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  1. #41

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    There used to be, and quite possibly still is(I'm just not finding all of it right now), an EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE resupply article here on WB written by Jack Tarlin aka Baltimore Jack concerning resupply pts and the pros/cons of buying along the way versus mailing. Read it! It's written by someone who quite probably knows more about resupplying on a AT thru-hike or section hike than anyone else alive. At least LISTEN and STRONGLY CONSIDER what Baltimore Jack says in regards to AT thru-hiking. You might say he has a little worthwhile experience as a AT hiker!

  2. #42
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    How many mail drops does Jack recommend?
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  3. #43

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    8 1/2 maybe 0. He's actually not a huge fan of mailing resupply packages. He's not in the habit of telling folks what's right FOR THEM but THE POINT I WAS MAKING is that he does offer oodles of worthwhile things to at least consider when it comes to resupplying. I'm a fan of getting well earned AT advice from someone who has been there done that MANY TIMES and might know more than me! You all do what you want.

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChinMusic View Post
    How many mail drops does Jack recommend?
    I've seen the crap that Jack eats, he still does the miles. Some of us can't live on that.
    The trouble I have with campfires are the folks that carry a bottle in one hand and a Bible in the other.
    You never know which one is talking.

  5. #45
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WingedMonkey View Post
    I've seen the crap that Jack eats, he still does the miles. Some of us can't live on that.
    Eats? I've seen what he drinks.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  6. #46
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    i've only done 5 thru-hikes not 7 like jack but mail drops for most are not the way to go.

  7. #47
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Here's some blogs I posted on mail drops. I use them for specific reasons, mainly meds plus there are better, nutritional foods I like to mail to myself. They have worked for me for two AT completions. I also buy as well.







    Hiking Blog
    AT NOBO and SOBO, LT, FHT, ALT
    Shenandoah NP Ridgerunner, Author, Speaker


  8. #48

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    Since my name was brought up......thanx for the kind words. The Re-Supply Article is still useful, tho it needs to be updated. I think it's most useful in helping folks figure out how long it'll take the average/typical hiker to traverse a particular section of the Trail, i.e., how to avoid arriving at a place where you have mail or where there's a good market only to discover that you're still carrying several days of food.

    Quick comments: As several others have already pointed out, most contemporary hikers, for many reasons, choose to get most of their food while en route, as opposed to buying lots of stuff ahead of time and mailing it along as you go. Reasons for this are many.......you'll save perhaps hundreds of dollars on postage; you won't be stuck for months with food you're sick of or no longer wanna eat; you don't have to worry about lost or strayed parcels, or getting to town at the right time of day or right day of the week in order to reclaim your mail, etc. Also, most folks don't know their food needs til quite a ways into the trip......most early food maildrops are MUCH too heavy, meaning people either ditch or give away a lot of food, needlessly carry too much, or spend money reposting it ahead somewhere. As to those few places where an actual food parcel is a good idea, there really aren't that many. In no particular order: Tho things have got better, the Nantahala Outdoor Center has a 20-year history of neglecting thru-hiker needs. Food there is spartan and overpriced. a 2-3 drop here is not a bad idea. Likewise, tho things have vastly improved, some folks might wanna send something to Fontana Dam NC before entering the Smokies. Later on? Harpers Ferry re-supply has always been limited unless you get a ride to a real market in Charles Town; a small drop to the ATC Office can't hurt. Later on, Port Clinton PA has always been a problem unless you snag a ride to Hamburg; likewise, give some thought to Bear Mt. NY, assuming the Post Office is open. Other than this, folks, unless you're on some sort of specialized diet......vegan, kosher, no salt, no gluten, etc., or unless you're one of the fortunate few with the time, energy, and wherewithal to prepare and dehydrate lots of fun stuff ahead of time....barring all this, most folks would do well to buy as you go and rely as little as possible on food resupply thru the mail. It simply isn't that necessary anymore. The vast majority of today's thru-hikers need rely on few or NO food maildrops and will instead find it easy and more convenient to purchase the vast bulk of their food while en route as opposed to ahead of time.

  9. #49

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    Isn't that the truth Winged Monkey and Chin Music but I suppose we all have our quirks including moi. Besides, you can't deny that Jack loves hikers and the AT. He's a great asset to the AT hiking community.

    Lone Wolf, after 27,000 + posts I can finally say I agree with everything you said in your last succinct post. I can't recall even one of your posts lasting more than maybe three sentences. Now, if I can only learn to shorten my posts to 500 words or less as you do I'll have the time to thru-hike another trail.

    Blissful, you always bring something worthwhile to share at the party.

    Thanks all.

  10. #50

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    27,000 thous thous thousand posts. Is that the highest post count?

  11. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    ...how many pounds of baker's chocolate will fit in a large box?...Wayne
    Quote Originally Posted by Monkeywrench View Post
    A large flat-rate box is 12" x 12" x 5 1/2". ...
    12"x12"x5.5"=792 cubic inches. I couldn't find the density of bakers chocolate, but 1 cup (14.44 cubic inches) of peanut butter has 1517 calories and weighs 0.5688 lbs. So filling the whole box would give you 31.2 lbs of PB which is about 83,200 calories. That should get you pretty far.

  12. #52
    Super Moderator Marta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Odd Man Out View Post
    12"x12"x5.5"=792 cubic inches. I couldn't find the density of bakers chocolate, but 1 cup (14.44 cubic inches) of peanut butter has 1517 calories and weighs 0.5688 lbs. So filling the whole box would give you 31.2 lbs of PB which is about 83,200 calories. That should get you pretty far.
    But peanut butter is one of the easiest things to find at local stores along the AT...thus furthering the argument that one shouldn't bother to mail it to yourself. :-)
    If not NOW, then WHEN?

    ME>GA 2006
    http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277

    Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover

  13. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    27,000 thous thous thousand posts. Is that the highest post count?
    Sly is a distant 2nd with 15K.

    One Sock apparently loves to post more than anything and has 6K is just over a year. Keep your eye on him. Or her.

  14. #54
    Registered User wcgornto's Avatar
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    I suspect that if I thru hike the AT again, I will use fewer mail drops. In addition to the few places listed by Baltimore Jack above, I would add Hot Springs, NC. Unless there is a grocery store around the corner I didn't see, Dollar General was the only option there. I don't consider Dollar General an adequate resupply option. I would also add Glencliff, NH and Andover, ME to the list. With NOBO direction and pacing, perhaps not. However, heading SOBO, these were valuable resupply spots for me.

  15. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by max patch View Post
    Sly is a distant 2nd with 15K.

    One Sock apparently loves to post more than anything and has 6K is just over a year. Keep your eye on him. Or her.
    It's true...I'm a post whore!.....funny i only learned to type last year...still working on the spelling thing, and yes I wear a Kilt a "Great Kilt"
    Last edited by rocketsocks; 03-12-2013 at 00:52.

  16. #56

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    Must respectfully disagree with a comment above: The best place to re-supply in Hot Springs is and always has been Bluff Mt. Outfitters, one of the finest shops on the entire Trail. The food selection there is wonderful, has all sorts of alternate/health options, is geared towards hikers, and is fairly priced. This should be everyone's first stop in Hot Springs. By all means supplement or check out the snacks at the Dollar Store, but BMO should really have just about everything a hiker would possibly want.

  17. #57
    Nalgene Ninja flemdawg1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by One Sock View Post
    ...and yes I wear a Kilt a "Great Kilt"
    I just had a thought of what the "1-sock" is for. (looks for something sharp to stab the thought out of my brain.)

  18. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by One Sock View Post
    It's true...I'm a post whore!.....funny i only learned to type last year...still working on the spelling thing, and yes I wear a Kilt a "Great Kilt"
    So that's why they call you One Sock. You've been spending so much time typing you don't have the time to find that other missing sock?

  19. #59

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    Every time a new thread is started on WB concerning mailing verse buying resupplies along the way, which arises on a weekly basis, maybe more often, during the start of typical AT thru-hiker season, a WB default setting should pop this up as the first post:

    As several others have already pointed out, most contemporary hikers, for many reasons, choose to get most of their food while en route, as opposed to buying lots of stuff ahead of time and mailing it along as you go. Reasons for this are many.......you'll save perhaps hundreds of dollars on postage; you won't be stuck for months with food you're sick of or no longer wanna eat; you don't have to worry about lost or strayed parcels, or getting to town at the right time of day or right day of the week in order to reclaim your mail, etc. Also, most folks don't know their food needs til quite a ways into the trip......most early food maildrops are MUCH too heavy, meaning people either ditch or give away a lot of food, needlessly carry too much, or spend money reposting it ahead somewhere. As to those few places where an actual food parcel is a good idea, there really aren't that many. In no particular order: Tho things have got better, the Nantahala Outdoor Center has a 20-year history of neglecting thru-hiker needs. Food there is spartan and overpriced. a 2-3 drop here is not a bad idea. Likewise, tho things have vastly improved, some folks might wanna send something to Fontana Dam NC before entering the Smokies. Later on? Harpers Ferry re-supply has always been limited unless you get a ride to a real market in Charles Town; a small drop to the ATC Office can't hurt. Later on, Port Clinton PA has always been a problem unless you snag a ride to Hamburg; likewise, give some thought to Bear Mt. NY, assuming the Post Office is open. Other than this, folks, unless you're on some sort of specialized diet......vegan, kosher, no salt, no gluten, etc., or unless you're one of the fortunate few with the time, energy, and wherewithal to prepare and dehydrate lots of fun stuff ahead of time....barring all this, most folks would do well to buy as you go and rely as little as possible on food resupply thru the mail. It simply isn't that necessary anymore. The vast majority of today's thru-hikers need rely on few or NO food maildrops and will instead find it easy and more convenient to purchase the vast bulk of their food while en route as opposed to ahead of time.

  20. #60
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    Dogwood,
    the only add to above would be the circumstances where it does/might make sense to do mail drops. Unfortunately it seems that many cant step back from their position on either side to understand the logic behind the opposing view.

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