View Full Version : 2-3 maildrops for maps
I'm thru hiking in '08, and I'm planning to only do 2-3 maildrops for my maps. I thought I may as well throw in some food as well, so I was wondering: Are there any places roughly 1/3 of the way, and 2/3 of the way that are hard to resupply at, but have a post office?
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 13:32
Catawba, Va. is about 1/3 of the way. Most go in to eat at the Homeplace Restaurant. Not much of a grocery there.
If you're going to carry all the maps for each 1/3 of the trail with you, just be forewarned that the weight will be substantial. I'd guess at least a few ounces for each map, and some of the maps (like the ones for the PATC-maintained section) are big and HEAVY (and one-sided, too, grrrrr). For the half of the trail I've done, I did all my food by mail drop, so I never had to carry more than one or two maps at a time. If it wasn't possible to swap out maps every week or two, I'd have just left them at home.
Jack Tarlin
11-29-2007, 15:36
Burger is right. There are around thirty-odd trail maps, and one third of them is gonna weigh a helluva lot. Plus, one third of the maps will take you damned near to Waynesboro, Virginia. Why do you wanna be carrying maps of southwestern Virginia when you're in Georgia? Or carrying maps of Connecticut when you're still in Maryland?
Three maildrops for maps is kind of a crazy idea. Find a friend or family member willing to reliably send you what you need when you need it. You can pre-box and prestamp the parcels so all your friend has to do is mail them to you on time. It's not hard, and it's not that expensive. But leaving Springer Mountian with a pound and a half of maps, including some you won't actually be needing for two months is kind of a crazy thing to do.
Erick, if you look at the "Articles" section of this website, you'll see information on maildrops and re-supply that might help you, and may give you some ideas on the best places to send yourself mail.
Blissful
11-29-2007, 16:57
All I can say, another 16 yr old looking to thru hike...Fantastic!!!! Go for it!!
But get as much info as you can by reading the threads and articles. Many people here with great wisdom.
FWIW and by-the-way... since the map sets are kind of expensive... I usually send the "used" maps home when I pick up a new set at the PO. Just a thought. I'd prefer not to do mail drops at all, but maps kinda made them necessary (about once every 10 days/150 miles or so.)
yeah, I know its kind off weird to carry 1/3 of the maps, but I really want to avoid maildrops as much as possible, and I don't mind the weight. Thanks for the info L.W.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 21:37
yeah, I know its kind off weird to carry 1/3 of the maps, but I really want to avoid maildrops as much as possible, and I don't mind the weight. Thanks for the info L.W.
you're welcome
Here's another idea: Use a bounce bucket, that way you don't need to do much maildrop preparation or bother friends and family with helping you out. Start with the GA map and mail your bucket with all the maps to Hiawassee, then continue sending the bucket up the trail to the next place it seems logical to need new maps. I'd carry 2-3 maps at a time as to not having to deal with the bucket pick up every week. Just re-tape the lid each time you re-mail. And, if you don't open the bucket, or don't make it to a particular town, or decide to skip you can forward it for free.
If you do decide to do this, make sure you send it to a place that will send out mail. Of course PO's mail stuff, as do most outfitters, but a place like a hostel will probably not be able to send outgoing packages.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 21:53
he wants to carry the maps
LW mentioned Catawba VA as about 1/3rd of the way. Kent CT is about 2/3rds of the way. Has the reputation of being a pricey place for lodging and some other stuff (it has a full-service grocery -- maybe others here know if it is as expensive as a lot of the other shops in Kent), but the PO is within a mile of the trail. A couple other CT towns with POs within a mile of the trail but without full-blown grocery stores, according to the AT Companion, are Cornwall Bridge and Falls Village.
Pedaling Fool
11-29-2007, 22:49
I had 4 maildrops for maps:
Damascus, Va.
Harpers Ferry, W. Va.
Delaware Water Gap, Pa.
Noth Adams, Ma.
ok, I read through my companion and came up with this:
Damascus or Catawba in VA
Harpers Ferry
Kent or Salisbury, CT
It should be roughly a pound of maps at a time and I will mail the used ones home whenever its handy
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 23:38
looks good.
Uncle Silly
11-30-2007, 00:00
...And, if you don't open the bucket, or don't make it to a particular town, or decide to skip you can forward it for free.
If you do decide to do this, make sure you send it to a place that will send out mail. Of course PO's mail stuff, as do most outfitters, but a place like a hostel will probably not be able to send outgoing packages.
Note that the PO won't forward for free if the package is delivered to anything other than the PO. Send the bounce bucket (wouldn't a box be lighter, thus cheaper?) to yourself at "General Delivery" at the PO, then you can call from anywhere to have it forwarded.
I believe the free forwarding may also be limited to Priority Mail packages; is this correct?
Uncle Silly:
You are correct. The mail has to be sent priority, but often times that cost is the same as parcel post. Also, of course the package has to be sent to a PO to be forwarded for free. But if you knew you were sending it to a town like Hot Springs where you would definately use the contents, you COULD send it to Bluff Mountain Outfitters who could mail something for you on a saturday or sunday.
The reasoning behind the bucket is this (copied this from Chris, who use to often post on WB): The Bucket will last the entire trip, where a box is gonna get tattered and ripped after a couple mailings. Also you don't need to worry about things getting destroyed or knocked around enroute. It makes ur package really easy to find instead of blending in with 30 other hiker boxes (this doesn;t work on the PCT anymore) and you've got a seat to sit on when in town doing chores!
SGT Rock
11-30-2007, 00:41
As I recall, the average weight of the maps (they very quite a bit) is about 1.6 ounces, and I think there are about 34 maps. So that means you are carrying about 8.5 maps per 1/4 trail - or about 14 ounces of maps. So you are going to be carrying close to a pound of maps at any given time. Just something to be thinking about.
Uncle Silly
11-30-2007, 00:55
As I recall, the average weight of the maps (they very quite a bit) is about 1.6 ounces, and I think there are about 34 maps. So that means you are carrying about 8.5 maps per 1/4 trail - or about 14 ounces of maps. So you are going to be carrying close to a pound of maps at any given time. Just something to be thinking about.
Even so, that weight will drop regularly over the course of that 1/4 trail, as he'll be discarding (or more likely, mailing home) the maps he's done with as he finishes them.
It's not a bad way to do it, if your goal is to keep maildrops to a minimum. You and I would suck it up and use more maildrops. (And he might also.)
BTW, I think 1 lb per 1/4 of the trail is a very optomistic estimate. I haven't done the weighing myself yet, but I'd expect closer to 2 lbs for each 1/4, maybe 3 (worst-case guesstimate).
SGT Rock
11-30-2007, 01:01
Even so, that weight will drop regularly over the course of that 1/4 trail, as he'll be discarding (or more likely, mailing home) the maps he's done with as he finishes them.
It's not a bad way to do it, if your goal is to keep maildrops to a minimum. You and I would suck it up and use more maildrops. (And he might also.)
BTW, I think 1 lb per 1/4 of the trail is a very optomistic estimate. I haven't done the weighing myself yet, but I'd expect closer to 2 lbs for each 1/4, maybe 3 (worst-case guesstimate).
I did do the weighing - I just don't have the exact numbers in front of me. But like I said, something like 34 maps, and I know the average weight is 1.6 ounces. So that means the total weight of all maps is 3.4 pounds.
warraghiyagey
11-30-2007, 02:49
I did do the weighing - I just don't have the exact numbers in front of me. But like I said, something like 34 maps, and I know the average weight is 1.6 ounces. So that means the total weight of all maps is 3.4 pounds.
Yeah, I definitely can't see starting out with over a pound of maps.
Lone Wolf
11-30-2007, 09:34
he's young and strong. a measley pound of maps will hardly slow him down. you weight weenies need to chll.
hopefulhiker
11-30-2007, 10:01
Don't forget a data book too...
Blissful
11-30-2007, 12:46
he's young and strong. a measley pound of maps will hardly slow him down. you weight weenies need to chll.
It's the teen thing. Paul Bunyan thought the same thing - insisted on carrying his 2 pound knife and other assorted gear like a voice recorder, etc. No amt of convincing changed his mind. Thought better of it a week or so into the hike and began shipping stuff home.
So I'd get ready to have someone mail you maps, just in case. :) The trail will convince you in no time.
The way I see it, its easier for me to carry the extra weight than to do lots of maildrops. Maildrops=Huge pain in the butt.
ARambler
11-30-2007, 17:51
he's young and strong. a measley pound of maps will hardly slow him down. you weight weenies need to chll.
So, Minnisota Smith was a 25:1 shot and this kid doesn't have to worry? How do we judge which guy is more stuborn?
LW, will you give me even odds that this guy doesn't make it?
Rambler
So, Minnisota Smith was a 25:1 shot and this kid doesn't have to worry? How do we judge which guy is more stuborn?
LW, will you give me even odds that this guy doesn't make it?
Rambler
I'll talk to you in August after I finish:banana
ATSeamstress
12-04-2007, 15:59
Good luck to you Erick!
Maps are fun to have and take along. But you really don't need them when hiking the AT. One has to really work at it to get lost on a trail so well marked.
David
Lone Wolf
12-04-2007, 17:40
But you really don't need them when hiking the AT. One has to really work at it to get lost on a trail so well marked.
David
it ain't about getting lost. it's about finding the quickest way out of the mountains if you or someone else is injured. hiking without maps is foolish.
Jack Tarlin
12-04-2007, 17:48
Gotta agree with Wolf on this one. David is dead wrong. People get lost on the A.T. all the time. And maps have all sorts of other uses: They'll help you plan your day's itinerary and will help you find a good place to end your day. They'll tell you where alternative water sources are. They'll tell you all sorts of things about the land around you, including telling you what roads lead where, which can be invaluable if you have to get out of the woods in a hurry; if you get involved with a search or rescue of another hiker; if you have to help an injured or sick hiker out of the woods, etc.
One doesn't carry maps because they are "fun." One carries them because they will be useful to you every day, in fact you will use them several times a day. They may also save your life, or help you to save someone else's. One carries them not because they are fun, but because it is foolish, reckless, and irresponsible NOT to carry them. Anyone that says one doesn't need maps on the A.T. or that one should not bother with them is giving lousy advice. Unless one is traversing a piece of land one knows intimately, one should bring a current map, and this is true whether or not you're in the woods for a few hours or for six months.
it ain't about getting lost. it's about finding the quickest way out of the mountains if you or someone else is injured. hiking without maps is foolish.
I thought it was about finding the quickest way to a gluttony opportunity. :D
MtnTrail
12-08-2007, 00:34
Best of luck to you Erick. You're sounding wonderfully sensible and mature, with a splash of independent exuberance thrown in, for a 16 year old. My 16 year old could not, would not, have been as deliberative.
Nice to see another 16 year old hitting the trail next year, the best of luck to you. Maps are very usefull while hiking, especially backpacking, they should always be carried. Even though the AT is a well marked trail, for the most part, it is easy to loose the trail, happened to me a couple of times in thw wilderness this summer.
See you on the trail,
Kirby
johnny quest
12-12-2007, 10:51
LW, will you give me even odds that this guy doesn't make it?
Rambler
that is messed up, man. messed up. if you feel the need to bet on someone's ability to accomplish a goal, do it privately....and seek help.
Chicken Feathers
12-21-2007, 21:27
I'm thru hiking in '08, and I'm planning to only do 2-3 maildrops for my maps. I thought I may as well throw in some food as well, so I was wondering: Are there any places roughly 1/3 of the way, and 2/3 of the way that are hard to resupply at, but have a post office?
:banana
Chicken Feathers
12-21-2007, 21:33
Erick I
Flat rate is $8.95, so I recommend using the other priority boxes if your item would ship for less than that (especially if you are bumping something forward)
Chicken Feathers
01-02-2008, 11:08
Flat rate is $8.95, so I recommend using the other priority boxes if your item would ship for less than that (especially if you are bumping something forward)
That does not make sense if you are shipping something that only cost $2.00 why would you not want tobumpins forward why would you not want to pay the P O $8.95. :banana
ShoelessWanderer
06-17-2009, 21:19
Is it really a necessity to bring maps? Seems like a lot of extra weight. How often are you honestly going to reference them? I know I hardly ever pull out a map/guidebook on the AT. It's marked well enough that you really don't have to. I normally bring a guidebook with me, just to be on the safe side. Gives me elevation and all the towns/main side trails. Don't need much else.