how many mail drops?

[wtmntcaretaker]

how many mail drops did people use in their thru's and where were they?

[thestin]

Do a search in the forums for Baltimore Jack's excellent posts on mail drops.

[thestin]

http://whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart1

[wtmntcaretaker]

yep saw that. are there any alterations you would or did make. times and places that worked better for you?

[thestin]

Jack has thru-hiked several times. I think you'd be well served by using his advice.

[Footslogger]

how many mail drops did people use in their thru's and where were they?

====================================

There is a lot of great info here on maildrops if you do a little searching ...but I'll tell you that I had 3 actual food maildrops in 2003:

Harpers Ferry, WV
Bear Mountain, NY
Glencliff, NH

Pretty sure if I had it to do all over again I'd use the same drops. Everywhere else it is relatively easy to re-supply as you go. Truth be told you can probably even re0-supply at the above locations but from my research and actual experience those were the places where access to a grocery store for long term re-supply was the most difficult.

'Slogger

[Appalachian Tater]

I used no maildrops but you might consider a couple per Slogger. Glencliff wasn't great but there is resupply; resupply is easy and good in Harpers Ferry, especially if you do some down time there--just flag the bus down.

Here's my post-hike notes, but I carried B. Jack's resupply guide and used it to plan so these notes are derived from his knowledge. I probably would NOT sent maildrops to all the marked spots, but if I were going to send them, those are the places I would send them to. However, I would probably just put them together a town or two ahead and not make them up ahead of time, because what I wanted to eat changed several times unpredictably.

RESUPPLY [plus memorable restaurants in supply towns]:

Neels Gap - some expensive resupply at outfitter [buffet in town]
Hiawassee - good grocery store [buffet next to Holiday Inn]
Franklin - good grocery store, dollar store [great Mexican]
* Fontana Dam Village - bad, overpriced resupply at general store
Gatlinburg - good grocery store, ride bus [good BBQ]
Hot Springs - dollar store, outfitters, interesting little grocery store [Elmer’s - great vegetarian]
Erwin - okay grocery store, dollar store
Kincora/Elizabethton - nice grocery store
Damascus - good grocery store, dollar store [Lazy Fox Inn - fantastic breakfast]
* Atkins - crappy grocery store in town - motel owner takes you
Pearisburg - good grocery store, dollar store [Chinese buffet]
Daleville - great grocery store [nice BBQ]
Waynesboro - good grocery store [Chinese buffet]
* Linden - crappy general store (maildrop or skip altogether)
Harpers Ferry (get summer gear) - great grocery store, dollar store, in next town, ride bus
Duncannon - great grocery store, drug store next door [burger at Doyle]
Delaware Water Gap - went home, don't know about grocery store
Pawling - went home, pretty good bit off trail, don't know about grocery store [great Mexican restaurant with Mexican groceries]
Kent - nice little grocery story
Salisbury - nice little grocery store
North Adams - great grocery store [picnic table out front, salad bar inside]
Manchester Center - good grocery store, dollar store [good Steak rest.]
Hanover - great co-op grocery store, drugstore [Indian (in house not mall)]
* Glencliff (get winter gear anyway) - okay deluxe gas station food mart
Gorham - nice grocery store [Chinese buffets]
Rangely - nice medium-sized grocery store [good Thai]
Monson - crappy little dirty store, nice medium-sized grocery store in next town [great BBQ, nice breakfast at Shaw’s]

* would definitely consider sending food maildrop

Scale: crappy - okay - good - nice - great - fantastic

[Pedaling Fool]

I used the following mail-drops:
- Fontana Dam
- Hot Springs
- Erwin
- Damascus
- Pearisburg
- Troutville - Not a good choice. The town of Daleville, Va. was more convenient.
- Waynesboro
- Harper's Ferry
- Duncannon
- Delaware Water Gap
- Kent
- Williamstown - I seem to remember wishing I would have sent my package to North Adams, Ma.
- Hanover
- Gorham
- Caratunk

[jmcgarrahan]

My husband ( LowBranch) has used mail drops ONLY to resupply, here is the list of places dates and milages from his trail journal. He only had to resupply in town a few times, when he ran out of food. He never seemed to have a problem getting to the PO, but he hasn't gotten to the last 4 drops yet and they are in NH and Maine where the hitch to town may be tougher.

http://www.trailjournals.com/maildrop.cfm?trailname=4761

[wrongway_08]

I printed out labels for every possible drop location (post office that is), I think there was 67 all together.
I will pack a bunch of boxes up with certain foods/power gels/bars/water flavor packets/beef jerky/advil and so on. Then as I am on the trail, I will call when I need them and have someone mail the package to the post office of my choice - I numbered all the mail drop labels so there will be no confusion.
This will make it easy for myself and the person mailing them out.

[Pedaling Fool]

I printed out labels for every possible drop location (post office that is), I think there was 67 all together.
I will pack a bunch of boxes up with certain foods/power gels/bars/water flavor packets/beef jerky/advil and so on. Then as I am on the trail, I will call when I need them and have someone mail the package to the post office of my choice - I numbered all the mail drop labels so there will be no confusion.
This will make it easy for myself and the person mailing them out.
How many maildrops do you plan?