Mail Drops: I understand that some people....

[SCGamecock]

...use mail drops and some people don't. Right now I haven't figured out what I will do for my 2013 NOBO thru. So....my question is this. Are there places where resupply is just flat out a pain in the a** and it's just way more convenient to do a mail drop? Thanks in advance for your input.

[Don H]

Well some places are less convenient than others, and some places have less selection than others.
That being said you can certainly thru without any mail drops for food.
Check out Baltimore Jack's resupply article here, it's dated but still good.
Also there was a thread not too long ago on where were the places that would be good for a drop. I voted for Adkins, VA.

[kayak karl]

you don't need to decide before you start. there were a few towns where we mailed a food drop ahead because the NOBO's said it was slim pickin's. since there was a supermarket and post office where we were, we did it.

[m_factor]

Hmm, the one place that sticks out in my mind was Fontana. Other than that, I realized along the way that for a few days here and there, I could make do with what was available in most Mom and Pop stores.

That said, I used a lot of mail drops on my thruhike and found most of them to be superfluous. In general, I had leftover food, didn't want to eat the food in my mail drops, and ended up spending more time managing my mail drops - both before and during my hike - than was necessary. I didn't realize that the long-term resupply supermarkets along the trail were as good as most of the supermarkets at home and often cheaper.

I thought I would have more variety with mail drops but rather, I prefer buying what I wanted when I felt like it rather than guessing what I would feel like eating months before I started my hike.

For my thruhike, I stuck with my preplanned mail drop schedule. For my subsequent long-distance hikes, I only used mail drops for gear and other types of supplies.

Read more at my Resupply vs. Maildrops page: http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/resupply.html

[garlic08]

...there was a thread not too long ago on where were the places that would be good for a drop. I voted for Adkins, VA.

This is pretty funny, because Atkins was one of the memorable places that I was very pleased at NOT doing a mail drop. Between the restaurant and C-Store at the road crossing there, within sight of I-81 as I remember, I found plenty to eat and I saved myself a hitch into town. Everyone has his/her own idea of a successful resupply, and these two opinions prove that!

In my opinion, no, there aren't any places on the AT where a food drop is preferable to buying as you go.

Your resupply needs will depend on many factors, including your appetite, if you have dietary needs (are are just picky), how much food you like to carry, how far you can walk per day with a given amount of food, how well you handle getting hungry, etc.

[Donde]

IMHO Fontana (especially early season hikers), Atkins, and Port Clinton, are worth looking at. However you can totally do it without drops. You can resupply easy in Atkins at the C-Store, but your gonna pay for the C.

[cabbagehead]

How about sending some food to the office at the top of Mt. Washington.

[Spokes]

...Are there places where resupply is just flat out a pain in the a** ......

Harpers Ferry

[Lone Wolf]

...use mail drops and some people don't. Right now I haven't figured out what I will do for my 2013 NOBO thru. So....my question is this. Are there places where resupply is just flat out a pain in the a** and it's just way more convenient to do a mail drop? Thanks in advance for your input.

i personally never found any place that was a PIA to resupply. i've never done a maildrop for food in 5 thru-hikes and 6000 other section hike miles. take it for what it's worth

[Lone Wolf]

Harpers Ferry

there's a big shopping center 5 miles away

[Blissful]

How about sending some food to the office at the top of Mt. Washington.

You don't ever want to do a maildrop to mt washington. Totally unreliable.

[Blissful]

IMHO Fontana (especially early season hikers), Atkins, and Port Clinton, are worth looking at. However you can totally do it without drops. You can resupply easy in Atkins at the C-Store, but your gonna pay for the C.

Port Clinton has a wally world a mile down the road. The barn restaurant takes maildrops at Groseclose (Atkins).

[Moose2001]

There's no town stop on the AT where you can't get food. The only questions are is how picky you are and how far you have to travel to get to a store. Go for a very minimal list of maildrops, you'll be much happier. As stated earlier, go through Baltimore Jack's resupply article and figure out what works best for you.

[Different Socks]

there's a big shopping center 5 miles away

So hitching 5 miles to get the food you need is more reliable than a food drop? I'd rather have the food drop, IMHO.

[Lone Wolf]

So hitching 5 miles to get the food you need is more reliable than a food drop? I'd rather have the food drop, IMHO.

there's a local mini-bus that goes from HF to there daily. but hitching is no big deal either. todays hikers are lazy.

[fiddlehead]

One of the most important ones for me going NOBO, has always been Neels Gap (Mtn crossings)
If I send a package there, I can start out with only 2 days food and a light pack for the beginning.
Glencliff NH would be another one on my list as I usually get some warmer clothes there besides food.
I also do one at Harpers Ferry. Didn't know about a bus and I don't like trying to hitch out of tourist traps.

[Spokes]

there's a big shopping center 5 miles away

there's a local mini-bus that goes from HF to there daily. but hitching is no big deal either....

Yep, the mini-bus schedule is spotty at best which compounds the "pain in the arse" factor. They only made one run out and back unless they've changed it. Hitchin'? YMMV

[peakbagger]

I second that Mt Washington is not a place to send packages to. I am not sure if they even hold packages and currently the facility is "bursting at the seams" with tourists. Te real reason for the Post Office at the top is for tourists to send postcards from the top. Do yourself a favor and either send the packages to Highland Center (requires a hitch) or Pinkham notch, both facilities are set up for hiker packages and have room to store them.

[peakbagger]

Sorry for the second post, but Glencliff NH is slated to be closed or the hours seriously restricted, they got a reprieve this year but it will be important to verify that it will be open for reasonable hours next year. Some of the rural post offices are down to one hour per day. As many have discussed, this is a real PITA for the hiking community as there arent a lot of resupply options anywhere nearby.

[swjohnsey]

Coupla observations based on my just completed thru . . . Glenncliff PO is open, about 4 hours/day, only place you will likely see a postal clerk in a wife beater and earring. You can get a mail drop at Mt. Washington, I did. Problem is if you can't pick up the package it won't be forwarded. I found Fontana Dam store well stocked and relatively inexpensive by trail standards.. The post office is also very convient (right next door).

I used mail drops, one every couple of weeks. In these I always had about 3 days food, plus the batteries, vitamins, drugs (legal), and the odds and ends that are sometimes difficult to come by in a convenience store (like a single bar of soap). It doesn't take many $6 jars of peanutbutter or $1 ramens to offset the cost of mailing a box.