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Dazzy001
01-14-2008, 10:48
Is there a complete list of mail drop for the AT, I found 14 so far but that seams to few, That would mean getting re-supplied twice a month??? :-?

Thanks in advance.
Big Dazzy.

Tin Man
01-14-2008, 10:50
Did you look at the resupply articles? Go to home page, articles on left.

Hooch
01-14-2008, 10:51
You may want to give some consideration to reading Baltimore Jack's resupply artices. Plenty of good advice in there, including info about mail drops.

Appalachian Tater
01-14-2008, 10:54
Look here for articles, including one about mail drops and a list of post offices: http://whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=content

You can also do drops at some hostels or outfitters and other trail-related businesses as well as the ATC in Harpers Ferry.

You may not need to do many or any drops. Read the re-supply articles, too.

Jack Tarlin
01-14-2008, 14:54
Dazzy:

In addition to the material in the Articles section of Whiteblaze, any of the Trail guides (such as the Thru-Hikers Companion or the Thru-Hikers Handbook) will contain all sorts of useful information on Re-Supply possibilities; addresses and locations of places that accept hiker mail, etc. The 2008 editions of these books will be available within the next week or two.

Keep in mind that in recent years, hikers are sending a lot fewer maildrops to themselves than they did in the old days. This is especially true with food, as most folks seem to prefer buying what they need while en route. There are really a lot more places along the Trail to buy food than you might think.

katagious
01-21-2008, 17:06
I probably still have the list I used for the boys last summer. I mailed approximately every 5 days.
However, I adjusted my list several times as when they set their minds to it they moved very quickly...and then other times where they would just dilly dally all day.

I used Post office drops exclusively and tried to adjust to those closest to the trail. It was not always convenient for them as there were times they would just get to the post office after it closed on a Saturday...and have to wait until Monday. Usually they they were in a position that they could slack for a day or two and hit the p.o's that monday. Also, there was the time my youngest lost his license at the Library and was very fortunate that he has one of those faces..and the Post Master allowed him to pick up his package...

-SEEKER-
01-22-2008, 17:06
Dazzy:
Keep in mind that in recent years, hikers are sending a lot fewer maildrops to themselves than they did in the old days. This is especially true with food, as most folks seem to prefer buying what they need while en route. There are really a lot more places along the Trail to buy food than you might think.
I've been working on my schedule and it looks like if I re-supply about every 5-7 days I will need about 32 mail drops. Does this sound about right? If I use less drops and re-supply in town at stores, it seems like I will be spending a lot of time off the trail. What are others experiences as far as loosing trail time? I may change my attitude once I'm out there, but for now I want to HIKE not shop.

Jack Tarlin
01-22-2008, 17:16
32 is kind of a lot, at least if we're talking about drops that contain food.

Unless you're dehydrating all your meals, or are on some sort of specialized diet (vegan, kosher, etc.) you'll probably discover that there are a lot more places on the Trail to buy food than you might think, and in most cases, they're easy to get to. There's really no point in sending food to towns that have decent resupply sites, and many of the larger Trail towns (Hiawassee; Franklin; Gatlinburg; Erwin: Damascus; Pearisburg; etc.) all have full-sized supermarkets.

So it seems to me, you can probably cut back on some of your food parcels.

If you look in the Artcles section of Whiteblaze, you'll find a full-length article on Re-Supply and re-supply locations; many folks have found this article useful.

Nean
01-22-2008, 17:20
I've been working on my schedule and it looks like if I re-supply about every 5-7 days I will need about 32 mail drops. Does this sound about right? If I use less drops and re-supply in town at stores, it seems like I will be spending a lot of time off the trail. What are others experiences as far as loosing trail time? I may change my attitude once I'm out there, but for now I want to HIKE not shop.

You will spend much more time, trouble, and money getting to 32 mail drops.:(
Quicker and much easier to get what you need as you need it* along the way.;)

*you can't really know this before you get there*:-?

*wherever there is:eek:

Pedaling Fool
01-22-2008, 17:23
32 is kind of a lot, at least if we're talking about drops that contain food.

Unless you're dehydrating all your meals, or are on some sort of specialized diet (vegan, kosher, etc.) ...
32 is a little bit high; I dehydrate the bulk of my food and that's still over twice as many mail-drops that I used. (used about 12). There are some foods that are just not worth mailing, especially rice. I was able to send to towns that were on the trail or very close, not much of a problem, but 32 would be a hassle.

Jack Tarlin
01-22-2008, 17:45
Cyndie:

I forgot to mention that another useful thing about the Re-Supply article is that it provides information on how long a particular stretch of the Trail is likely to take you. For example, you'll discover that there are a lot of stretches where you'll be needing 2-4 or 2-5 days worth of food instead of 5-7. If you go with all those 5-7 fooddrops, I think what you'll discover is that you're arriving in town or some other place that has a perfectly good market,
only to find that you hiked into town carrying two or three days worth of food.....needlessly. At two to three pounds of food per day, you'll find out that it's a real pain to arrive in a town realizing that you just packed an extra 9 or 10 pounds of food that you didn't need on that particular stretch.

In my experience, people tend to make their food maildrops bigger than they really need; this generally means they hike out of every town carrying more than they need, or they end up dumping or giving away their unneeded food, which means they wasted money when they bought the stuff and wasted yet more when they mailed it.

Buying most of your food while en route seems to work out best for most folks. There are really only a handful of places where it's a good idea to have food mailed to yourself. Buying en route also has the advantage of your being able to buy what you actually want to eat, instead of eating stuff that you picked out and boxed up months before.......and have gotten completely sick of in the meantime. Buying en route also gives you the chance to observe what other hikers are eating, and if you wish, to follow their example and try out new things. If you rely mainly or entirely on pre-purchased fooddrops, you're pretty much stuck with them.

Johnny Swank
01-22-2008, 19:27
Out of 530 thru-hikers surveyed, I can only think of a handful that said that they'd want MORE maildrops. There were dozens that said they'd have either 0 or a couple for maps/gear replacement.

burger
01-22-2008, 21:58
Just to provide a contrary view, there are some advantages to getting your food my mail drop (for the half of the trail I've done, I've only used mail drops):

- you can always have the exact food that you want no matter what's in the stores
- if you make/dehydrate your own food, you get the satisfaction of having done something yourself
- you won't have to worry so much about money on the trail
- you get in and out of town quickly
- if you're carrying maps, they're easier to deal with when you get regular mail drops

As I see it, the only two big disadvantages of mail drops are the prep time that you (or your off-trail benefactor) have to put in to get the food ready and the occasional hassle of getting to the post office on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. But it's ultimately just a matter of taste--however you choose to get your food, it's doable.

-SEEKER-
01-22-2008, 23:13
I have been working with the re-supply article that I printed off of White Blaze along with the AT Data Book. I guess it's just a psychological thing at this point that going shopping is going to take away from the experience of being out in the woods "away from it all". I just hate the thought of wasting time in stores. I do trust the advice of all of you here that have much more experience than I, so I shall work on limiting mail drops and just going with the flow. Need to tame that type A personality. :D That's why I like the woods!

A-Train
01-22-2008, 23:22
Why not do a mix of drops and shopping?

I started with about 6-8 drops in the south and gradually weened off of them. This worked well because I realized more and more that food was accessible almost everywhere (and this was in 03', more options now).

You may think shopping will take up your time, however waiting for the PO to open will also stop you from hiking. Do you really want to spend ALL your time in the woods? You may find after a few weeks you'll be looking forward to civilaization and rest more than you think. Your tastes and cravings will change and shopping will allow you to satisfy your taste buds. You can certainly hike the trail in 4,5,6,7 months and still have plenty off off-trail/town experiences. They are some of the best experiences since other hikers are around (and food is involved!)

My advice would be to stay flexible, be ready to change, and throw out any pre-concieved notions. Have some maildrops prepared and see how you like them. Don't drive yourself crazy planning-this is supposed to be fun!

ARambler
01-22-2008, 23:29
Just to provide a contrary view, there are some advantages to getting your food my mail drop (for the half of the trail I've done, I've only used mail drops):

- you can always have the exact food that you want no matter what's in the stores
- if you make/dehydrate your own food, you get the satisfaction of having done something yourself
- you won't have to worry so much about money on the trail
- you get in and out of town quickly
- if you're carrying maps, they're easier to deal with when you get regular mail drops

As I see it, the only two big disadvantages of mail drops are the prep time that you (or your off-trail benefactor) have to put in to get the food ready and the occasional hassle of getting to the post office on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. But it's ultimately just a matter of taste--however you choose to get your food, it's doable.

I would recommend 33 mail drops, because you seem smart and insane. Smart: 5.5 mo *30day/mo/33 drops = 5 days between drops. This sounds smart. It would be 13.75 days for 12 drops. (Of course, after you break you back, you will hear "Mostly dehydrated")
Insane: Hard for me to get personal satisfaction in a PO (even if I have moved up in the top 10) so I only agree with the last item. It is nice to regularly get small items, maps, 1/2 roll tp, a zip lock or two, etc. I mainly do it so I can reliably and affordibly get freeze dried dinners which I like for the variety and ease of cleanup. Also, the extra contact with home, is worth the burden I put on them.

There are more than two main disadvantages to mail drops. 3) You will tend to carry extra food. It is hard to leave extra food in the hiker box and prohibitively expensive to mail it home. If you pack before you leave you will not be close to the amount of food you need between stops. 4) Even if your mail drops have enough food, you will want to buy fresh food. Many need fruit, I need cheese and bread/bagels) If you're in a store that has this, you might as well get everything. 5) with postage going up, it is generally believed that even with sales at home, mail drops are more expensive and you are paying a premium to take business away from the trail communities. Save yourself, learn how to make Liptons and Raman exciting.
Rambler

Pedaling Fool
01-23-2008, 00:41
I have been working with the re-supply article that I printed off of White Blaze along with the AT Data Book. I guess it's just a psychological thing at this point that going shopping is going to take away from the experience of being out in the woods "away from it all". I just hate the thought of wasting time in stores. I do trust the advice of all of you here that have much more experience than I, so I shall work on limiting mail drops and just going with the flow. Need to tame that type A personality. :D That's why I like the woods!
Hey Cyindie, I made up this schedule for mail-drops in 2006. Nothing ever goes as planned, but it was a good base to start with. See if you can make it work. Have a nice hike.

Jack Tarlin
01-23-2008, 18:02
I think John's list is impressive, but then again I see all sorts of places where he had food sent where he could have very easily bought food instead.

*For example, there's perfectly good resupply at Bluff Mountain Outfitters in Hot Springs, plus there's a dollar store and a small convenience store. All of these are located directly on the Trail

*Damascus has a great supermarket, a few minutes walk from downtown

*Pearisburg has two supermarkets, one of which is directly on the A.T.

*There's an enormous supermarket in Daleville (near Troutville) .4 off the Trail; it might be the largest and best supermarket anywhere near the Trail


*Most hikers go into Waynesboro; there's a big supermarket in the center
of town.

*There are big markets on or near the Trail in Boiling Springs; Duncannon;
Kent; Salisbury; North Adams/Williamstown; Hanover.

And so on. Honestly, folks, why spend postage mailing stuff to places where there are perfectly good supermarkets either close to or ON the A.T? Cutting out unnecessary maildrops is not that tough and has several immediate advantages: You don't have to worry about getting into town and finding the P.O. closed; you don't have to worry about missing or late parcels; you can actually buy food you like instead of receiving stuff you bought months before and have now grown sick of; and you'll save at least seven or eight dollars per box on postage. Oh, and in many cases, food is cheaper down South than it is in many other parts of the country, so it's actually cheaper in many cases to shop while en route.

But it's all good, whatever you decide to do. But personally, I'd cut down on the "food" maildrops; I'd send food only to places where it's difficult to shop, or places where the Re-supply options are lousy; and I'd try to send as many drops as possible to NON Post Office locations, such as hostels, outfitters, etc., so one doesn't have to worry about arriving at a location when the Post Office is closed.

Pedaling Fool
01-23-2008, 18:08
I just like my dehydrated stuff to go with the stuff at the grocery stores. I should add I do things differently now, I kind of "NUKED IT" on that list, but the basic concept is the same.

Pedaling Fool
01-23-2008, 18:12
...*There's an enormous supermarket in Daleville (near Troutville) .4 off the Trail; it might be the largest and best supermarket anywhere near the Trail
...
Jack's right again...
I got Troutville on my list, but that just one of my many mistakes. Daleville is a much better town to stop and resupply.

-SEEKER-
01-23-2008, 18:51
A lot of good points made. I'm still a bit confused though. If I go to a store to re-supply my breakfast staple of instant oatmeal, since they come in a box of 10 packets, all of a sudden I'm carrying 10 days worth instead of 5-7 days worth.:confused:

Pedaling Fool
01-23-2008, 18:56
It'll work out, sometimes you'll just go in with someone and split the cost and contents of whatever... I wouldn't worry about stuff like that. Besides you'll get sick of oatmeal real quick....;)

Jack Tarlin
01-23-2008, 19:09
John's raised a good point.....in some cases, it makes sense to go food shopping with some other hikers and split stuff up amongst several people. (For example, sometimes stores have boxes that only sell powdered milk in boxes that contain 10 individual quart envelopes!) Other things that you might want to buy in larger quantities and then split up are candy bars (multipacks are always cheaper than individual bars); olive oil; batteries; squeeze butter; spices, etc.

And remember that outfitters frequently sell things in smaller or individual quantities, like those oatmeal packets; milk; Pop Tarts; even Ziplock bags.

Another tip: there are lots of "Dollar Stores" on the Trail and these are good places to buy snacks and candy, as well as buying small "Travel" sized bottles of things like toothpaste, soap, shampoo for your town stops, etc.

Johnny Swank
01-23-2008, 19:10
There's ways around that, like splitting a box with another hiker, or better yet, eating like a horse. I'm willing to bet that you'll soon be woofing down at least 2 of those things at a time once your hunger kicks in.

A lot of the time, I ended up with some food left over between towns, whatever was purchased for resupply was to supplement those leftovers. It also pays to be flexible. Eat that extra oatmeal for lunch sometime!

Something that's not been mentioned is how much your tastes change over time. I started with a bunch of food drops, then had my folks get rid of most of the food that was in them before sending because I was just plain sick of what I'd packed.

Being able to cater to whatever kick you happen to be into that week is one big, big benefit of buying mostly along the way. For instance, I ate nothing but PBJ's and Fritos for the better part of a couple of three weeks just because I was craving the fat and salt (and taste!)

FWIW - there is absolutely no reason to mail macaroni, Lipton meals, ramen, and that sort of thing. Every gas station, grocery, and country store between Springer and Katahdin carries that stuff, and you'll probably double the cost by the time you mail it.

-SEEKER-
01-23-2008, 19:10
[you'll get sick of oatmeal real quick....;)[/quote]
I don't know... I'm like the dog, she's been eating the same food every day for 5 1/2 years now. :rolleyes: You are no doubt correct! I'll have to note the date that happens in my journal.:p

Johnny Swank
01-23-2008, 19:12
7 years later, and I still gag at the thought of instant oatmeal. Ugh!

Dazzy001
01-29-2008, 21:14
I am getting ready for my AT 2009 thru-hike got my mail drops down to 14, and have read this and other threads about re-supply strategies, I agree with most here, but there are items I like all the time, and being 6'1" and already eat like a horse, I have decided to make sure I only send hard to find favorites in my supply drops and let my tastes take me where ever it might lead me, what I am trying to say is be flexible with everything as some or all probable wont got to plan anyhow....

Appalachian Tater
01-29-2008, 23:05
Something that's not been mentioned is how much your tastes change over time. I started with a bunch of food drops, then had my folks get rid of most of the food that was in them before sending because I was just plain sick of what I'd packed.

Being able to cater to whatever kick you happen to be into that week is one big, big benefit of buying mostly along the way. For instance, I ate nothing but PBJ's and Fritos for the better part of a couple of three weeks just because I was craving the fat and salt (and taste!)


Exactly. Your tastes may change when you're hiking all day, burning a lot of calories, and spending most of your time outside over the course of two or three seasons with corresponding weather changes. Do you eat the same thing when the high of the day is 30 degrees and 95 degrees?

A lot of the stuff in hiker boxes is from maildrops: bags of "mystery" meals sent from home consisting of mixtures of strange legumes and odd grains. Interesting to look at but no one wants to eat that stuff.

If you know how many meals you're buying for, after a couple of resupplies for practice, shopping for food doesn't take much time at all. The selection of foods that you will be choosing from is fairly limited and the hardest part is locating a particular item in an unfamiliar store when it's not where it's usually found. You also learn to do it quickly when someone has been nice enough to give you a ride to the grocery store and is waiting for you to finish shopping.

You will probably want to go to the grocery store anyway, to get items like fresh fruit, milk, and juice, if not ice cream and beer.

Tin Man
01-29-2008, 23:19
7 years later, and I still gag at the thought of instant oatmeal. Ugh!

Reminds me of a story:

Me: Bro, what's for breakfast?
Him: Let's see, ah here it is, Oatmeal!
Me: What flavor?
Him: Flavor? Um, cardboard with a pasty texture.
Me: Hey, I thought you liked Oatmeal.
Him: No, this was your idea.
Me: Nuts! Pass the beef jerky...and the nuts.

-SEEKER-
01-30-2008, 16:33
Okay, now I'm down to about 13 drops and still working on it. Any specific info on a good place to send a mail drop in Waynesboro,Va and possibly Glasgow before that? (keeping my options open :rolleyes: just in case) Please, no post offices if possible. My last drop before entering this area is Pearisburg and the following one is Harpers Ferry.

rafe
01-30-2008, 16:47
Okay, now I'm down to about 13 drops and still working on it. Any specific info on a good place to send a mail drop in Waynesboro,Va and possibly Glasgow before that? (keeping my options open :rolleyes: just in case) Please, no post offices if possible. My last drop before entering this area is Pearisburg and the following one is Harpers Ferry.

Maybe The Inn at Afton? It's the hotel you see, up on the hill, where the trail meets the highway at Rockfish Gap. An easy walk from the trail. I stayed there one night this summer. A bit dumpy, but the pool and the view are great. Price is so-so (about $60.)

A-Train
01-30-2008, 17:00
Okay, now I'm down to about 13 drops and still working on it. Any specific info on a good place to send a mail drop in Waynesboro,Va and possibly Glasgow before that? (keeping my options open :rolleyes: just in case) Please, no post offices if possible. My last drop before entering this area is Pearisburg and the following one is Harpers Ferry.

Why would you want to send a maildrop to Waynesboro? It;s got a huge supermarket. Or you could maildrop to the motel right at Rockfish Gap (Inn at Afton?) and skip Waynesboro altogether.

-SEEKER-
01-30-2008, 17:23
Why would you want to send a maildrop to Waynesboro? It;s got a huge supermarket. Or you could maildrop to the motel right at Rockfish Gap (Inn at Afton?) and skip Waynesboro altogether.

In Jack Tarlins' article he notes it will take most people 5-7 days to get through The Shenandoah National Park. Any time I'm going to carry that much food I would like for it to be food that I already have pre-packaged here at home. It is very light in weight and compact.

A-Train
01-30-2008, 17:25
In Jack Tarlins' article he notes it will take most people 5-7 days to get through The Shenandoah National Park. Any time I'm going to carry that much food I would like for it to be food that I already have pre-packaged here at home. It is very light in weight and compact.

Well, that advice is deceiving. It takes most 5-7 days to get thru the park, but you could probably get away with carrying 3-4 days food, with the plethora of restaurants, waysides, stores and grills. Though, bring your credit card if you use this method.

-SEEKER-
01-30-2008, 17:34
I really do enjoy and respect everyones advice. I have to sit back and laugh at myself as I read these posts. It's a good thing I never had children as it looks like I would be the type of parent that would drive from Ohio to Georgia without any lunch or potty stops! :rolleyes:

rafe
01-30-2008, 17:39
In Jack Tarlins' article he notes it will take most people 5-7 days to get through The Shenandoah National Park. Any time I'm going to carry that much food I would like for it to be food that I already have pre-packaged here at home. It is very light in weight and compact.

No need to carry a lot of food in SNP; there are several places within the park, right off the trail, for short-term resupply. Plus, there are some nice grills and restaurants. Don't miss the blackberry milkshakes! Yumm. :D

Jack Tarlin
01-30-2008, 19:25
Actually, A-Train, I just checked my Re-Suply Article. It says very plainly that it takes most folks 5-7 days to get thru Shenendoah, and that while one can shop at the little stores in the Park, one wouldn't want to do a total Re-Supply at these places because of limited selection and high prices. My article further suggests leaving Waynesboro with 3-4 days worth of basic supplies, and then supplementing this from the little stores in the Park.

Which is exactly what you just said.

So why you described my advice as being "deceiving" kind of escapes me.

Dazzy001
01-30-2008, 20:52
Hi Cyndie, Can you read Excel files on your computer, if this the case i send you a spread sheet with the mail drops i'm going to use in 2009.

A-Train
01-30-2008, 21:44
Actually, A-Train, I just checked my Re-Suply Article. It says very plainly that it takes most folks 5-7 days to get thru Shenendoah, and that while one can shop at the little stores in the Park, one wouldn't want to do a total Re-Supply at these places because of limited selection and high prices. My article further suggests leaving Waynesboro with 3-4 days worth of basic supplies, and then supplementing this from the little stores in the Park.

Which is exactly what you just said.

So why you described my advice as being "deceiving" kind of escapes me.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself well, but I think she got the point. I do agree with your article, but I wasn't looking at it at the time, and haven't memorized all of it. I meant the fact that it takes someone 5-7 days to walk the park is deceiving since one doesn't have to carry all that food weight.

Which is what your article says. So no biggie.