Date: 2009-03-26
To: Mail Drops and Resupply
Miles today: 0.0

Another common question I get when I tell people that I'm doing the Appalachian Trail is "How much food are you going to bring?". When I tell them that most of the time I'm only going to have around 4 days of food on me, most people are taken back. Luckily, unlike those who hiked years ago, there are many trail towns along the AT that can offer food and other luxuries like a shower, an actual bed, and beer. There are still spots, however, that are harder to resupply at than others.You will also have to take in effect that I will have about 1000 hikers ahead of me on the trail. Now I know that the modern supermarkets of this world can handle swings in demand, but when even just 100 hungry hikers come swooping through a Mom and Pop shop, it can wipe the shelves out pretty good. And I will be dealing with a lot more Mom and Pops than supermarkets. To fill the void, I will be using some Mail Drops. This is essentially a small box of food, supplies, tp, bug dope/sunscreen, whatever you need, mailed north of you on the trail. So, when you get to town, all you have to do is go to the post office (or one of many hostels/hotels/outfitters that accept MD's) and all the stuff you need is there waiting for you.There are pros and cons to Mail Drops. The pros are that you can rely on food and supplies waiting for you in town. You can also have food that you know that you'll like, or that you've personally dehydrated before you left. You can mail supplies as well that may be hard to get a hold of, or anything specific that you need, like a prescription. There are cons, however, that contradict almost all of these pros. Sure you'll have food waiting for you in town, but what if you arrive after the post office closes on Saturday? You'll have to wait until Monday morning before you can get your stuff, a real bummer if you weren't planning on staying that long. You can have food that you like, but that's food that you like "now", who knows if in 2 months you'll still like the taste of your homemade GORP, chicken ramen, and instant rice. You might hate the taste by now, but that's what you sent yourself. Also, there's the idea of sticking to a schedule. Most hikers don't have regular communication with their support at home and so if they say they're going to be at Fontana Dam May 10th, they better be there, not too early or too late because they may stop holding it for you. By the time you get to ME/NH, your schedule might be very different than you planned.I will be using a few mail drops along the way. Most of the time resupplying in towns is not going to be a problem. There are a few areas that I would like that security of knowing that I have some supplies on the way. A good spot would be a place like Fontana Dam because that's the last major resupply point before the Smokies. Another, more local example is North Adams, MA. It's a convenient town right along the trail, but it's a dump and doesn't have much to offer sometimes. I still have some planning to do around this, and will be doing a large shopping run at a BJ's or Sam's Club and will be filling boxes next week.If anyone is wondering what a rough itinerary may look like, here is an example of what a 5 month hike typically looks like (applied to my start date):Cumulative Days Days to Hike Arrival (Est)      Landmark  7 days            7 Days         4/22      Georgia/NC Border 14 days            7 Days         4/29         Fontana,NC 36 days         22 Days         5/21         Damascus,VA 63 days         27 Days         6/17         Waynesboro,VA 73 days         10 Days         6/27      Harpers Ferry,WV 90 days         17 Days         7/14         PA/NY State Line 102 days         12 Days         7/26         Kent,CT 123 days         19 Days         8/14         Glencliff,NH 131 days            8 Days         8/22         Gorham,NH 140 days            9 Days         9/1         Stratton,ME 153 days         13 Days         9/14         Katahdin!Of course, this is all speculation at this point. I might go a little quicker in the beginning and a little slower in the second half once people start joining me. However, this gives a rough idea of what it will be like. Also, Baxter State Park doesn't close until Oct 15, so I have a month buffer in case anything happens. This chart does have "zero" days built in.Happy Trails,Matt