needed mail drops fontana dam and NOC

[mainebob]

Do you recomend mail drops for resupply at fontana dam and the NOC, or can you purchase enough there. thanks

fyi plans are nobo end of march 2013.

[Drybones]

Both were good resupply this spring.

[yellowsirocco]

For NOC I generally have some stuff left over from Franklin that I can make do out of what the NOC carries. Then by the time I get to Fontana I am needing everything and they want both arms and legs for everything.

[mainebob]

Both were good resupply this spring.

thanks, this is helpful.

[mainebob]

For NOC I generally have some stuff left over from Franklin that I can make do out of what the NOC carries. Then by the time I get to Fontana I am needing everything and they want both arms and legs for everything.

thanks for the reply. I have been trying to figure out if i really would be saving any money sending a resupply with a usps priority box costing around $11.50-$12.50 a box, compared to buying 3-4 days supply at the high rates.

[Blissful]

If you stay at the Hike Inn they shuttle you to Robbinsville to the big grocery store there.

[swjohnsey]

NOC is not a good resupply point unless you intended to buy freeze dried stuff from the outfitter. The little store is pitiful.

[garlic08]

I carried from Franklin to Stecoah Gap and hitched into Robbinsville from there and bought a load of groceries. Then I picked up a few groceries at Standing Bear Farm and that got me to Hot Springs. I did not buy anything at NOC or Fontana.

[turtle fast]

The store in Fontana Dam village had more than enough supplies to get you through the Smokeys. I was told by the staff that they make an effort to have a descent selection of foodstuffs for hikers at their store. Now it is not the cheapest stuff around price wise, but probably the same if not cheaper than mailing yourself supplies once you factor in postage.

[Spokes]

The store at Fontana Dam is notoriously unreliable for stocking up on food. When I went through there a fellow hiker bought the last jar of peanut butter and I got the last pack of tuna-nothing else left to buy.

The place was so picked over it looked like a Russian co-op after a hard winter.

[jburgasser]

I mailed a box with 3 days worth of food to NOC for something like $13.00 US post Office. It was waiting for me when I got there.

Ickybod

[Stir Fry]

+1 for the Hike Inn. Shuttle to town included in cost of room, they waited for me to eat at the local restaurant, took me to store for resupply, and shuttled back to the trail the next morning. Great people too. I loved lookng at there rock colection. I'm doing my thru in 2014 and will not miss the Hike Inn. Cost of a mail drop is half what the room cost too.

[turtle fast]

Spokes when was that? I was told by the management that they had realized this mistake and had been in contact with the ATC regarding this issue and were "turning things around" for the better to service hikers. I had suggested that the Coke machine that is notoriously not functioning by the marina during the thru hiker rush would generate some extra revenue from those hikers not going into the village if the DixieNarco vendors had the proper heating/cooling functions (ie more the heating function in the early spring months) to make sure that the cans do not freeze.

[RED-DOG]

Have a Mail drop at the N.O.C and buy at Fontana Dam the The Pit-Stop has a great Food selection.

[RED-DOG]

And the Aquonehostel has Mail drop service with no charge.

[Old Hiker]

The store at Fontana Dam is notoriously unreliable for stocking up on food. When I went through there a fellow hiker bought the last jar of peanut butter and I got the last pack of tuna-nothing else left to buy.

The place was so picked over it looked like a Russian co-op after a hard winter.

20 Mar 2012 - I was behind a bubble of hikers - the store was picked fairly clean. No canisters for my stove. I'd sent myself a drop from Franklin thanks to other thru-hikers and the Outdoor 76 store. Be aware - the PO closes early. I almost missed getting there in time. $3 shuttle from the dam was very helpful.

Ice cream store was closed until April. RATS !! Filling station at the corner down the hill was open and had some hot, fresh cooked food.

[Kerosene]

I mailed a box to NOC, but it took 5 days to get there (from Michigan) so give yourself enough time. I wouldn't have wanted to try to re-supply at NOC.

A number of hikers re-supplied in Fontana, but I would have seriously considered staying at Hike Inn for a night and getting a ride into Robbinsville for a dinner and groceries. (My sections ended and started at Fontana Dam, and I used Hike Inn in both cases last year).