No mail drops?

[Marmotnj]

I'm doing a 2010 thru hike, and i dont want to do mail drops, how many people have done it with out them?

[ShelterLeopard]

LOTS of people. Tons of threads about this right now.

[ShelterLeopard]

My plan: I'm doing food maildrops for the first month only (and one other slightly less than simple resupply). Because after month 1, who knows how hungry I'll be, and what I'll want to eat? And the maildrops for month one will be good while I get into the swing of hiking.

Apart from food maildrops, I'll be doing a couple map mail drops, in which I'm including a little bit of food that I REALLY like. (Special cookies or candy that you can't get everywhere).

You might want to do some mail drops, if not for food, any replacement gear or maps you need.

But you can TOTALLY resupply along the trail without ever doing a maildrop. As I said, I'm just using them for the first month because A- they're simple, B- they're easy, if they don't get lost or I come into town late on a Saturday, C- I have plenty of stamps saved up, so I won't need to spend any of my cash on them (small upside) D- They're fun to plan and pack, and E- I can pretty easily pack things I like to eat now, because I don't think my tastes will change too drastically in the first couple weeks.

Good Luck.

[Spokes]

Whatever you do, send one to Harper's Ferry! You won't regret it.

[Jester2000]

Whatever you do, send one to Harper's Ferry! You won't regret it.

Outfitter and General Store have limited but sufficient resupply, and 2 grocery stores and Walmart are a short bus ride or hitch away. On the other hand, I can't imagine regretting sending a mail drop to Harpers Ferry. Unless it doesn't arrive.

[Spokes]

Outfitter and General Store have limited but sufficient resupply, and 2 grocery stores and Walmart are a short bus ride or hitch away. On the other hand, I can't imagine regretting sending a mail drop to Harpers Ferry. Unless it doesn't arrive.

J2, almost everyone I talked to had a maildrop sent just for the convenience factor. The walk to the 7-11 store is a haul and if you get into town late or on a weekend you have to contend with a very limited bus service schedule.

My buddy took the bus ride to the Walmart but it didn't run a return trip late afternoon. He had a heck of a time getting a ride/hitch back and was one frustrated thru-hiker.

I say do yourself a favor and send a food drop then relax and enjoy some beers in town- time well spent at the psychological half way point.

[Jester2000]

J2, almost everyone I talked to had a maildrop sent just for the convenience factor. The walk to the 7-11 store is a haul and if you get into town late or on a weekend you have to contend with a very limited bus service schedule.

My buddy took the bus ride to the Walmart but it didn't run a return trip late afternoon. He had a heck of a time getting a ride/hitch back and was one frustrated thru-hiker.

I say do yourself a favor and send a food drop then relax and enjoy some beers in town- time well spent at the psychological half way point.

Agreed on all points, except that I was referring to the General Store on Potomac Street (which has resupply now, but not when you were through) -- but those who do end up at the 7-11 (VERY limited resupply) are encouraged to go next door to The Pub, which has excellent beer and good food for cheaper than down in the Ferry.

[Jack Tarlin]

Quick note: People should know that the Outfitter in Harpers Ferry has a small, but perfectly adequate food selection, i.e. Liptons, Mountain House dinners, snacks, treats, etc. And there are all sorts of places to re-supply in Maryland and Southern PA so you don't need to bring a whole lot with you out of Harpers. (This should also be kept in mind by folks who plan to send themselves food here. I've seen some enormous maildrops sent here and it simply isn't necessary to send or purchase that much here).

[ShelterLeopard]

Why? (I'm not seding anything because I'm meeting my family and they'll be bringing me things)

[Spokes]

Why? (I'm not sending anything because I'm meeting my family and they'll be bringing me things)

Good answer! You're very smart!

[Lone Wolf]

I'm doing a 2010 thru hike, and i dont want to do mail drops, how many people have done it with out them?

i've done 5 thru hikes without mail drops.

[Mags]

Read this:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/arti...supplybook.pdf

Written in 2007, but the overall details are correct. Also consult with a newer guidebook for updated details.

[Cookerhiker]

I'm doing a 2010 thru hike, and i dont want to do mail drops, how many people have done it with out them?

This point has probably been made in the other threads on mail drops but I'll repeat it: for food, it all depends on what kind of food you want. As others have said, there're sufficient stores in trail towns to procure enough food and many hikers do so, perhaps the majority. But if you want more specialized foods i.e. homemade or dehydrated or meals assembled from bulk products, you'll appreciate at least an occasional maildrop.

On my last few long distance hikes, I compromised. Lunch stuff, trail mix, fresh fruits, granola bars,hot chocolate - all these I bought along the way. I mail-dropped my dinners and breakasts. It's a personal thing. I prefer my homemade oatmeal over the packaged stuff and I like whole-grain starches for my dinners.

[RollingStone]

It's a personal thing. I prefer my homemade oatmeal over the packaged stuff and I like whole-grain starches for my dinners.

We used to eat whatever was easy to buy at the store. The issue we had was that it was never satisfying and very hard to judge just exactly how much food we had.

We decided to do our LT hike last summer using a similar method to Andrew Skurka. One of the keys to that success was our own quality homemade oatmeal that pegged at 650 calories in the morning, and a variety of jasmine rice, or wheat pasta based dinners that usually pegged around 600 calories in the evening. During the day, we ate a steady diet of powerbars, balance bars, snicker, Baby Ruths, clif bars, etc. Never bonked, never got hungry to the point where our stomachs were overtaking out heads.

We controlled our diets and had about 3000 calories per day that was balanced between good fats, protein and carbs.

I know that I could easily pull into any trail town on our 2011 hike and find something for dinner, but as Cooker said, we rather enjoyed our own home made oatmeal and granola. We enjoyed our variety of dinners because we cooked them at home in bulk and dried them on our own.

So for us, we intend to do one maildrop per week which we know we can fit 5 days of meals into the large flat rate box. We'll make up the other two days buy buying food in town and that we believe will keep us from getting bored and hopefully allow us to eat what we enjoy eating as our main meals.

It will save us a tad bit of money over the long haul because all of the things we like to snack on during the day can be bought much cheaper in bulk ahead of time than in a grocery store along the trail.

[GeneralLee10]

I can't seem to understand the NO Mail Drop thing. If you say no mail drops then how in the heck are you carrying maps? That can add up in weight. Just does not make any sense to me. Maybe some could help me understand this thinking of others.

[letmebefreee]

im not gonna carry maps so that might explain :P

[garlic08]

I can't seem to understand the NO Mail Drop thing. If you say no mail drops then how in the heck are you carrying maps? That can add up in weight. Just does not make any sense to me. Maybe some could help me understand this thinking of others.

Believe it or not, some AT hikers do not carry the ATC maps (and for some reason that is one sensitive topic here). According to the ATC website there are 165,000 white blazes on the trail (going both ways). That's an average of one every 140'.

I did my hike with three mail drops for shoes, guidebook sections, and AAA state road maps for bail-out purposes. No food (or ATC maps) in the mail. In addition to tons of blazes, there are a lot of grocery stores, gas station c-stores, and cafes along the route.

[GeneralLee10]

So the maps will become obsolete some day I know it a sensitive topic, there are two reason I will carry them. 1= I like to read maps elev. profiles 2= bailout/emergence reasons oh! one more short cuts. I guess it all boils down to HYOH. I know the maps do suck for town road info. They manly cover the AT corridor. I am sure my plans will change, I did not need any maps from Springer to Fontana but still had them. I think I am barking up a dead tree when it comes to maps and peoples opinions.
The mail drops for me will give my family a way to kinda keep in touch letters etc. The food I most def will get along the way so that will bring me into town for my mail. Thanks for the responses

[Appalachian Tater]

Another reason you don't need a maildrop in Harper's Ferry is that there is tons of stuff in the hiker box at the ATC HQ because so many people do maildrops there.

[Marmotnj]

thanks for the advise guys, i might do one two or three along the way for a little surprise when i get into town.