Is it realistic to hike from Damascus, VA to ME without mail-drops, or at least without food mail-drops?
I can run, I can walk, but I am very very weak at this type of long-term organization stuff.
Thank you and happy trails,
t.
Is it realistic to hike from Damascus, VA to ME without mail-drops, or at least without food mail-drops?
I can run, I can walk, but I am very very weak at this type of long-term organization stuff.
Thank you and happy trails,
t.
Yeah, don't use em unless your trying to save some $ in those nowhere towns.
Disclaimer: I didn't mean that......I realy love you all.
Yes, you can walk from Springer to Katahdin without mail drops. It's not really a wilderness trail.
Realistic, and probably preferable these days. A few maildrops for gear swaps and maps, but none for food.
Or, unless you have any food preferences (high-nutrition, foreign, better-tasting) that go beyond what the dumbest and brokest third of a trailer park's inhabitants would consider a reasonable diet. When you are in Joe Bob's convenience store in Deliverance, Virginia, that's what they have for sale.
I buy my trail food throughout the year so I don't have to save as much money for my hike. Picking up a couple packs of Liptons every week doesn't seem to cut into my budget very much. I supplement while on the trail. One way I keep the cost of my hike down. If I were to thru-hike though, I'd do it with as few mail drops as possible.
"It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America." - Daniel Boone
I'm doing a SOBO and planning just two maildrops for new sets of maps: Glen Cliff, Harper's Ferry. This means I'll have to carry a large load of maps out of both Glen Cliff and Harper's Ferry, but I consider this extra weight worth it to reduce my maildrops and the risks of losing the maps somehow. The only food drop I'm sending is from Hot Springs, NC to Fontana Dam.
These same locations would also work for a NOBO, except the food drop at Fontana Dam would be sent north instead of south and it might also be wise to send a food drop to Monson, ME. These two food drops can be arranged on the trail, using a flat-rate priority mail box from the post office and filling it with trail mix or pasta.
Maildrops are out of fashion... and not really necessary for food resupply. OTOH, maps force the issue, when you're hiking significant distances. That is to say: the complete set is too heavy to carry, and you can't really rely on buying them as you go. Bottom line, maildrops still happen, though the main purpose (for me) is fresh maps, not food.
Tanya:
While there are a few places on the Trail where having a food maildrop is a blessing (because there's either no market anywhere nearby, or the available market is lousy), you can absolutely hike the Trail without sending yourself food.
You might want to check out the "Articles" section of Whiteblaze where there is a lot of information on re-supply, shopping options, etc. Also, any of the major Trail guidebooks will have extensive information on places close to the Trail (or actually ON the Trail) where you can get food.
The idea that mail drops are somehow "out of vogue" is disingenious at best. We did mail drops because of the better and well rounded nutrition found in making adequate dinners at the end of a hard day (I believe food to be one of the most important items to the aspect of a successful hike and one that, IMO, can easily get neglected). If you're young with muscles that can repair themselves quickly after being abused day in and day out on the little protein and veggies you ingest from cooking bulgar, potatoes and noodles, don't mind the hassle of having to forage off trail for food and figure out meals from the pop tarts and noodles at convenience stores where there are no grocery chains - or even trying to figure out food In big grocery stores, go for it. We did both buying (mainly for lunch and some breakfast) and drops (dinners) and it paid off for us.
disingenuous: lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere
No, I don't think that applies, not even remotely.
I believe my views on the matter are fairly mainstream. They're based on experience (as are yours) and observations of/by other hikers. Mail drops are great if you have the support and the patience to deal with them. They involve lots of work beforehand and they can complicate a hike. I certainly can see where, if you're willing to deal with all that, you can end up with a fabulous meal plan. Or you can just wing it, as most do these days, and still get by.