View Full Version : Thru-hike without maildrops
I am planning to do a thru-hike. I live in Europe (Denmark), so maildrops becomes a bit more complicated to make and have sent. Therefore I prefer not to have any maildrops.
Have any of you experience with a thru-hike without maildrops? What are the problems with not having maildrops? I know there is a couple of places were resupply can be a problem, but besides that.
I plan to start my thru-hike in the beginning of March 2005.
I am planning to do a thru-hike. I live in Europe (Denmark), so maildrops becomes a bit more complicated to make and have sent. Therefore I prefer not to have any maildrops.
Have any of you experience with a thru-hike without maildrops? What are the problems with not having maildrops? I know there is a couple of places were resupply can be a problem, but besides that.
I plan to start my thru-hike in the beginning of March 2005.
Maildrops are ABSOLUTELY not necessary along the AT. Convenient - YES. Necessary - NO.
I used them early on, and found them to be somewhat of a hassle. The one thing that was helpful, was receiving some lighter gear in mid-May around Pearisburg, VA as the weather warmed, and receiving back my winter gear in July near Glencliff, NH. If you can find a way to deal with that issue (winter gear - summer gear), you'll be in fine shape.
Have a great hike.
Little Bear
GA-ME 2000
We used almost entirely mail drops during my hike but found we went the grocery store to supplement them at every stop. Why not just go to the grocery store which tend to have more convenient hours anyway? We didn't have a special diet that required special food.
There are several places along hte AT in which a resupply is somewhat important that have poor food options. In that case, you can buy food a week or so ahead a time at a full service store and mail it to yourself up the trail.
Also, some thru-hikers choose to use a bounce box. A box of town clothes, extra gear, extra food, toilletries etc that you mail to yourself from stop to stop. You could always put your Winter gear in a box and just forward it to yourself as you move along the trail.
Lastly, if you click on the Information tab on the top of this page you'll see two articles on resupply advice. The article form Baltimare JAck is quite helpful.
gravityman
09-20-2004, 13:18
I am planning to do a thru-hike. I live in Europe (Denmark), so maildrops becomes a bit more complicated to make and have sent. Therefore I prefer not to have any maildrops.
Have any of you experience with a thru-hike without maildrops? What are the problems with not having maildrops? I know there is a couple of places were resupply can be a problem, but besides that.
I plan to start my thru-hike in the beginning of March 2005.
You don't need mail drops, but you might want to send a few packages from a town on trail to the next stop that might not have good resupply. Here's a great resource to pick towns that have plenty to resupply from, and then send on to the next town that might not have much : http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/articlesresupply.php
Gravity
Thanks for the replies. I will read the article :)
Lone Wolf
09-20-2004, 13:47
I did 5 thru-hikes with no mail drops for food. Did a few for maps and gear.
One can certainly hike from Springer to Vermont without maildrops, however life might be a little easier in a few places with them. But, absolutely do not send them from Europe. Wait until you are on the trail to send out mail drops. When you get to a town with a reasonable store, send yourself a drop from that town. For example, you might send yourself a drop from Waynesboro, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV. HF does, though, have enough stuff to buy, but the selection is a triffle limited.
While many have done thru-hikes without mail drops, there sure are convienent in a few places.
As a bare minimum, Fontana Dam, Port Clinton, and Glencliff. And even there you have a choice of mail drop or going further off trail to reach a town with resupplies.
If you do choice to mail drop at these places, make up a box at least a week in advance and mail it to you there. For example, if you want a mail drop in Glencliff, you should put it together in Manchester Center.
i just finished a thru-hike with zero maildrops for food. i did, however, need two drops for gear change in may and august.
Flash Hand
09-21-2004, 12:33
I will plan on using bounce box until cold weather coming up in Connecticut for my northbound thru hike. So that I can get cold weather clothes out and stop using the bounce box. I have to use bounce box after realizing I don't have someone to trust during thru hike. There were some case people didn't keep up to date for my thru hike this year, which had put such a burden on me. I trust post office more than my friends now.
Flash Hand :jump
Just to get it right...
So how does a bounce box work?
You have a box with the gear (stuff) you don't need up the trail and you send this box something like 2-3 weeks (?) ahead. Then you go to the post office and take what you need and perhaps put new stuff in the box and send it 2-3 week up the trail again.
Is this how the bounce box works? Is 2-3 weeks the interval people are using?
Just to get it right...
So how does a bounce box work?
You have a box with the gear (stuff) you don't need up the trail and you send this box something like 2-3 weeks (?) ahead. Then you go to the post office and take what you need and perhaps put new stuff in the box and send it 2-3 week up the trail again.
Is this how the bounce box works? Is 2-3 weeks the interval people are using?
That's the idea. It's a way to refill perscription medicine, camera film, maps, sections of the ALDHA Companion, etc.
But, you probably don't need to go 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Shipping from one zone to the next can be done in a week or less.
Probably the biggest problem is getting to the Post Office in a timely manner. That can be a pain the rear sometimes. So, pick your bounce places carefully.
Flash Hand
09-22-2004, 19:23
That's the idea. It's a way to refill perscription medicine, camera film, maps, sections of the ALDHA Companion, etc.
But, you probably don't need to go 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Shipping from one zone to the next can be done in a week or less.
Probably the biggest problem is getting to the Post Office in a timely manner. That can be a pain the rear sometimes. So, pick your bounce places carefully.
I am sure the post office will hold your box for 30 days.. so it wouldn't be that hard to figure which to mail your bounce box ahead of you. Only thing you need to figure out which post office will be sitting by stone throw from a trail instead of hitchiking.
I would probably try 250 miles interval for bounce box.... it is depend on my hiking partner if she don't need anything for the next 250 miles. You have to figure out how many miles each week, probably 75 miles a week, then you will expect to get to bounce box by within 3 weeks.
Flash Hand :jump
i sure wished i had done a mail drop in port clinton pa last year on a section hike
i couldnt even buy a roll of toilet paper,the outfitter carrys more stuff during thru hike season though,late october is far past thru hike season.
Thanks for the advices.
I think I will make a plan for my maildrops and post it in the forum and get peoples' feedback. I haven't started the detailed planning yet, so it might take a while before I do it.
-Trikos
i sure wished i had done a mail drop in port clinton pa last year on a section hike
i couldnt even buy a roll of toilet paper,the outfitter carrys more stuff during thru hike season though,late october is far past thru hike season.
I got a ride to a supermarket a few miles down the road. I believe Scott with the Allentown Hiking Club gave me the ride. Anyway, there is a supermarket inthe area. It's just notin the town of Port Clinton.
Don't miss the massive pile of French Fries at the hotel, and don't miss the candy store (if it's still open).
rocket04
09-28-2004, 19:33
I got a ride to a supermarket a few miles down the road. I believe Scott with the Allentown Hiking Club gave me the ride. Anyway, there is a supermarket inthe area. It's just notin the town of Port Clinton.
Don't miss the massive pile of French Fries at the hotel, and don't miss the candy store (if it's still open).
The candy store was open when I went through this year. And I got a ride to the supermarket from a old guy called Fred, he lives on the same street where the pavilion is located and he was always walking around, gave rides to lots of people.
To answer the original question, I just completed a thru-hike with no maildrops of any sort and no bounce box. But they can be convenient like other people said, it's just not necessary to do tons of them, unless you want to eat very specific stuff that's hard to find.
There is one thing that might complicate things a bit. I am a vegetarian and it is unlikely that it will change during my thru-hike. Any oppinions on a no-maildrops and vegetarian combo?
There is one thing that might complicate things a bit. I am a vegetarian and it is unlikely that it will change during my thru-hike. Any oppinions on a no-maildrops and vegetarian combo?
That depends on how strict a vegetarian you are. If you are happy with typical hiker food such as Liptons and Mac and Cheese, then there shouldn't be a problem buying that fare as you go along. Otherwise, you will probably find that small groceries don't have what you are looking for. So, your options are to either spend more time off the trail hitching into and out of larger towns, or doing mail drops.
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 10:07
There is one thing that might complicate things a bit. I am a vegetarian and it is unlikely that it will change during my thru-hike. Any oppinions on a no-maildrops and vegetarian combo?
then you might want to consider doing some mail drops once you get here to the US, It is very difflucult to nearly impossible to find decent food anywhere near the trail, even food in our Major chain grocery stores is not very good,
I am a Vegan except for fish, and a very limited amount of dairy, the food that i eat is not found anywhere along the southern third of the trail, with the possible exception of Hot Springs,NC and the selection there is limited and expensive.
Possible sources of good food could include Sevanada's (organic food co-op) in Atlanta, GA, before you start at springer, and a co-op Asheville NC. Most Americans eat junk as it is all there is that is available to them easily and at reasonable prices.
that is why the standard amercian diet has the earned the acronym of SAD.
Its not that most Americans want to eat unhealthy junkfood. Most simply can't afford organic, vegan, fair-trade, shade grown or free trade foods. Hell if I had tons of money I'd eat better too, but on a college budget it just ain't happenin
rocket04
09-29-2004, 11:32
Steve does eat good stuff. I was fortunate to benefit from it after Hardcore, he was generous to give me a big bag of gorp. Smokey Mountain Steve gorp is good stuff, I can attest to that! Thanks again Steve!
Steve does eat good stuff. I was fortunate to benefit from it after Hardcore, he was generous to give me a big bag of gorp. Smokey Mountain Steve gorp is good stuff, I can attest to that! Thanks again Steve!
Yea cause it probably had some secret ingredients sprinkled in :)
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 11:47
Steve does eat good stuff. I was fortunate to benefit from it after Hardcore, he was generous to give me a big bag of gorp. Smokey Mountain Steve gorp is good stuff, I can attest to that! Thanks again Steve!
you are quite welcome rocket,,,and thank you for working HARDCORE!
Blue Jay
09-29-2004, 12:49
Its not that most Americans want to eat unhealthy junkfood. Most simply can't afford organic, vegan, fair-trade, shade grown or free trade foods. Hell if I had tons of money I'd eat better too, but on a college budget it just ain't happenin
No, Americans want to eat and in fact love unhealthy junkfood. If we only bought healthy food it would be the same price. If Americans wanted to be healthy they would not be the fattest people on the planet. If Americans wanted to be healthy the entire health care system would be entirely different. Even on a college budget you could eat healthy, what's more important than what goes in your body. You choose to spend it on other things. I love being free to make unhealty decisions. I drive a car, there is nothing more dangerous to my health than that. Our culture is based on fear and death, we love that.
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 12:55
Its not that most Americans want to eat unhealthy junkfood. Most simply can't afford organic, vegan, fair-trade, shade grown or free trade foods. Hell if I had tons of money I'd eat better too, but on a college budget it just ain't happenin
actually with adequte planning, being a member of a co-op and bulk buying..good healthy food can be CHEAPER than junk food...one must adjust ones lifestyle and priorities,,,
what are they teaching folks in college now-a-days?
PLEASE STAND FOR THE GOSPEL OF ABBEY!
"A formal education can sometimes be broadening but more often merely flattens."
THANKS BE TO ABBEY!
I'll stick by my original comments. Obviously a lot of americans love fast food and junk food. But there are also tons of other folks who would eat healthier and better if it was more available and cheaper. There is a McDonalds in every town and its cheap. There aren't that many health food stores.
SMS- What are they teaching in college? Some pretty good stuff actually. I've taken classes related to these topics like a course in Unlearning Consumerism, dealing in depth about organic/fair trade etc. foods. Sorry but not reading any Abbey, thats for sure.
Sure Its a choice, but its not one that is easy to make (eating mindfully). Of Course I could eat all organic, but I decide to spend my money on other things. Like hiking and backpacking trips. Its all about priorites. But hey I'd rather save 9 dollars and skip the raw organic Almond Butter and go for regular skippy so that eventually i'll have some loot to do other things.
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 18:24
why the nut butter at all?? ..just buy the nuts in bulk. :jump
SMS- What are they teaching in college? .... Sorry but not reading any Abbey, thats for sure.
I am quite certain that many schools do indeed teach Abbey, but probably not U of VT (is that where you go to school ATrain?). Abbey's "place" is the West, and he would be far more relevant at an educational institution in that part of the world. Any school in the SW with a decent writing program almost certainly includes Abbey in their curriculumn. Although SMS often uses Abbey's quotes to agitate (Abbey would surely approve if he was still alive) he was definitely IMO, one of the best writers in the latter half of the 20th century. He learned from one of the best - Wallace Stegner - who taught at Stamford University where Abbey went to school for a spell.
Geez, it would be great to have Whiteblaze book discussion group. Anyone interested in setting up an interest group? It might be a little awkward on-line, but interesting nonetheless.
FYI, Carl Hiaasen is a writer who I currently enjooy. I just finished Skinny Dip. Anyone else read Hiaasen?
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 19:24
PLEASE STAND FOR THE GOSPEL OF ABBEY!
"In the world of words, one of my best-loved tribes is the diatribe."
THANKS BE TO ABBEY!
smokymtnsteve
09-29-2004, 19:32
I just got finished reading joshua slocum..around the world alone...story of the spray.
I took an environmental writing course last spring, with a focus on sense of place. We read a lot of short pieces by Stenger, Kathleen Norris, Terry Tempest Willams, Barry Lopez and tons of other fantastic writers. No Abbey or Muir thought, I guess its a downfall of going to school in the East. Best thing we read was Book of Yaak by Rick Bass. If anyone is interested in forest conservation and land advocacy I would certainly pick this one up, I couldn't put it down
I took an environmental writing course last spring, with a focus on sense of place. We read a lot of short pieces by Stenger, Kathleen Norris, Terry Tempest Willams, Barry Lopez and tons of other fantastic writers. No Abbey or Muir thought, I guess its a downfall of going to school in the East. Best thing we read was Book of Yaak by Rick Bass. If anyone is interested in forest conservation and land advocacy I would certainly pick this one up, I couldn't put it down
I just finished reading Liquid Land by Ted Levin (UGA Press). In fact, I reviewed the book for the upcoming edition of American Hiker, American Hiking Society's magazine. It's a great book. Before I was halfway through with the book, I was planning a trip to the Glades. Interestingly enough, as destructive as the hurricanes in Florida have been, hurricanes are generally restorative for the Glades. I say generally, because they can disperse seeds of invasive plants - a major problem in the Glades.
The next non-fiction book on my list is Looking For Longleaf by Lawrence Earley (UNC Press). http://uncpress.unc.edu/chapters/earley_looking.html The book was released this past Tuesday. It's the story of the demise of the Longleaf Pine ecosystem. These forests once covered more than 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas. Now, the largest remaining Old Growth Longleaf Pine forest (3000 acres approx) is found at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola, FL. That happpens to be where Ivan just hit.
Will USPS allow denatured alcohol to be shipped in a bounce box? It would be nice to refill without needing to get rid of excess alcohol.
Jack Tarlin
10-01-2004, 17:50
No, they won't, and you can get fined big-time if you get caught doing so.
Your postmaster wil happily give you literature that details what can be mailed and what cannot; what can be shipped by ground mail but not by air, etc.
I'm sure that you can find this info at the main USPS website as well.
But as a general rule, NOTHING flammable can go in the mail.
Kozmic Zian
10-14-2004, 10:59
Yea.....On The Trail, I take a water bottle, a piece of mosquito netting (to cover the top and not let seeds out) with a rubber band to hold it on. Then I take bean sprouts and rinse them several times a day in spring water, never letting the water stand in the bottle. You'll have fresh veggie sprouts with all your meals as a daily supplement and ummmmm.....so good with sandwiches, soups and cheeses. Still hard to eat veggie style without PO drops, though. Try to 'bounce' a box up the line with your veggie needs. Get a dehydrator and dry out lots o' things before you leave, then bounce them up as you go. Weight is a particular problem for veggies as most fruits and veggies carry water and weight, if you don't dehydrate. Good eating (stay away from the junk food and candy, will make you sick). KZ@
In my opinion hiking without maildrop is best. You're not bound to a schedule.
you make it up as you go. Check out "Resupply Advice" by Baltimore Jack in the information tab on this forum. BJ thru-hiked the trail 7 years in a row. You can't go wrong with his advice. By the way, when is that book coming out BJ?
Another 2 cents from me. In my opinion, bounce boxes are a waist of money and time. If you are bouncing it ahead, it means you don't really need it.
Lone Wolf
10-30-2004, 11:06
I agree with Freeze04. :)
kentucky
10-30-2004, 11:28
well I have only had 2 mail drops in my petty hiking quest :bse kentucky
Hi Kentucky
It is interesting to know a bit more about the two maildrops. What are your planned maildrops? What goes in them and where do you send them?