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View Full Version : Where to send a few mail drops???



Big City
12-31-2014, 17:20
Hello fellow hikers! I am starting my solo thru-hike in Georgia sometime during the last week of February 2015. I am so excited about this adventure and cannot wait to meet some of you wonderful people on the trail. I have done lots of research on food and resupplies and have come to the conclusion that I will resupply mostly from stores in towns. However, due to my excitement, I have purchased some trail food and plan on sending a few (3-5) mail drops of food. The preparation for adventures like this is half the fun!

My question for you: What places should I send these few mail drops? Either places that are really expensive or lack selection of food.

Cheers!

Lone Wolf
12-31-2014, 17:31
fontana dam, NC is the only one i can think of

RED-DOG
12-31-2014, 17:40
Send mail drops to.
1 Neel's Gap. ( I always thought it was to expensive to buy their ).
2 Fontana Dam. ( I have always been able to get sufficient resupply at the " Pit Stop " which is the convient store on the side of the road as your going into the village but their selection could be limited ).
3 Maybe a 2 day supply to (" Standing Bear Hostel " ) Curtis want have much of a selection when you get their.
4 Monson, ME ( this always been the Hardest resupply for me ).

I always been able to buy 100% of my food on the trail but these drops could make your life a little easier out their. Good Luck and Happy Trails.

Oh Yeah WELCOME to WB.

swonut
12-31-2014, 21:33
I'll second Fontana. Just know the post office has strange hours. The store has plenty of calories, but a box makes it easier to plan the 6-8 days through the park.
I found Neel's Gap to be adequate and what I expected for a place ON THE TRAIL. Could it have been cheaper, sure, could I have driven to Walmart, bought oatmeal, snickers and grits and saved money -- probably not. However, it's an easy drop at a point where you will likely not have developed any "I can't stand Peanut Butter" and worst case you throw it all or part of it in the hiker box and are out at most about thirty bucks.
Standing Bear was stocked very well in mid April of 2014.

swjohnsey
12-31-2014, 23:07
The country store at Fontana had quite a bit of stuff the times I have been there. I depends of if there has been a run on stuff. Monson for sure. Send your cold weather stuff.

Ron Haven
12-31-2014, 23:29
The country store at Fontana had quite a bit of stuff the times I have been there. I depends of if there has been a run on stuff. Monson for sure. Send your cold weather stuff.You can always send a maildrop to my places (http://ronhavenhikerservices.com) in Hiawassee, Ga or Franklin, NC.

swjohnsey
12-31-2014, 23:38
Will you still ferry stuff from Hiawassee to Franklin?

Ron Haven
01-01-2015, 20:04
Will you still ferry stuff from Hiawassee to Franklin?We do!!!!!!! This saves the hikers lots of money in shipping. How I do this is. We bring mail drops from Hiawassee to Franklin free...Me, Three Eagles, or one of my staff have to travel to Hiawassee almost everyday anyway..

swjohnsey
01-01-2015, 20:09
That is a great service. You run a good operation.

Big City
01-01-2015, 21:30
Thanks for the insight everyone! Ron Haven, I checked out your website and I like your style. I hope to meet you in March! What did SWJohnsey mean by ferrying stuff from Hiawassee to Franklin?

swjohnsey
01-01-2015, 21:54
You can send a mail drop to Hiawasee to his motel, take what you need out of it and they will take the rest to the motel in Franklin.

Sly
01-01-2015, 22:04
Check out the AT Mailing Label page for easy ready to print labels to PO's and hostels.

AT Mailing Labels (http://www.soruck.net/at/)

Big City
01-02-2015, 09:04
Any other ideas? Hostels or Post Offices that are very close to the trail?

Sly
01-02-2015, 12:29
Any other ideas? Hostels or Post Offices that are very close to the trail?

Ummm, the Mailing Labels page gives you both. Unless it says "All" or "G" if the location has a small "g", it means it's short-term resupply and maybe better off with a drop.

Of course, a location without "All", "G' or "g" means it has no resupply.

RED-DOG
01-02-2015, 13:29
You can send a mail drop to Hiawasee to his motel, take what you need out of it and they will take the rest to the motel in Franklin.

He does this so people has stay the night at both his locations which means more money for him, Hiawassee and franklin has adequate Grocery stores no need for mail drops at either location, Plus theirs a new Hostel at Dicks Creek Gap about a half mile from the road crossing called " Top of GA " run by " Sir-Packs-a lot " if you stay the night we will take you into Hiawassee for free, but standing bear doesn't stoke up until end of march or the first of April, if you leave springer the end of Feb, you will get their before Curtis has had the chance stock up so a mail drop their would make since.

I would NOT have any dealings with Ron Haven at all.

swjohnsey
01-02-2015, 14:44
Ron Haven's motels are cheap and clean. He is in business to make money.

Lynnette
01-02-2015, 15:12
Hi - I shopped in the Hiawasse supermarket, ate pizza and it was great fun. The butcher cut pieces just hiker size while you share hiker stories, wrapped them in tinfoil for me and it was so cold out that the food stayed fresh! The other shoppers in the store kinda of gather round you and want your stories too. I cooked on the campfires. Fontana - Absolutely and send to the Big Hotel on the Hill. The front desk is open, there is no charge and you can charge up your electronics. The post office hours are iffy. My next box was Palmerton,PA Post office with replacement shoes because mine went flat hiking into Port Clinton. You need good gripper soles to hike PA. Mail your Vermont stuff (thru to Rutland Walmart) to North Adams, Massachusetts Post office. I didn't easily find shopping stores. They might be there - hiding. And Maine. You might want to pick someplace for your fan club - family or whomever to send you cookies and cards. Excited for you!

msumax1985
01-02-2015, 15:27
Hello fellow hikers! I am starting my solo thru-hike in Georgia sometime during the last week of February 2015. I am so excited about this adventure and cannot wait to meet some of you wonderful people on the trail. I have done lots of research on food and resupplies and have come to the conclusion that I will resupply mostly from stores in towns. However, due to my excitement, I have purchased some trail food and plan on sending a few (3-5) mail drops of food. The preparation for adventures like this is half the fun!

My question for you: What places should I send these few mail drops? Either places that are really expensive or lack selection of food.

Cheers!

You're leaving earlier than most of the bubble, so I'm guessing Fontana won't have quite as large a selection as they might have a month later. So Fontana would be a good one. I did a box there with 6 days to get through the Smokys, to Standing Bear, and skipped Gatlinburg. But the park only took 5 days, and I'm not the fastest hiker. So a box with 5 days at Fontana would leave you lots of options. And recommend sending to the Fontana Village Lodge as the desk is always open--the PO has limited hours.

That's the only place I know of where a box might be useful. But seeing as you already purchased the food, maybe sending one to Neel Gap would work. The shipping costs outweigh the cost savings, but it'll be fun to retreive your first supply box. If you don't want to bother going into Hiawassee, Top-O-GA would be a good drop spot.

Oh, and maybe NOC. I never left the Village area so not sure what towns/stores might be nearby, but the General Store supplies there seemed even more limited than Fontana. The outfitter there had good hours.