Date: 2012-12-27
To: What's for Dinner?????
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Things are looking like they are definitely a "go" for a northbound hike. I did a little creative calculations and I am sure now that I can make a NoBo trek happen :0) The only thing that may change now is my departure date. There is a possibility that I won't begin the trail until April 14th as opposed to the 7th...I'm leaving that up in the air until the time comes. Leaving a week later won't hurt me since I can make up for some time up in Va. where I can put some big miles in so that I don't run into a problem with Katahdin being closed.   That being said, now I am beginning to get ideas together for food preparation and mail drops. I've read two schools of thought... #1 prepare your food beforehand and have it mailed to specific locations... #2 prepare your first week to bring with you from day one and then rely on convenience stores/gas stations and groc. stores to re-supply the rest of the way.    I plan on being on the trail for about 25 weeks and, if I want to stay as light weight as possible, I can really only carry about 1 week of food at a time before I resupply. This is based on the idea that 2#'s of food per day will give me the calories that I need....So, 10#'s of food will need to be carried each week. Now, sending 25 packages ahead at 10#'s a pop???? The postage on that is gonna be pretty steep! Not to mention the issue with timing my arrivals to each maildrop EXACTLY!!!    So, on to school of thought #2.... I like the idea of getting food along the way but I'm really concerned about the weight and the cost as well. I can control the amount I pay and the potential weight of the food that I will carry if I put it all together now...before I leave. However, if I buy food along the way I will not be buying in bulk, which will be much more expensive. Additionally, food bought in convenience stores is much more bulky. Things like boxes or pouches of rice and beans, mashed potatoes, soup, etc...are going to take up a lot of room in my pack, whereas if I had pre-packaged food...I would know exactly how much room I need for each re-supply.   I've been doing some research on dehydrated products that I can get in bulk and that I can put together nutritious and tasty meals with. There is some really good stuff out there!!! If I buy on the trail, Im looking at days of ramen noodles, lots of mashed potato flakes and alot of junk food.    Hmmmmmmm....I'm still thinking this through and any advice out there would be greatly appreciated! I'm gonna keep thinking out loud here though...If I send drops I will HAVE to stay on schedule but if I deviate from it, I can always get food from town to hold me over. Later in the hike, if I am running low on funds, I will have drops already waiting for me that won't cost me anything. By doing drops, I can keep weekly expenses down and that will allow me to treat myself to dinner in town or spring for a hostel/hotel and a much needed zero occasionally.    Part of the whole trail experience is heading into town with fellow hikers and enjoying what that particular trail town has to offer. I am definitely looking forward to that. I think, If I'm able to control the cost of my food on the trail by having drops, I will be able to experience and enjoy trailtowns and zero's with much less stress as far as finances go. If I buy along the way, I have no idea and therefore no control over what my meals will cost on a weekly basis while on the trail...I'm a gemini and fly by the seat of my pants a fair amount of the time but I'm not real keen on the idea of just playing it by ear on a weekly basis for my meals.   With $4000 alotted for the trail, I have an average of $160 per week to spend. That includes food, hostels/hotels occasionally, dinners, gear, new hiking shoes, internet usage and laundry....and all the other expenses I may run across. Is that enough to buy food each week as well? I guess what I need to do next is plan my "ideal" route as far as daily mileage goes so I will know what towns I will be close to. Then I need to see what postage will be for drops at all of those locations. I'll have to price out the bulk food that I'm looking at and all of the snacks I will need. I will also have to look at what facilities are available for buying food in those towns.   That ought to keep me busy for the next week!!! :0)   What are my 2013 peers out there planning on doing??? Any past AT class members wanna chime in and help a girl out????????