Mail Drops

Mike and I are fortunate enough to have great mom's who will send us 'mail drops' along our path so that we can be sure to have enough of the appropriate supplies to nourish our muscles to work well enough to escape from bears and bobcats.

Here is an example of a most energizing food, beloved of hikers everywhere:



The following is a list of locations that they will send the packages to, as well as daily supply of food in each and the date we anticipate picking them up (averaging a 10-15 mile a day schedule).  Post offices don't accept Fed Ex or UPS, only USPS.  All packages will read 'Hold for AT Hiker' and the date we expect to pick up the package. If the package contains a fuel canister, it must read 'ORM-D, Consumer Commodity' or 'Surface Mail Only' or both. Our mom's will have to mail parcels about a week and a half in advance of our arrival.  They'll ship food enough for two, in its original packaging and when we get the package, we'll re-house most of the food in plastic bags to make it lighter and easier to smash into our packs.  This list is considering a mid-point destination for the hike.  Pending everything we'll consider hiking to Katahdin and this list will grow.

Blueberry Patch Hostel, Hiawassee, GA

7 day supply, pickup May 2

- We found out that Blueberry Patch was closing the day after we arrived in Hiawassee, so we stayed at the Hiawassee Inn and the owners of the Blueberry Patch were kind enough to drop off our package to us on the way to church

We resupply in Nantahala Outdoor Center for 7 day supply around May 9

Fontana Village Resort (we won't be staying at the resort itself, unfortunately), Fontana Dam, NC

3 day supply, pickup May 12

Here is the mail drop we picked up in Fontana Village. We spread it all out on the ground and then divide the food up into days to determine how much we need and how much we can carry. There are 'hiker boxes' at every hostel and hotel along the trail. If people have too much food they can lighten the load by putting it in the hiker box and can be assured that a hiker in need will pick it up along the way. Almost everyone experiences both situations along the trail - having too much food or too little.

Mountain Mama's Kuntry Store and Bunkhouse, Newport, TN

4 day food supply, pickup May 16

We found out that Mountain Mama's had closed, so we stayed at a nearby hostel called Standing Bear that was VERY fun. Luckily the Newport P.O. had been getting enough hiker mail to know to drop off the packages at Standing Bear that were addressed to Standing Bear.

Hotsprings, NC Post Office

9 day food supply, pickup May 19

Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel, Erwin, TN

7 day food supply, pickup May 26

Here is a link with a good list of mail drop sites and food amounts. We are not planning on living entirely off drops, so we're not sticking to a comprehensive list like this, but it's a nice way to see the possibilites:

http://www.hike-usa.com/a-mail.htm