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Master Blaster
03-03-2012, 00:52
I was wondering if anyone has a good list for a NOBO thru hike.:confused: Still trying to piece mine together before mid-march. I would prefer to not have to venture to far off the trail. I was looking over the list of post offices and noticed that some are 15-30 miles away. I would prefer not to hitch back and forth. I'm carrying around 3 to 5 days worth of food at a time between resupplies, but capable of carrying a weeks worth if and when necessary. I'd also like to hear anyones thoughts on a don't miss experience, place to rest up for the day, or fill my belly with some real food (steak and potatoes). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this will be my first thru hike. I've section hiked all of NC repeatedly on several weekends for the last 12 years and ready to explore it all. Time to cross this wonderful trail off my bucket list before corporate America puts me behind a desk. :D

Spokes
03-03-2012, 06:39
MB, this topic comes up a lot on WB and opinions run the gamut. The good thing with the AT is you're never really too far away from a re-supply. So, I suggest keeping your mail drops to a minimum. It will serve you well to plan an equipment swap out. For summer gear get it sent around Pearisburg, then get your winter gear back around Hanover.

Here's a previous thread with some other suggested drop locations:

You might also scour past Trailjournals posts for ther suggestions.

Cheers and good luck.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?80816-Mail-drops

Spokes
03-03-2012, 06:40
Drats! Double post again!

swjohnsey
03-03-2012, 08:21
Some mail drops that are convenient:

Neels Gap (charge a buck)
Budget Inn in Hiawassee
Budget inn in Franklin
Fontana Dam
Grand Prix Motel in Gatlinburg
Hot Springs
Damascus
Pearisburg
Daleville
Waynesboro (trail angel will pick you up, you want to go into town here anyway, very nice stop)
Harper's Ferry (post office is close and stores are far, far away)
Boiling Springs
Doyle Hotel at Duncannon

Curious, what kinda Master Blaster you be? Not the crazy sort that jumps out of airplanes.

RETCW4
03-03-2012, 10:29
Here's my maildrops. Some will say there too many, but they're packed, labeled and ready to go. I can adjust, adapt and overcome.

Wesser, NC (c/o NOC)
Fontana Dam, NC
Hot Springs, NC(c/o ELMER”S)
Erwin, TN (c/o Uncle Johnny’s)
Damascus, VA
Bland, VA (c/o Big Walker Motel)
Pearisburg, VA (c/o Rendezvous Motel)
Troutville, VA (c/o Red Roof Inn)
Waynesboro, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV (c/o ATC HQs)
Duncannon, PA (c/o Doyle Hotel)
Port Clinton, PA
Delaware Water Gap, PA
Bear Mountain, NY
Kent, CT
Cheshire, MA (c/o St. Mary Church
Manchester Ctr, VT
Hanover, NH (c/o Sunset Motor Lodge)
Glencliff, NH
Gorham, NH (c/o The Barn)
Andover, ME (c/o Pine Ellis Lodging)
Stratton, ME (c/o Stratton Motel)
Monson. ME (c/o Shaw’s Lodging)


Tumbleweed

Zipper
03-03-2012, 14:13
Definitely send to hotels or outfitters as much as possible. Better hours than Post Offices! And if you use flat rate boxes for anything you might want to send ahead or send back or bounce around, you don't have to go to a post office to mail them. Just get online and print a mailing label and then leave it at the hostel or outfitter to be picked up. Worked great for me!

I had friends and family in several places on the trail so there are stretches here with no clear mail drop, but this is what I did (oh and I flip-flopped so the drops start in VA)
Cavern Inn -Luray, VA (not necessary) (had to get a shuttle to Luray - if I did it again I would go straight through the Shenandoahs without a maildrop)
Outfitter in Harpers Ferry (right on trail)
Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, VA (right on trail)
Garden Center near Pawling, NY (right on the trail)
Tyringham Post Office, MA (a little bit of a side hike, I think)
Mountain Meadows Lodge - Kent, VT (right on the trail)
Outfitter in Hanover, NH (right on trail, practically)
Libby House B&B (The Barn) - Gorham, NH (had to hitch)
Shaw's in Monson, ME (no hitching needed)
(Then flipped back to VA)
Barn Restaurant near I-81 in VA (right on trail)
Outfitter in Damascus, VA (right on trail)
Uncle Johnny's (Erwin, TN - right on trail)
Outfitter in Hot Springs, NC (right on trail)
Fontana Village P.O. (got a ride)
Haven's Budget Inn, Franklin (got a ride from Ron Haven)
Neel's Gap (right on trail)

Hope this helps - remember you don't have to send your stuff to a PO!
Cheers!
Zipper
VA-ME VA-GA '09

swjohnsey
03-03-2012, 14:32
Here's my maildrops. Some will say there too many, but they're packed, labeled and ready to go. I can adjust, adapt and overcome.

Wesser, NC (c/o NOC)
Fontana Dam, NC
Hot Springs, NC(c/o ELMER”S)
Erwin, TN (c/o Uncle Johnny’s)
Damascus, VA
Bland, VA (c/o Big Walker Motel)
Pearisburg, VA (c/o Rendezvous Motel)
Troutville, VA (c/o Red Roof Inn)
Waynesboro, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV (c/o ATC HQs)
Duncannon, PA (c/o Doyle Hotel)
Port Clinton, PA
Delaware Water Gap, PA
Bear Mountain, NY
Kent, CT
Cheshire, MA (c/o St. Mary Church
Manchester Ctr, VT
Hanover, NH (c/o Sunset Motor Lodge)
Glencliff, NH
Gorham, NH (c/o The Barn)
Andover, ME (c/o Pine Ellis Lodging)
Stratton, ME (c/o Stratton Motel)
Monson. ME (c/o Shaw’s Lodging)


Tumbleweed


Wasn't Glencliff closed?

Blissful
03-03-2012, 22:32
Wasn't Glencliff closed?


PO supposed to close in May. Can send to the Hiker Welcome Hostel

Blissful
03-03-2012, 22:37
Here's my maildrops. Some will say there too many, but they're packed, labeled and ready to go. I can adjust, adapt and overcome.

Wesser, NC (c/o NOC)
Fontana Dam, NC
Hot Springs, NC(c/o ELMER”S)
Erwin, TN (c/o Uncle Johnny’s)
Damascus, VA
Bland, VA (c/o Big Walker Motel)
Pearisburg, VA (c/o Rendezvous Motel)
Troutville, VA (c/o Red Roof Inn)
Waynesboro, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV (c/o ATC HQs)
Duncannon, PA (c/o Doyle Hotel)
Port Clinton, PA
Delaware Water Gap, PA
Bear Mountain, NY
Kent, CT
Cheshire, MA (c/o St. Mary Church
Manchester Ctr, VT
Hanover, NH (c/o Sunset Motor Lodge)
Glencliff, NH
Gorham, NH (c/o The Barn)
Andover, ME (c/o Pine Ellis Lodging)
Stratton, ME (c/o Stratton Motel)
Monson. ME (c/o Shaw’s Lodging)


Tumbleweed


I can tell you that Troutville (right by the AT) and Waynesboro both have huge Krogers. Pearisburg has a Food Lion 1/2 mile away. Port Clinton and Gorham have huge Wally Worlds. Manchester also has a good store. No need to ship to these places unless you need prescriptions.
The church at Cheshire accepts a drop? News to me. The PO is right there at the corner.
The Sunset Lodge in Hanover is a good distance away (several miles and the bus does not go all the way there). I'd send to the PO, but there is a good co-op grocery store on the way out of town (a little pricey though)

No drop in the Whites? You can send either to Crawford Notch campground or Pinkham Notch.

Mike2012
03-03-2012, 23:35
what's the time frame for mailing drops? Send them all the way up to New England before you leave or have someone mail them a couple few weeks before hand? I am only thinking of sending a few but wondered if they would hold them for months

swjohnsey
03-04-2012, 09:20
USPS is supposed to hold General Delivery for 30 days. I have mine mailed about 10 days before my ETA.

Spokes
03-04-2012, 09:31
what's the time frame for mailing drops? Send them all the way up to New England before you leave or have someone mail them a couple few weeks before hand? I am only thinking of sending a few but wondered if they would hold them for months

I had my girlfriend send mine out around 10-14 days out. Don't forget to write your real last name in bold letters on a couple adjacent outside walls of the box since thats how the clerks look for packages on the shelf.

Remember too, if anyone sends you a General Delivery letter or card along the way be sure to ask for it specifically since these are stored separately from parcels/boxes in the post office. I learned this after a sharp postal clerk told me about it.

RETCW4
03-04-2012, 09:58
Wasn't Glencliff closed?

Sending to Hiker Hostel in Glencliff.

RETCW4
03-04-2012, 10:07
I can tell you that Troutville (right by the AT) and Waynesboro both have huge Krogers. Pearisburg has a Food Lion 1/2 mile away. Port Clinton and Gorham have huge Wally Worlds. Manchester also has a good store. No need to ship to these places unless you need prescriptions.
The church at Cheshire accepts a drop? News to me. The PO is right there at the corner.
The Sunset Lodge in Hanover is a good distance away (several miles and the bus does not go all the way there). I'd send to the PO, but there is a good co-op grocery store on the way out of town (a little pricey though)

No drop in the Whites? You can send either to Crawford Notch campground or Pinkham Notch.

Blissful:

Troutville I plan on staying at Howard Johnson Express.
The AT Guide lists a mialdrop at St Mary's. I'm going to call to verify.
Most of the other maildrops sent to place I plan to stay at.

Tumbleweed

Edwardo Rodriguez
03-26-2012, 03:07
Cost, do these non PO places charge people to hold their boxes,

swjohnsey
03-26-2012, 10:35
Some do. One disreputable one tried to charge Goldielocks ten bucks last year.

Zipper
09-12-2012, 00:08
I was never charged for non POs holding my packages. But I always made a point to buy something from them - a dehydrated meal, or some energy bars or a candy bar, or a drink, or socks when I needed them, and I stayed at all of the hostels where I had mail drops. I don't think it's necessary to do that, I just did - after all I was always hungry so why not buy one treat from the outfitter?

swjohnsey
09-16-2012, 17:58
The post office at Glencliff is alive and well. The hours are short.

Drybones
09-16-2012, 18:09
IMO...forget the mail drops and dont over complicate your hike...supply as you go. Mountain Harbour hostel breakfast is awsome!

swjohnsey
09-16-2012, 21:08
You could end up eating beef jerky and poptarts for a few days.

handlebar
09-17-2012, 09:38
Buy in town and lose the mail drops. They are a pain especially when arriving in town after PO closes on a Sat.

Aquonehostel
09-17-2012, 12:06
You can include Aquone Hostel as a mail drop: 63 Britannia Drive, Aquone, NC 28781 Tel 828 321 2340, call ahead of time (Winding Stairs Gap, Siler Bald) and if I'm picking up at: Wayah Bald, Burningtown Gap, or Telico Gap, even if you are not staying at the hostel, I shall do my up-most to get your drop out to you. Do call ahead of time though. Wiggy (2010)

Lando11
09-17-2012, 12:52
Buy in town and lose the mail drops. They are a pain especially when arriving in town after PO closes on a Sat.
+1
If i was to do the AT again, I would only do 1 drop at fontana dam. the prices there are a little crazy to resupply at the general store

Drybones
09-17-2012, 22:06
+1
If i was to do the AT again, I would only do 1 drop at fontana dam. the prices there are a little crazy to resupply at the general store

Fontana was the only drop I did this spring but discovered I didn't need it, the village store was well stocked.

Don H
09-18-2012, 16:44
You could end up eating beef jerky and poptarts for a few days.

That's what I had to do coming out of Adkins. Had to shop at the two gas stations, but at least I got to do all you can eat at the Barn Restaurant.

RED-DOG
09-18-2012, 17:25
I have completed three thru-hikes and i am very seriously contemplating doing another and when i do i will have a few drops.
1 Neels Gap.
2 Blue Berry Patch.
3 Fontana Damn.
4 Standing Bear Farm Hostel.
5 Hot Springs. ( no real grocery, except for a Family dollar )
6 Hamton TN.
7 Boiling Springs PA.
8 Monson ME
These 8 mail drops would make a Thru-Hikers life a lot easier but i do prefer to buy as i go along. RED-DOG ( Flip-Flop 96 & GA-ME 06 & GA-ME 2012 )

Aquonehostel
09-18-2012, 23:26
Aquone Hostel, Nantahala, NC are accepting mail drops - no charge -

Sweetspot
09-18-2012, 23:28
Red-Dog let e kno if you are planning on a tru hike in 2013 I will go with you.

RED-DOG
09-19-2012, 18:49
Yeah Sweetspot i am thinking of doing a long distance all my friends think i have lost my mind for even considering it since i just got finished doing a 2012 thru but what i am thinking is Springer MT to Delaware Water Gap or maybe another Flip-Flop. Just a thought.

RED-DOG
09-19-2012, 19:01
Another Thought, will some one Please send Aquonehostel a mail drop sounds like there getting desperate, every thread i have read in the last couple of days their in it trying to drum up buisness. I didn't mean to wreck your thread bro.