Maildrop List for review

[NashvilleBiscuit]

I have decided to only do mail drops when I want new maps. First I am from Tenn and will have visitors in Gatlinburg so I have no need to start maildrops til after that. Here is my list... any advice on if these places will work or if there is a better town nearby would be helpful.

Starting off with maps through Smokies.
Will see people in Gatlinburg for TN and NC maps.
Mail Drops start here:
1. Damascus, VA
2. Waynesboro, VA
3. Washington DC... Girlfriend lives there coming to visit in Front Royal
4. Harper's Ferry, WV
5. Duncannon, PA
6. Kent, Conn
7. Williamstown, MA
8. Gorham, NH

[mountain squid]

You might skip Kent. If you have to stay a night or two for your maildrop, that could be expensive.

If you skip Kent, to balance out the maps to carry, consider Port Clinton instead of Duncannon. The post office is within sight of the trail in PC.

Then, instead of Williamstown, Ma, consider Cheshire. The trail goes right by the post office.

You will need to get your cold weather gear before The Whites, either in Hanover or Glencliff probably. Throw some maps into that maildrop. You could probably skip the Gorham drop then.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[warraghiyagey]

You're list looks right ont he money. Have a great hike!:sun

[fiddlehead]

I would add one at Neal's gap. Nothing to do with maps but enables you to start the trail with only 3 days food (or less). Makes getting used to trail life a lot easier.

Also, remember: Port Clinton has no food stores. Same with Glencliff NH, Caratunk ME, and Bear Mtn NY (has high dollar food stands as it is a park that gets crowded on weekends)

Personally, i would revamp your list with those places in mind. Make you hike a little easier that way.

[Pickleodeon]

Can somebody post at revised list of mail drop places for maps, I'll probably send some dehydrated foods in them too, but I'm planning to buy most of it along the way. Thanks.

[Blissful]

Yes, mail drop in Glencliff for winter clothing for the Whites. Not sure what you are doing about gear changes. You must have winter gear for the Whites.

Recommend Delaware Water Gap for NY/CT. Hard to carry all those maps from PA and NY from Duncannon to Kent.

Agree Cheshire is an easy drop if just for maps.

[Blissful]

Can somebody post at revised list of mail drop places for maps, I'll probably send some dehydrated foods in them too, but I'm planning to buy most of it along the way. Thanks.


This can vary so much. Depends on how many maps you are willing to carry, food plan etc. Check out my hiking blog (http://blissfulhiking.blogspot.com/search/label/Food%20Preparation) for the list of drops we used - though we had quite a few.

[mountain squid]

Can somebody post at revised list of mail drop places for maps, I'll probably send some dehydrated foods in them too, but I'm planning to buy most of it along the way. Thanks.Some items to consider:

- how many maps do you want to carry at a time?
- do you have other maildrops? if so, put maps in those maildrops. (you got your vitamins (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46856&page=2) figured out right?)
- will you send to a hostel or post office? if post office, choose towns where the post office is accessible and you are likely to go through the town anyway(ie, NashvilleBiscuit has Williamstown, MA. The post office is far off the trail. You walk right by the post office in Cheshire.)
- you are from PA, will someone meet you on the trail in PA or anywhere for that matter? if so, have them bring some maps with them.

For me, as far as post offices go, I would consider:

Fontana Village - good place for a maildrop because of resupply limitations
Damascus - post office near the trail
Harpers Ferry - post office near the ATC HQ - you'll go there for the photo-op
Port Clinton, PA - post office near the trail and resupply limitations
Cheshire, MA - post office near the trail
Glencliff, NH - cold weather gear maildrop

Just some thoughts...

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[Pickleodeon]

alright, this is probably going to sounds super anal-retentive, but I tried to figure out miles of the trail divided into chunks and where the best/closest places relative to that would be for a maildrop. I'm not that worried about carrying a few maps, I mean, I'd rather not carry a ton, but I'd prefer to carry more maps and spend less time in and out of post offices.

Here's what I've come up with, sorry to hijack the thread, I got wrapped up, it was a good question.

Fontana Dam, NC
Damascus, VA
Waynesboro, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV
Port Clinton- well, kinda I'll jump off the trail here and go home for a few days
Delaware Water Gap, PA
Cheshire, CT
Hanover, NH
Caratunk, ME

So, that's nine places I could get maps (actually 8, not including Port Clinton). Sound reasonable? Or will I be carrying like 12 maps at a time?

[CrumbSnatcher]

winter gear mailed to glencliff N.H. and a bounce box for all the maps and extra gear. buy from stores along the way IMO. have a great hike.

[Hermes]

Cheshire, CT


So, that's nine places I could get maps (actually 8, not including Port Clinton). Sound reasonable? Or will I be carrying like 12 maps at a time?

Just making sure you know that it's Cheshire, MA that the trail goes through. There is a Cheshire in CT aswell, but it's not near the trail. Just making sure you knew.

[Pickleodeon]

oops, Cheshire MA.

Would it be easier to send to Glencliff, NH than to Hanover? I'm a cold kind of girl.

[mountain squid]

Not sure what you are asking. It implies that you would want cold weather gear sooner rather than later. Hanover is before Glencliff. If you are a 'cold kind of girl', you might need cold weather gear in Hanover. Either way, it will be months before you get close to NH. You can adjust as necessary on the trail...

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[Blissful]

I'd drop in Gorham for maps too but that's me. You will need to take a zero there anyway (Gorham's my fav town). You don't want a lot of maps and extra weight in the WHites and lower ME, believe me. And I would move your mail drop for gear to Glencliff. Also it's easy to drop a small box at Pinkham Notch at the ATC office. Whites can be interesting resupply. I would do this for that area - drop Glencliff, resupply in Lincoln, drop at Pinkham, drop / resupply at Gorham for this section. JMO though.

Also you are carrying a lot of maps from NJ/NY to MA - Make sure to mail stuff home at Kent and consider a drop for maps there at the PO.

I had 30 mail drops, half with PO and only twice did I get there on a Sunday and just waited until Monday Am when it opened to get my mail and then head out. You can work around it, it's not that big a deal. But be sure you mail stuff priority with delivery comfirmation. And double check your addresses - I put the wrong address on a box and miraculously ran into 2 hikers (who did not know me, BTW) in Hot Springs that asked my name then told me my resupply box was at Standing Bear farm (!). I called Curtis and he was able to forward it to Damascus. Just some miracles that can happen out there.