The extra 15 mile food carry into the Smokies was worth it for me for access to a full grocery.
One of my resupplies was hot dog buns and peanut butter for two days, and I'm not proud either. Like Grampie said above, it keeps things interesting.
Mail drops end up being used for un-loading as well as loading up. Gear or clothing that you no longer need or want, but is worth keeping. Maps for sections you've gone through. The post office at Woody Gap is famous for that purpose.
The fewer maildrops the better, but if you have special needs or desires, you might appreciate them. The downside is getting to/from town or waiting for the PO to open. Don't forget weekends, federal holidays. It can suck being stuck in town waiting for a package.
Jack Tarlin
03-02-2014, 18:09
When questioning the food prices at small Trailside stores, a little perspective is in order. Hikers might not like, for example, paying $1.69 for a Lipton dinner that costs $1.29 at their local supermarket, but your local Food Lion buys these things thousands at a time and gets a good deal on them. Plus, the food is delivered to their door. Small stores buy stuff in much smaller quantities, they pay retail prices without getting a bulk rate, and they also have to pay out money for gas and an employee's time to go shopping.....many small Trail stores are quite far away towns and supermarkets. So it's inevitable that things will cost more at a little store. But even then, you're not paying postage: If one purchases, say, 15 items at a small store and pays, say, an extra 40 or 50 cents per item, you're paying less than you would for a parcel, which can easily cost $12-15 or more. Postage can really add up. Also, I like the spontaneity of buying while en route. I mean I have no idea what I wanna eat TONIGHT, so how on earth can a hiker know on 2 March what he wants to eat on 2 September? So personally, I avoid mailing food whenever I can. (Full disclosure......I happen to be the main food buyer for Neel Gap and I like to think that for a small store with very limited display space, we have a pretty good food selection here at very reasonable prices. At least that's what lots of 2014 people have told me. But if folks wanna send food here by mail, of course that's up them, and we'll happily hold it for them).
Monson and Fontana, especially if you are with the main crowd.
I have to agree. The other reason why these are important for North bounders is that they may be some of the longest stretches you go without resupplying, thus having very lightweight food is more important. Of course, you can stop in Gatlinburg if you want to, but it breaks up the trip much more than stopping in other places, such as Hot Springs.
When I hiked (pre-Standing Bear and White House), these were the only places where I had to carry more than 5 days worth of food, and I was very glad not to have heavy grocery store items.
Monson and Fontana, especially if you are with the main crowd.
Apparently mail drops became the uncool thing to do, but I still like them and would use them again.
I have to agree. The other reason why these are important for North bounders is that they may be some of the longest stretches you go without resupplying, thus having very lightweight food is more important.
What these guys said. Some love going into Gatlinburg with their friends to party, binge on BBQ, and resupply. Others consider that town to be a cultural mind****. If yer one a the latter, a box with enough lightweight food to hike thru the GSMNP would be a godsend - Same with the run thru the 100 mile wilderness.
Tho, if you have the time, money, and inclination, Hike Inn will pick you up at the dam, do your laundry, take you to town for dinner & resupply, and then take you back to the dam in the morning ... Shaw's in Monson would also arrange for a run into town if enough hikers were interested. But that would be a shot in the dark...
I was wondering when Hike Inn would surface. In addition to the treats mentioned above, paying guests are treated to a free mail drop.
seems like a Win! Win! Win! deal.
Wayne