Hey, I'm thinking about doing a thruhike on the BMT, or as much as I can, since time is a constraint. I have about 25 days at my disposal this August, dead time between the two volunteer opportunities I'm going to be doing on local farms. I'll probably be going SOBO, as I'll already be in the Asheville area, unless I figure out it'll be easier to shuttle down to around Springer and hike back north.
But, I was wondering, what is resupply like on this trail? What is the average interval between resupply points, and what is the longest one? I'm just trying to get a feel for this trail; really, the idea to hike it only occurred to me yesterday. But I feel I overplanned my AT thruhike, and don't want to do that again. Mainly, I'd like to skip the maildrops if possible.
Also, are permits required anywhere (besides the Smokies)? What are the shuttling options (in general, at least?). Anything else I might be forgetting?