View Full Version : Towns with long resupply
Are there any towns that tend to just take an unusually long time to get in and out of that could be avoided by an extra day or two's worth of food to the next stop? I saw the difference between Front Royal and Linton and was curious if there are other places that are better off to skip if you like your trail time.
WIAPilot
05-26-2012, 03:47
I think this is a great question. I would sure like to know this as well...
garlic08
05-26-2012, 07:57
Gatlinburg TN comes to mind right away.
Rangely, ME could be another, I think.
I saved most of a day resupplying at a gas station near Atkins, VA, instead of going into town.
A lot depends on your hiking style and diet, and what you consider an acceptable resupply.
I agree with garlic08 and would add Ft. Montgomery, NY to the list. That was just a long boring walk for me but I needed a zero day bad.
Moose2001
05-26-2012, 12:15
The amount of time to get in and out of town so often depends on how long you have to hitch to get into town. It never seems to be the same. One of the longest waits I had was into and out of Glasgow, VA. It also happens to be one of the shortest hitches I've ever had (it's amazing how much easier it is to hitch with a tall, blonde, woman hiker with her thumb out!!!)
LockJaww
05-26-2012, 17:13
Not sure if this qualifies as a " town"...I read/heard that resupply at Fontana could be a real hassle...So I hiked out of the NOC with enough food to make Newfound Gap....Eliminated the potential hassle...Then went in to Gatlinburg for a zero. If I had it to do over....Id do it the same way.
Rangely, ME could be another, I think.
Rangeley has an excellent grocery store. It does need accomodations that fit a hikers budget. Sadly, Bob at Gull Pond Lodge retired at the end of 2010.
peakbagger
05-26-2012, 22:47
Gorham NH can be a long resupply but most folks plan a day off in town as they have just finished the whites. There is also a popular slackpack from Pinkham Notch to Gorham . Unless someone does the blue blaze via the old AT, they have to hitch into Gorham. There is a shuttle bus once you are in Gorham but the only place to buy groceries is a few miles up the road from town at a Super Walmart . If you need a hospital its on the north side of Berlin, quite a distance from the trail. There are two hostels in Shelburne NH but they require a hitch Or a scheduled shuttle as there are no stores or restaurants in Shelburne. The AYCE chinese buffet is in Gorham along with the usual McDs, Bk Pizza Ht and KFC. The psot office is also in Gorham.
To piggyback off of this question, In Maine, are there resupply towns that are more hiker friendly or are there any that should just be avoided?
TJ aka Teej
05-27-2012, 23:12
Caratunk. GAMErs should push through to Monson, and MEGAs should camel-up in Monson to hop in the canoe and keep moving south.
Way back when, the data book would only list resupply points (groceries, meals and lodging) that were within 5 miles of the trail.
Those that laid farther away might as well not have existed.
AT hikers stayed in the woods longer, and lived to tell the tale.
To my way of thinking the most significant change to the hiking the AT in the last 30 years is just how frequently hikers resupply. What's more, the light and smaller packs everyone buys before they lay a foot on the Trail essentially reqires this approach. Not to mention the evolved thinking of the modern thru hiker. Basically today's thru hiker does not have the no option to staying in the woods 7 to 10 days at a stretch unless he/she is derranged.
That has not always been the case, however.
[QUOTE=rickb;1294089]...What's more, the light and smaller packs everyone buys before they lay a foot on the Trail essentially reqires this approach. Not to mention the evolved thinking of the modern thru hiker. Basically today's thru hiker does not have the no option to staying in the woods 7 to 10 days at a stretch unless he/she is derranged./QUOTE]
Actuallly, the light backpacks have no problem going 7-10 days in the woods, PROVIDING they lighten the rest of their stuff up enough. Most AT hikers are still going heavy in comparison to their PCT cousins. Many PCT thru-hikers choose to go 10-12 days without resupply in the High Sierra while carrying a heavy bear can and talk about how great it was. Strange people those hikers out west. :p Though having done it, I'd much rather take it easy with a short resupply when given the option.
garlic08
05-31-2012, 08:20
It looks like the OP has gotten all the real answers he/she is going to get, so it's probably OK to drift a little.
I'm a Western hiker who has hiked the AT and I agree with Miner. I have a nine-ounce pack that carries 25 pounds, yet I routinely manage seven-day trips of 160+ miles. A light pack does not preclude long trips. For me, it's necessary. I have done the "60 pound pack with two weeks of food" as a young man, and for me it was a case of staggering an average of ten painful miles a day and needing several months for my knees to recover.
A 100 mile resupply is pretty average out West and it's the kind of hiking I'm used to. When I hiked the AT, I skipped several good resupplies (on topic now), especially if they were more than two miles off trail and required a hitch (like Rangely). I didn't hitch until Manchester Center, VT, and only hitched twice more in ME (Andover and Stratton). A heavy pack is not necessary for this style of hiking.
max patch
05-31-2012, 08:22
Basically today's thru hiker does not have the no option to staying in the woods 7 to 10 days at a stretch unless he/she is derranged.
Rick, I hope you see this.
You hiked in 1983 so I have a pretty good idea what you carried. You are aware of what the current era thru hiker carries. Lets say you are thru hiking again next year...are you packing like its 1983 or 2013?
Cookerhiker
05-31-2012, 09:35
To piggyback off of this question, In Maine, are there resupply towns that are more hiker friendly or are there any that should just be avoided?
I thought Andover, Stratton, and Monson were all hiker-friendly.
Andover isn't as easy to reach because both access roads - East B Hill and South Arm - are gravel. But I got a ride from a logger on East B Hill in pretty short order.
I think a person could skip Glasgow, Front Royal, Hiawasse With mail drop at Blueberry patch, Franklin MAYBE, Fort Mongomery, i am on the trail Know and making a don't stop town list when i get finished i will post it. Happy hiking, RED-DOG ( Flip-Flop 96 & GA-ME 06 and again this year ):cool:
jersey joe
05-31-2012, 10:22
Caratunk. GAMErs should push through to Monson, and MEGAs should camel-up in Monson to hop in the canoe and keep moving south.
I found Caratunk to be a very good place to resupply since I was using mail drops and the post office is right off the trail. I would agree with you though if not using mail drops.
I would like to add that the Delaware water Gap should be avoided at all cost you can resupply in Wind gap, The Don't stop town list i am compiling while i hike is using the Grocery store resupply Since this is my personal preference strategy, not mail drops. I will post that list in a month or so when i finish. RED-DOG P.S burn rubber not your soul.:dance
When you carry less weight you move faster and go into the same towns as someone who is carrying more and hiking slower - the difference being it just takes them longer to get there (typically). To me, there is nothing virtuous about carrying more and hiking slower.
What is the difference other than saving money and not beating your body up as bad?
As I move into my 50's I'm becoming more aware of my body and I have a more enjoyable, pain free hike the less weight I hump.
Blissful
05-31-2012, 12:40
You're gonna have a long resupply at Monson now unless you (gulp) do the forbidden...(shudder)maildrop... :)
You're gonna have a long resupply at Monson now unless you (gulp) do the forbidden...(shudder)maildrop... :)
I resupplied with a maildrop to The Lakeshore House & Pub in Monson but I remember thinking that the convenience store could have gotten me to Whitehouse Landing w/ no problem and I could get enough there to wrap it up.
Rick, I hope you see this.
You hiked in 1983 so I have a pretty good idea what you carried. You are aware of what the current era thru hiker carries. Lets say you are thru hiking again next year...are you packing like its 1983 or 2013?
Rick, I hope you see this.
You hiked in 1983 so I have a pretty good idea what you carried. You are aware of what the current era thru hiker carries. Lets say you are thru hiking again next year...are you packing like its 1983 or 2013?
Definitely like 2013. Despite the aditional weight, I think the addition of one of today's cushy sleeping pads would almost be required for me. I'd probably also take on the additonal weight of a camera, and probably a walkman. Probalby some warmer closths, too. I have mixed feeling about water filters, but I'd probably add one of them too. It all adds up, but I think those things would be worth it.
Not sure about a phone-- I have railed against them in the past -- but I got a I phone that just about does everything except make a decent call (mine is a 4 not 4S). Got to love the star gazing app and the musroom app isn't bad either. I haven't logged on to Maxim, but that alone could be enough to just ify the additiona weight. Who knows?
Its anything but light-- heavieer than the little light I had in '83-- but I would not be able to hike without a 2 AA Fenix light-- I want to be the guy jacking the owl or bear when everyone else is left blind. I'd also probably add a headlamp. Not sure why-- I think they are required now. I think they weigh as much as a snickers bar. And poles? they weigh alot since you carry two of them, but what the heck. You can make up all of that by buying a pack without suspension and a hip belt.
So yea, I would pack like 2013. I think this stuff is worth it. Don't you?
But that's about things. The real question would be whether or not I would feel as compelled to visit towns as frequently as most do now. I hope not, but who knows? Most of us do what those around us do. I would probably be no different. we thik we hike our own hikes, but that is an illusion for most of us-- me certainly.
Got to think that the SOBOs get cheated out of the that eeling you get entering the 100 Mile Wildernss knowing you have to make it all the way to Monson with what's on your back, And the nobos get cheated by feeling the NEED to hitch into town so frequesntly. Perception is reality. That has to suck.
You're gonna have a long resupply at Monson now unless you (gulp) do the forbidden...(shudder)maildrop... :)
You can get a shuttle to Greenville where there's a good sized grocery store and also an outfitter.
and probably a walkman.
That would be 1983...not 2013.:) (at least for its main popularity when people speak of a Sony Walkman. )
All I know is that I'd much rather be taking my 2012 pack than my 1996 pack.
And if that compels me to stay in town more, I must have been missing something in the Sierra, the San Juans, northern Montana and so on when I did 8+ day carries.
Maybe there is something romantic about 10 mile days with heavy leather boots and 50 lb packs. I did it that way for 2 yrs myself.
As I get older, I'm just getting lazier and enjoy hiking as comfortably as I can instead. And being out in the wilderness for longer because I have a lighter pack certainly helps, too. :)
That would be 1983...not 2013.:) (at least for its main popularity when people speak of a Sony Walkman. )
All I know is that I'd much rather be taking my 2012 pack than my 1996 pack.
And if that compels me to stay in town more, I must have been missing something in the Sierra, the San Juans, northern Montana and so on when I did 8+ day carries.
Maybe there is something romantic about 10 mile days with heavy leather boots and 50 lb packs. I did it that way for 2 yrs myself.
As I get older, I'm just getting lazier and enjoy hiking as comfortably as I can instead. And being out in the wilderness for longer because I have a lighter pack certainly helps, too. :)
I like your idea of going lighter to stay in the woods longer. Obviously its about finding the best balance that works for each individual.
My bad on the Walkman. I meant to say "one of those little Sandisc thingies with the FM and preloaded slot radio songs because I never built up a decente digital library" gizmos.
Now, as for you flipping tripple crowner being able to stuff a book bag full of 8 days food in the Sierras-- of that I have no doubt. Geesh, you and your ilk can do anything.
On the otherhand, what of the poor schmo who just wants to arrive at Baxter State partk with a pack full of enough food to get him to Monson. My guess is that he will get out the shoehorn and try to make this happen with his ultralight and ultrasmall pack, and soon be looking for the nearest bridge to jump off of.
The the lightbulb will go off. Whitehouse Landing! Abol Bridge!
Of course that is a solution, and its is no doubt right for a great many people. But its also one the may not be the most satisfying for everyone. To my way of thinking that solution kind of sucks.
So, my point in all this is not to suggest the 10-day death March with a 50# pack leads to nirvana. Anything but.
Its simply to suggest that people make their own decisons on where to resupply and not have them effectively made for you-- whether by current convention (is itstill the norm to walk stright thru the Smokies?) or the advise in a guide -- no matter how good. Its all about options right? One shouldn't feel like a ludite if they end up carrying an extra 5 lbs in thier packs so that they can elect to stay in the woods -- on the AT --longer.
A lot of people already do, I am sure. You don't hear much form the on WB, however. Seems like hikers -- especial the Northbounders -- spend as much time getting out of the woods as livin in it. No doubt I am overstaing that. And if it works, that fine too.
From my experience the weight of 3-4 days food versus 7 days food is only relevant if you're looking at your own food requirements. i.e. not everyone eats the same stuff and if I have to I can go a long way on noodles and coffee. :-) What some people carry for 3 days outweighs what I eat on trail for a week (but doesn't come close to what I can eat on 1 day in town).
This is good info in this post and I'll be making notes in my guidebook.
I want to put out special thanks to those who have posted locations to recommend avoiding. Ultralight already has its own forum ( one I subscribe to but still... Red-Dog really looking forward to that towns to avoid list! I want to hike like a stray dog, comfortable in the woods and eyeing towns warily as I pass by them.
Odd Man Out
06-01-2012, 12:28
I'm with Mags and rickb. I have been trying to cut weight, not so that I can carry less and walk fast, but so that I can comfortably carry the things I really want or need, such as a sleeping pad that is more comfortable on my old body than an 1/8" torso length CCF pad, or enough food so that I don't have to go to town every 3 days for resupply.