buying food on the trail

[kennybrae]

I'm planning to thru hike this summer. My plan doesn't include post offices. I'm just planning to buy my food as I go.
What is the longest distance, in miles, between easily accessible stores?

Thanks

[10-K]

I'm planning to thru hike this summer. My plan doesn't include post offices. I'm just planning to buy my food as I go.
What is the longest distance, in miles, between easily accessible stores?

Thanks

Well, if I had to guess I'd say the 100 mile wilderness but even there you have Whitehouse Landing.

Bottom line is you don't have to worry about it - there are opportunities to resupply frequently.

[Hikes in Rain]

Check out the articles AT Resupply Information, on the right side of the home page, or click here: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?15

[mikec]

From my section hikes I found a large gap between Pearisburg and Troutville, VA (94 miles) and Susquehanna River and Port Clinton, PA (69 miles) for food. Though there is a country store off the trail on VA606 and a convenience store a few miles from the trail at Swatara Gap, it's short term snack type resupply at those locations only.

[moldy]

You will end up at an advantage over people who go with a Mail drop system. They end up with too much food and weight for several days after they pick the care package. They also get held up waiting for a rural post office to open. Also this year the US Postal Service will close down several of the traditional high use AT hiker friendly Post Offices. You will find re-supply every 4 or 5 days. There will be places where you only carry 1 or 2 days supply because there is a nearby store on the trail ahead. As for the 100 mile place in Maine, no stores and no Post Offices.

[Iceaxe]

My experience thru hiking this past year mirrors what Moldy said.
I only sent four boxes with shoes and socks to myself along the whole AT.
Except for some snacks in those four boxes, and some awesome care packages Yogi sent me, I bought all my food from towns and stores along the way.
I sent my boxes to hostels in the south and outfitters in the north.
Specifically: Uncle Johnnys Hostel TN, Bear's Den Hostel WV, Outfitter in Kent CT, and Outfitter in Hanover NH.
Similar to other trails, food on the AT worked out to about $10 per trail day.
(That is food carried on the trail.. once in town I spent at least 20 bucks for food immediately, more if i stayed long)
So a four day resupply like the 100 mile wilderness was just over $40 bucks.
I bought tortillas (Wraps), cheddar cheese, fritos, power bars, peanut butter, Spam, bagels, and other non-cook foods.
I never carried a stove so all my foods were no-cook type stuff.
The no-cook strategy worked even better on the AT cause i could always get a hot town meal at least once a week.
This doesn't save all that much pack weight.. it's the simplicity factor i liked.
Some highlights of food on the AT: Grits made with bacon grease with cheese on top.
Okay, that was my favorite town food...
Trail food favorites of the AT: Hanover Bagel chips, Real Cheese bought from small stores in PA, Whoopie Pies, Coconut cake thingies (can't remember the brand but thwey are everywhere), Met RX BuildersBars 30 gram protein, Spam packets (always love em), Tuna packets in olive oil, Any sandwich from a deli in NY.
Of course my all time favorite food of the AT was Grits made with Bacon grease with cheese on top.
Oh.. I mentioned that.
The AT might kick your butt physically, but it rewards you with excellant food the whole way.
Oh.. WAIT! I just remembered the Thru Hiker special breakfast at the AT Cafe in Millinocket! OMG!

[kennybrae]

Thanks for the input. I've got plans later in the summer so I'll be going solo and moving quickly. I don't want to have to go too far from the trail for supplies. Mostly living on peanut butter, noodles etc.
I know from experience I can travel 25-30 miles a day without putting a lot of stress on my body but I also want to keep the pack weight down. Looks like I should be in the 20-25 lb range and thats great.
I appreciate any input.

[garlic08]

I timed my resupplies for about 100 miles each. That's about what I did on the PCT, CDT, and other Western trails, so it made sense for me to do that on the AT too. I skipped lots of towns that weren't right on the trail. I didn't hitch a ride or call a shuttle until I got to Vermont (Manchester Center). I traveled light and quickly and kept a 20 to 25 mpd average between towns, too, so I never carried more than four days food. I also did the no-cook strategy and it worked great. There was only once I wasn't happy with a resupply and I had to hike two days with nothing but hot dog buns and peanut butter, but that was a minor blip on a great way to hike. I did three mailings for shoes, socks, and guide book sections, about 600 miles apart.

[Tinker]

You will end up at an advantage over people who go with a Mail drop system. They end up with too much food and weight for several days after they pick the care package. They also get held up waiting for a rural post office to open. Also this year the US Postal Service will close down several of the traditional high use AT hiker friendly Post Offices. You will find re-supply every 4 or 5 days. There will be places where you only carry 1 or 2 days supply because there is a nearby store on the trail ahead. As for the 100 mile place in Maine, no stores and no Post Offices.

Hiker boxes are often full of food that is preboxed by hikers before they start their thru and have gotten tired of. They are a great source of extra calories (and a way to share your extras with other hikers).

[Miner]

Hiker boxes are often full of food that is preboxed by hikers before they start their thru and have gotten tired of. They are a great source of extra calories (and a way to share your extras with other hikers). If you discard your food in a hiker box, PLEASE LABEL IT with whats inside. I've seen too many bags that had mysterious contents that no one was sure they wanted. Taking something unknown like that is like playing a game show where you may score something incredible or end up playing a penalty game.

[Hoofit]

If you like a little liquor, that can be hard to find in some of the small towns...
Same with boots, especially if you have big feet like me!
As does a few gourmet items to treat yourself occasionally
Yep, a few mail drops are most welcome, just avoid post offices unless it's an exchange drop and you're sending your heavy winter gear home.
Those hiker boxes can really help out,(especially if you can get by on NOODLES!)

[Slo-go'en]

68 and can hike 25-30 miles a day? You must be in really good shape or haven't been on the AT yet. Even if it turns out you can only do a more typical pace of 15 -20 miles a day, food sources are still only 3 to 5 days apart. Once again, your best bet is to get a trail guilde and start mapping out how far apart the towns are.

[johnnybgood]

Check out the "Articles " section above for thru hiker guidance on food drops and re-supply options. Unless you have special dietary needs or like a more diverse food sampling then basic hiker food can be purchased as you move up the trail .

[kennybrae]

Yup, I'm 68 and I know I might not be able to handle 25-30 miles a day for the whole trip. What I've got going for me is experience and training. I'm a life long endurance athlete. Dozens of ultra marathons and Ironman triathlons. I just did the Florida Ironman this fall and am keeping my training up until I start the hike. My training right now includes a couple of 30 mile walks every week in addition to my normal swim/bike /run schedule.
I've also done quite a bit of packing. I guide hikers in the Long Range Mountains of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and, I'm pretty sure, that the AT is no tougher than that.
On the other hand, Your concerns are valid. I'll be monitoring my vitals and if I need a rest day or two, I'll take them.
Thanks for your response.
K.B.

[Grampie]

My hat is off to you. I did my thru at 66 years old and know what I went through. Don't let the AT fool you. I started from Springer with a guy who was 54 years old and was a marathon and endurance runner. He boasted of the great shape he was in. He gave up an Neels Gap. Said hiking the AT was boaring. Happy trails to you in 2012.

[garlic08]

I salute you, sir! My hiking partner Pickle on my 106-day thru hike (average 20 mpd) was 64 at the time. I was 51 and there were times I slowed him down. Our training sounds very similar to yours--30 mile walks, bicycling, skiing. Our longest day on the AT was 29 miles, so our focus was on maintaining a steady pace day after day.

One key item you need to consider on a thru hike is the time you need for "maintenance". You'd like to rest in town, but you first need to do laundry, buy groceries, binge on whatever you've been craving, find a new pair of socks or trekking pole tips, find fuel for the stove, and that means walking miles all over town. You find lodging, then you need to repackage food, contact friends and family, catch up on your journal, download your photos, charge your devices, make repairs or modifications to your gear, then you're hungry again. And sometimes it's hard to sleep with a snoring roommate, the noise of civilization, and the temptations of electric lights and magazines and TV. Town stops are not always relaxing. A key for us was to minimize and streamline the town stops as much as possible.

[Slo-go'en]

I've also done quite a bit of packing. I guide hikers in the Long Range Mountains of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and, I'm pretty sure, that the AT is no tougher than that.

Don't be so sure of that. The AT can humble even those in good shape. The constant up and down wears at you. Being in good shape is a big plus to start, but don't assume you can do big miles from the start because of that. Weather can be a big factor too.

For planning, it is best to be on the conserative side for daily milage. 15 mpd shouldn't be a problem for someone in your condition to start and it will likely stay about that until you get out of N.C. Unfortunately, there is no good way to predict what kind of milage you can do until you start to do it.

[kennybrae]

Thanks for all the input. I don't expect the hike to be easy. There'd be no point in it if it was. I've got plenty of unanswered questions and i know I'll find lots of unforeseen challenges.
25-30 miles per day is only a goal, not etched in stone. What's life without goals, though?

[SCRUB HIKER]

Thanks for all the input. I don't expect the hike to be easy. There'd be no point in it if it was. I've got plenty of unanswered questions and i know I'll find lots of unforeseen challenges.
25-30 miles per day is only a goal, not etched in stone. What's life without goals, though?

I like it. But anyway, back to your original question: I went almost entirely without maildrops this year and didn't have any issues, and I'm slower than you almost certainly will be. The only problematic stretch I could think of was Damascus-Trent's Grocery (140 miles), since there are many resupply options in the interval, but none of them combine convenience and quality. But I survived, and so did everyone else I was around. Not a big deal in the long run. I think reading the forum can mislead you into thinking that a lot of people do maildrops, but I found that the majority of thru-hikers, especially young ones, don't do any. There was a recent thread on the topic of must-have maildrop points (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?78864-The-MUST-HAVE-mail-drop-towns-GAS-Station-Resupply), if you're interested.

Scrub

[blackbird04217]

I didn't plan any mail drops prior to leaving, but got one in Harpers Ferry since my parents got me a "toy" for the trail and wanted to ship me some goods. I did mail myself a box to Monson during my stop in Gorham, mostly for final resupply and the cost of things in small towns - sure was glad I did for the budget I worked with! I also found a lot of the hikers [2009] going into town for shopping.

[wornoutboots]

I was going to use a mail drop or two for my upcoming section but decided not too, I find it a little more adventurous to "not know" how my resuply & town visit will go, just wing it. I love patronizing the trail towns along the way & spending money at the small stores & tipping well at the restuarants along the way.