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UL minimalist
09-30-2007, 18:32
I was planning on going strictly mail drop for my hike. Planning on piking up every 5 days at a designated P.O. The Problem I am coming across is that 10 pounds of food every 5 days plus random odds and ends is going to cost me a butt load to ship. And by my calculations I would spend roughly the same if I just baught stuff at Town stops on my way. Maybe I should send certain items in the mail. Like the GORP and stuff thats cheaper to make myself.

Any suggestions? Are mail drops really worth my yime? What is the overall cost to hike with food included?

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 18:37
Buy as you go. I am only mail dropping maps and some other small items except for about 3 food drops. I decided where to do food based on an article by Hungry Howie and Jack's Resupply article.

rafe
09-30-2007, 18:42
Save mail drops for maps and stuff that you can't get locally. The "cost" I worry about isn't $$$ to USPS, but wasted time getting to/from the post office. (Esp. when you arrive in some sleepy town just after it closes on a Saturday afternoon...)

hopefulhiker
09-30-2007, 18:42
After doing the trail, it is cheaper to buy as you go. But you can get better food if you dehydrate and do the maildrop routine..

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 18:46
There are some good threads here about the advantages and disadvantages of mail drops as well as the cost of a thru-hike so you can make an informed decision. They aren't necessary.

To me, the best reason not to do maildrops is to avoid having a constraint on your freedom by having to get to post offices on certain days during certain hours. I had trouble just getting to a telephone during business hours!

Besides, how do you know what you will want to eat for dinner in the summer heat after hiking twenty miles two months into your thru-hike? You need to be able to listen to what your body wants.

frieden
09-30-2007, 18:48
From what I understand, it is not worth it to do many mail drops. Do mail drops, when you do not think the town is big enough to buy what you need, or when stores would be closed (when you are getting your mail drop at the hostel, for example). Do a bounce box for things you don't want to carry on the trail.

Postage is a substantial cost nowadays, and it increases your carbon footprint. I have to do some mail drops, because I have to use/eat mostly all natural/organic stuff, which is harder to find in small towns. Still, I plan on cutting my mail drops in half, and using a bounce box for things like the Dremmel (Ed's nails). Even if you don't need to do any mail drops, you may want to do a few, just for morale.

mnof1000v
09-30-2007, 19:44
There are lots of things to look at when considering mail drops. Yes, it can be inconvenient if you arrive at a town after the PO has closed, particularly if the arrival happens on a Saturday. And yes, your tastes can and do change. That said, I used 10 mail drops in '06, and I still think it makes sense to have at least a few.

If nothing else, mail drops keep your family and friends connected to your hike. I put together a few drops because I had people at home who wanted to help me out any way they could, and I figured mail drops were just the ticket. Every so often, I'd call home and tell them I needed a mail drop in some town 6 or 7 days up the trail. In most cases, the mail drop wasn't a necessity. 9 tims out of 10, I could buy what I needed in a grocery store wherever I was going. But it kept my family involved, and made them feel better about my trip.

For me, though, mail drops helped me slow my pace and really enjoy my hike. Quite often, I felt the need to push myself, putting in big miles and long stretches away from town. More than once I intentionally sent a mail drop to a town I knew I'd could reach late on a Saturday or Sunday. In doing so, I effectively forced myself to slow down. Why rush, if I knew I'd only be waiting for a package?:-?

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 19:49
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against maildrops. In fact, I think OTHER people should absolutely have maildrops.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get so many goodies out of hiker boxes, everything from chapstick to batteries, a compass, razors, chocolate-covered cherries and Mountain House meals.

The more mail drops the better!!!

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 19:49
Well in that case mail drops of the small stuff like maps and other odds and ends still do you OK. But as for the big stuff and food it just doesn't seem to make sense unless you have some wierd diet.

mweinstone
09-30-2007, 19:59
as a teen in love with the trail, i crunched the numbers hard one year. i did all the studying that anyone can do even to this day. the only factor that has changed in the equation is the fact that "hard to get items" dont exist anymore.it used to be that you couldnt buy food easy near the trail. now its fully stocked but for the known places that arent witch are few and places like monson where its cool cause its a jumping off point into the wilderness. or fontana or other places where its fun or needed. i arrived at the magic number 27. thats only post offices on the trail or within a second of it. then only mail the best and rarest foods. dont send sams club ramman. if your macrobiotic like i was, then you send brown rice and seaweed and miso and gorp. and tigermilk bars and bee pollon and ginsing and teas and all things that will not be found on the trail ever. never mail even the simplest thing if it can be gotten ontrail. only rareitys. got it? and yes it costs a fourtune.

Kirby
09-30-2007, 20:07
20 mail drops for me, with grocery buying points scattered in between.

Kirby

Tennessee Viking
09-30-2007, 20:38
Most of the thru hikers I talked to only do maildrops for gear and personal items from home. Most of the food can be picked up on supply runs from near roadside/hostels and trailtowns.

Lone Wolf
09-30-2007, 20:38
buy as you go. i'm an expert. trust me.

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 20:45
My maildrops, 13 in all. 8 of them are basically just maps and other odds and ends (like bourbon). 1 of them is "civilian" clothing for the bus ride back from Millenocket to Knoxville. The other 4 are food drops (with maps and such) to places where people have reccomended to me a drop might be a good idea:

Linden, VA (3 days food)
Harpers Ferry, WV (5 days food)
Port Clinton (3 days food)
Glencliff, NH (5 days) this is also where I plan to get my winter gear back.

rickb
09-30-2007, 20:57
Thirteen.

Heck, that's how many I had.

But with virtually no other resupply.

Must be nice walking from cantina to cantina.

Dont get fat!

:-)

Jim Adams
09-30-2007, 21:02
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against maildrops. In fact, I think OTHER people should absolutely have maildrops.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get so many goodies out of hiker boxes, everything from chapstick to batteries, a compass, razors, chocolate-covered cherries and Mountain House meals.

The more mail drops the better!!!


true...very true.:)

save the mail drops for special surprizes from friends and relatives and buy as you go.

geek

Paul Bunyan
09-30-2007, 21:08
Unless you have someone semdimg you the drops, and can change stuff up, you're going to get tired with your food pretty quickly. If I ever do the trail again, i'll probably only use a bounce box, and maybe a couple of drops in places that either have pretty bad prices, or don't have any place to get stuff. As others have said before, trying to meet deadlines can be a real pain. It's kind of hard to say what you should do, just make your own decision. But just as a note, if you're concerned about the cost, maildrops will probably cost the exact same as buying it yourself.

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 21:11
My wife will shop for me as I go - so I can tell her what I want in those 4 food drops.

frieden
09-30-2007, 21:17
maildrops will probably cost the exact same as buying it yourself.

That brings up a good point I had forgotten. When I travel, I go to the local grocery store, and they are the same in any country - they all have sale items! Some people need to go out to eat for socialization, but you can save money by buying what you like at the grocery on sale (something you could never carry in your pack), and fix it back at the hostel. Chances are a lot of people are doing the same thing, and you'll have plenty of conversation!

Does anyone know of a support network for hikers, who do not have a support network at home (for maildrops, and things)?

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:23
SGT Rock, there is a convenience/country store next to the post office in Linden. They do have things like candy bars, ramen, Lipton's, cracker packs, pop tarts and they make pretty good sandwiches. If you have to get some equipment from the post office anyway, a food drop isn't a bad idea, but it isn't absolutely necessary. You can get a couple of day's worth of food there, especially if you eat a sandwich there and pack one out for dinner.

There's a frequent bus to a shopping center with a Super Wal-Mart and a dollar store, a laundrymat, etc. that runs up the main street in Harpers Ferry. You can flag it down anywhere. Also, check the hiker boxes in the ATC office first, there was a great selection, but it probably varies.

If you need resupply in Port Clinton, you need a drop. Don't forget that you'll probably get a really filling meal at the hotel and a big breakfast at the diner if you decide to stay there overnight.

Glencliff has okay resupply at a large convenience store where the locals buy their groceries. It's not a real grocery store but they have all your typical hiker foodstuffs and some bananas, apples, etc. Course, since you're getting your winter gear anyway, it's not a bad idea to get food mailed with it. That's one of the friendliest P.O.'s on the trail, opens at 7:00 six days a week so you can get there after 5:00 pm and go to the P.O. and still hike out by 8:00 the next morning!

rafe
09-30-2007, 21:24
PS, if you must do maildrops, try to send them to towns that are on or near the trail. Example of a dumb maildrop: I sent a drop to Mt. Holly Springs (PA) based on some "rule" I'd devised (spacing drops at 150 mile intervals.) Had I been paying attention, I'd have sent that one to Boiling Springs, where the PO is right on the trail. D'oh.

Doctari
09-30-2007, 21:24
On my thru hike plan I have 5 drops, all with food items I really like but that are, , , , unusual, even in the "real world".

My last mail drop on my most recent section hike was in Erwin, a total waste of time/money! Everything in the mail drop was avalable at local stores, at the same (or nearly so) cost as at home, but witout the added cost of shipping, AND as I got to town Sunday, I had to wait till the PO opened Monday, then I had to get a ride to/from, I didn't hit the trail till past NOON.

I still am going to do a few mail drops, but they will be VERY VERY carefully thought out!

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:27
PS, if you must do maildrops, try to send them to towns that are on or near the trail. Example of a dumb maildrop: I sent a drop to Mt. Holly Springs (PA) based on some "rule" I'd devised (spacing drops at 150 mile intervals.) Had I been paying attention, I'd have sent that one to Boiling Springs, where the PO is right on the trail. D'oh.

Or what's worse, this summer I sent a maildrop to a P.O. a couple of miles off the trail and then had to walk past a strip shopping center with a HUGE grocery store right off the trail to get to the P.O! So of course I went in anyway to get some juice and fruit.

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 21:28
SGT Rock, there is a convenience/country store next to the post office in Linden. They do have things like candy bars, ramen, Lipton's, cracker packs, pop tarts and they make pretty good sandwiches. If you have to get some equipment from the post office anyway, a food drop isn't a bad idea, but it isn't absolutely necessary. You can get a couple of day's worth of food there, especially if you eat a sandwich there and pack one out for dinner.
So I can skip getting 3 days of food sent there


There's a frequent bus to a shopping center with a Super Wal-Mart and a dollar store, a laundrymat, etc. that runs up the main street in Harpers Ferry. You can flag it down anywhere. Also, check the hiker boxes in the ATC office first, there was a great selection, but it probably varies.
Thanks for that one too. I plan to always check hiker boxes first. I have been amazed at the things I have found in those in the past.


If you need resupply in Port Clinton, you need a drop. Don't forget that you'll probably get a really filling meal at the hotel and a big breakfast at the diner if you decide to stay there overnight.

Glencliff has okay resupply at a large convenience store where the locals buy their groceries. It's not a real grocery store but they have all your typical hiker foodstuffs and some bananas, apples, etc. Course, since you're getting your winter gear anyway, it's not a bad idea to get food mailed with it. That's one of the friendliest P.O.'s on the trail, opens at 7:00 six days a week so you can get there after 5:00 pm and go to the P.O. and still hike out by 8:00 the next morning!
Thanks for the advice.

rafe
09-30-2007, 21:33
Or what's worse, this summer I sent a maildrop to a P.O. a couple of miles off the trail and then had to walk past a strip shopping center with a HUGE grocery store right off the trail to get to the P.O! So of course I went in anyway to get some juice and fruit.

That's the irony, and why maildrops are dumb anyway, nowadays. I guess a bounce box of some sort (for maps, at least) is almost inevitable. But for food.... not! (Unless you're fussy, diabetic, vegan, etc.)

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:36
So I can skip getting 3 days of food sent there

You don't have to but it would make more sense to get a food drop in Linden (because of prices and selection) than Harpers Ferry.

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:40
That's the irony, and why maildrops are dumb anyway, nowadays. I guess a bounce box of some sort (for maps, at least) is almost inevitable. But for food.... not! (Unless you're fussy, diabetic, vegan, etc.)

A LOT of people ditched their bounce boxes in Damascus or elsewhere. Think about it: for the minimum of $5.00 in postage you have to spend, probably more like $7 or even more, you can just buy stuff. Resupply isn't like it was in the 1970s. If I had medication or something else important, I wouldn't want to risk bouncing it twenty times anyway. The P.O is pretty good, but mailing a package twenty times is just begging for it to get lost. Take a good hard look at whether you want to bounce a box the whole way, or not.

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 21:40
Well I was thinking I could get a good supply in Waynesboro before hitting SNP. The eat at places in SNP as I can to stretch food out - then hike to Linden on the north side for a re-supply to take me into HF. I figure about 3 days food from Linden to HF and then a shopping trip somewhere around HF or a food drop to the ATC HQ was the way to hit that section.

SGT Rock
09-30-2007, 21:41
A LOT of people ditched their bounce boxes in Damascus or elsewhere. Think about it: for the minimum of $5.00 in postage you have to spend, probably more like $7 or even more, you can just buy stuff. Resupply isn't like it was in the 1970s. If I had medication or something else important, I wouldn't want to risk bouncing it twenty times anyway. The P.O is pretty good, but mailing a package twenty times is just begging for it to get lost. Take a good hard look at whether you want to bounce a box the whole way, or not.
I decided no on the bounce box.

rafe
09-30-2007, 21:47
You don't have to but it would make more sense to get a food drop in Linden (because of prices and selection) than Harpers Ferry.

FWIW, for anyone heading S from HF, or approaching HF from the south...

Very Easy access to pub/restaurant 0.3 miles from the trail crossing at Keys Gap and again at Snickers Gap. Keys Gap also has a mini-mart right next door to the restaurant. Bears Den Hostel is on the mountain, just S of Snickers Gap.

Between these 2 gaps is Blackburn Trail center... no resupply, a long way down the ridge, but a very nice place to stay. Solar shower w/hot water... coffee and muffins for b'fast... cold sodas. Hopefulhiker and Redwing truly enjoy their role as caretakers.

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:48
Well I was thinking I could get a good supply in Waynesboro before hitting SNP. The eat at places in SNP as I can to stretch food out - then hike to Linden on the north side for a re-supply to take me into HF. I figure about 3 days food from Linden to HF and then a shopping trip somewhere around HF or a food drop to the ATC HQ was the way to hit that section.

That's what I did except just bought everything. There's a shortcut to Linden from the nearby shelter, your map might help with that.

I think the fast food in SNP is not very good, way expensive, and not worthing walking down the mountain and off the trail for, but still hard to resist at that point. If you plan to eat there, think about hitting the real restaurants in the lodges instead of the waysides.

WARNING: in 2006, the only REAL blackberry shakes were in the waysides in the north end of the park. The ones in the south just put a shot of blackberry-flavored syrup in a vanilla shake.

rafe
09-30-2007, 21:50
... the moral of the last post is: you can have great lunches with zero "cost" and lighten up your food load in this region. Applies elsewhere, with care and careful reading of the trail guides. :D

Appalachian Tater
09-30-2007, 21:52
FWIW, for anyone heading S from HF, or approaching HF from the south...

Very Easy access to pub/restaurant 0.3 miles from the trail crossing at Keys Gap and again at Snickers Gap. Keys Gap also has a mini-mart right next door to the restaurant. Bears Den Hostel is on the mountain, just S of Snickers Gap.

Between these 2 gaps is Blackburn Trail center... no resupply, a long way down the ridge, but a very nice place to stay. Solar shower w/hot water... coffee and muffins for b'fast... cold sodas. Hopefulhiker and Redwing truly enjoy their role as caretakers.

Bear's Den is a good place to get a shower, use the internet, make phone calls, eat ice cream, drink cold sodas, even if you don't stay there overnight. Blackburn is great, but the shower wasn't very hot (not too sunny) but there was also dinner in 2006. Hopefulhiker wasn't there but Redwing was a wonderful host, and there were dozens of hikers there.

UL minimalist
10-01-2007, 13:37
20 mail drops for me, with grocery buying points scattered in between.

Kirby

Yo Kirby its AKA Slimm from trail place. Glad to see you on a different corner of the interweb.

UL minimalist
10-01-2007, 13:43
That applies to the cost of hiking while purchasing food on the trail? I just want to know how much money I need to save this winter... My current calculation is about $3000 with a little fall back cash just in case. Is this a reasonable guess? Does anyone have any input on what they spent on there hilke or how much they plan to spend on there future thru-hike?

Blissful
10-01-2007, 14:03
Save mail drops for maps and stuff that you can't get locally. The "cost" I worry about isn't $$$ to USPS, but wasted time getting to/from the post office. (Esp. when you arrive in some sleepy town just after it closes on a Saturday afternoon...)


I'd think there would be a lot more waste - time and energywise, trying to hunt down a decent grocery store with sufficient items and that won't rob you blind. There are great places to buy food but many places that aren't. Several good places (like a wally world supercenter) require hitching or a long walk.

But you made a great point in another post, send your boxes to POs that are near the trail. Or better yet, send them to hostels and motels (more and more are accepting them at no charge). Then you don't have to worry about your pace, if it's Sat afternoon or Sunday, or anything else. You can relax.

I stopped sending my bounce box by the time I reached NJ (hubby talked me out of it :) ). But I still bounced forward in a mailing envelope my phone charger. And some meds that I take in case a drop didn't arrive (which happened twice in Maine for some reason)

Appalachian Tater
10-01-2007, 14:06
That applies to the cost of hiking while purchasing food on the trail? I just want to know how much money I need to save this winter... My current calculation is about $3000 with a little fall back cash just in case. Is this a reasonable guess? Does anyone have any input on what they spent on there hilke or how much they plan to spend on there future thru-hike?

No, $1 a mile is not reasonable unless you're very strict and don't spend eat in restaurants and only stay in cheap or free hostels. $3000 is better but till a little tight. Check out some of the other threads on this topic.

rafe
10-01-2007, 14:40
I'd think there would be a lot more waste - time and energywise, trying to hunt down a decent grocery store with sufficient items and that won't rob you blind. There are great places to buy food but many places that aren't. Several good places (like a wally world supercenter) require hitching or a long walk.

I avoid Wal-Mart if I can help it. But I found Kroger's to be a decent supermarket chain (eg., Duncannon, Waynesboro, Daleville.) No, you can't be fussy at most mini-marts and small-town grocery stores. OTOH, you can avail yourself to town food (ie, restaurants) to supplement the usual hiker grub. This strategy worked for me in the middle section of the trail. (eastern PA to mid-Virginia.) It might not work as well in other regions.


But you made a great point in another post, send your boxes to POs that are near the trail. Or better yet, send them to hostels and motels (more and more are accepting them at no charge). Then you don't have to worry about your pace, if it's Sat afternoon or Sunday, or anything else. You can relax.The only problem with the above is that (in general) you should contact the business establishment first, just to make sure they're still in business and that there will be someone there to dig out your package when you arrive. (There's also the issue of having to "do business" with them when all you really want is your mail drop... ;))

neo
10-01-2007, 15:21
I was planning on going strictly mail drop for my hike. Planning on piking up every 5 days at a designated P.O. The Problem I am coming across is that 10 pounds of food every 5 days plus random odds and ends is going to cost me a butt load to ship. And by my calculations I would spend roughly the same if I just baught stuff at Town stops on my way. Maybe I should send certain items in the mail. Like the GORP and stuff thats cheaper to make myself.

Any suggestions? Are mail drops really worth my yime? What is the overall cost to hike with food included?


i will never do mail drops again:cool: neo

frieden
10-01-2007, 21:55
That applies to the cost of hiking while purchasing food on the trail? I just want to know how much money I need to save this winter... My current calculation is about $3000 with a little fall back cash just in case. Is this a reasonable guess? Does anyone have any input on what they spent on there hilke or how much they plan to spend on there future thru-hike?

I don't have my folder in front of me, but if I remember correctly, we budgeted $3/mi (which didn't include the vitamin/mineral schedule). I think the suggested budget is $5/mi.

Appalachian Tater
10-01-2007, 22:04
I don't have my folder in front of me, but if I remember correctly, we budgeted $3/mi (which didn't include the vitamin/mineral schedule). I think the suggested budget is $5/mi.

$5/mile is over $10,000.00. Say you spent $4,000.00 on equipment. This would be very, very difficult but not absolutely impossible if you got the most expensive of everything, i.e., $150 fleece, $450 sleeping bag, $150 shoes. That would leave $6,000 or $1,000 per month for a (long) six month hike, or $250 a week. Even if you only ate the most expensive trail foods, you probably couldn't spend more than $100/week on trail food. That would leave $150/week to spend in town and on everything else. All of these estimates are on the very high end. I think you would have to work very hard in order to spend that amount. But it would be nice to have that much in the bank and not have to worry about what you were spending.

frieden
10-01-2007, 22:09
$5/mile is over $10,000.00. Say you spent $4,000.00 on equipment. This would be very, very difficult but not absolutely impossible if you got the most expensive of everything, i.e., $150 fleece, $450 sleeping bag, $150 shoes. That would leave $6,000 or $1,000 per month for a (long) six month hike, or $250 a week. Even if you only ate the most expensive trail foods, you probably couldn't spend more than $100/week on trail food. That would leave $150/week to spend in town and on everything else. All of these estimates are on the very high end. I think you would have to work very hard in order to spend that amount. But it would be nice to have that much in the bank and not have to worry about what you were spending.

Oopps! Sorry, little tired. No sleep. Gonna go to bed now.......

Dogwood
01-02-2008, 06:42
Lets say u hike 20 miles per day. That's 100 miles every 5 days. Assuming u start out with 5 days food, you'll need about 20 mail drops. If your budget conscience this is not the way to go. Save the mail drops for areas where it's not easy to resupply(ie; long hard hitch or nobody to take u into town) or u want certain gear or food for upcoming sections or u have a special diet or there's no large grocery store nearby). One thing about the AT, when compared to may of the other long distance hiking trails in the US, is that their are ample opportunities for resupply on the AT. You may find it cheaper and more convenient to take a mixed approach. U also may find it helpful to periodically push a box ahead once u get on the trail with the stuff that inevitably starts to accumulate as u progress on your journey. This also enables u to buy stuff in bigger towns(assuming they will have large supermarkets and the occasional gear shop) and ship it ahead to areas where food/gear will be scarce and as your preferences change. I personally am a super ultra lighter so I would rather resupply more often thereby reducing my total wt. but this also means going to a grocery store/ P.O. more frequently. It may mean spending more time finishing a trail or time hitching. But again, for me, the different town experiences(culture, food, history, architecture, art, hitching stories, characters, trail angels, situations, etc.)all add to the flavor and memories of the hike: don't under estimate the value of this part of your hike! Part of the allure of hiking the AT is that u don't have control of everything. Even with all the meticulous planning(and u should surely plan your hike) contingencies are going to arise that u didn't not expect. Be flexible and also enjoy that part of your journey. In the end it will be revealed to you. In the end you'll figure out what's best for the way YOU hike.

River Runner
01-03-2008, 00:44
Even with all the meticulous planning(and u should surely plan your hike) contingencies are going to arise that u didn't not expect. Be flexible and also enjoy that part of your journey.

That has got to be the truest statement ever! I don't think I've ever done a section of the AT that went exactly as I planned it. Not even a couple of short sections I've day-hiked.

As far as mail drops, I think it comes down to an individual decision on whether you are willing to eat whatever is available or are a picky eater/have special dietary needs; your style of hiking (are you willing to carry 5+ days of food at a time when you may be passing towns you could access more often? are you willing to stick more or less to a schedule so you reach your mail drops in a timely manner and at a time the establishment they are at is open?); and whether you want to spend the time before your hike to prepare 20+ mail drops if you decide to go with that as your primary resupply & if you have someone willing to store and ship them to you as needed.

snowsurfer
01-06-2008, 23:06
can i hike the trail with 1500 dollars no mail drops

rafe
01-06-2008, 23:14
can i hike the trail with 1500 dollars no mail drops

The maildrops you can skip, mostly. $1500 is a kinda light. But only you can answer that question definitively.

snowsurfer
01-06-2008, 23:15
i was wondering if $1500 dollars will get me from georgia to maine, straight through. no hotel stay, no restaurants spoils

rafe
01-06-2008, 23:20
i was wondering if $1500 dollars will get me from georgia to maine, straight through. no hotel stay, no restaurants spoils

I imagine with enough diligence and self-sacrifice, it can be done. If you succeed, it will make a good story and I'm sure others would like to know how it was done.

ScottP
01-06-2008, 23:28
Doing maildrops is great if you already really have a good handle on thru-hiking, but if you think that you're only going to need 2 lbs of food a day for maildrops then you should just buy as you go so that you can learn more about what you need while thru-hiking.

Marta
01-07-2008, 07:56
i was wondering if $1500 dollars will get me from georgia to maine, straight through. no hotel stay, no restaurants spoils

It's possible, but not probable that you can do it for that much money. A lot more hikers quit their hikes because they ran out of money than finish on $1500. But if that's what you have, go for it. If you make it, please let everyone know and send the doubters a big raspberry.