About how long did it take you to do your planning? I mean, as far as setting up maildrops and planning where to send them; and making a rough plan of when you’ll be where along the way? I’m not sure if there’s anything else really to plan, but if so, let me in. Thanks.
C-Giddy
Sorry, didn’t want to post every thread, you know.
Here’s the plan; send drops to places close to the trail ie hostels etc. Only send what you really need. What I meen is you think you’ll eat Mac N’Cheese for six months?, the answer is no. Send staples like dried fruit, bulk chocolate, tea, toilet paper, jery, stuff you definately can’t get in town.
As far as the planning goes a few good journals have recommendations for mail drops to go out. Ours was almost perfect for what we used. You need to think outside the tent when it comes to what you think you need. If you haven’t hiked a lot it can seem overwhelming I know. We we’re in the same boat. We read several journals and compared notes to Wingnut’s book and came up with a list based on what services were available and how close they were to the trail…hikers results of the same. After the hike we found we would have used less than the twenty drops that we did. Food in town was of larger choice than the stuff we made at home.
Here’s our old drop list which is okay but not prefect.
It’ll give you an idea. Time wise, for planning???..???, you’ll send out a few drops before you leave and then have family do the rest based on a rough schedule and then call them if you’re over opr under date/ETA. I don’t know if I answered your question. You’re welcome to call me if you want. Hit the e-mail for connection.
http://www.trailjournals.com/maildrop.cfm?trailname=111
Bushwhack
Thank you Bushwack. Sorry if that second post sounded impatient. I started thinking that “time to plan…” as a topic line wasn’t clear enough that i actually had a question to ask.
My concern was that i hadn’t actually started planning where to send the mail drops and what to put in them, so i didn’t know if 5 weeks was enough to plan all this and get everything. I actually had a dream last week that it was March 1st…and i was still in my house…without even a backpack. No, not a dream…it was a nightmare.
C-Giddy
I to was reluctant to post for the same reason, and because I thought that a load of previous thru’s would help you out. I’m in the same boat as you as far as planning goes. My only solid plans take me from my house to the airport, the airport to Atlanta, Atlanta to Dahlonega then Dahlonega to Springer. After that I’ll figure it out. I sort of plan not to plan…if you know what I mean?? I’ve got a rough idea about the first few weeks, I’ve gathered info from the good people who post here as to suggested maildrops (thanks everybody by the way) and shall use a bounce box beggining in Hiawassee. From then on, who know’s??? Just walk north, and let the reat happen, right? I have enough common sense to sort the rest out as I go along. Good luck and I’ll see you in the woods!
Ross:cheers
Ross
Might I suggest you send you first drops to places that need them…unless you’re rich. Neels gaps, you’ll need three days of food to get there so pack light, your diet will be off the first weeks. One to Fontana, nothing to eat there. Resupply in Gatlinburg, nice grocery right at the first edge of town. Stay at the Grand Prix for cheap and laundry. Food to Hot Springs. See how it goes. You can also buy the food you want and mail it ahead which can work better since only you will now your pace. Raindog, we hiked with, called his sis every town and had her mail some grub up trail. We often made it the same day it hit the PO. To close. You want ten days mail ahead time of you can to make sure it gets there.
Bushwhack
You asked how long does it take to do the planning. Well, some of us dream of thru-hiking for a long time, like months and years. Certainly I had my plan roughed out months in advance. Yet, I continued to revise it up almost up to the date I left for the start. Others spend very little time planning.
To make my baseline schedule, I did most of it on a long plane ride several months ahead of time. My baseline schedule included resupply locations, tentative dates for mail drops, and what I would need in each mail drop. So, the first pass of my baseline schedule actually took only a few days. I made some assumptions about how many miles per day, and how much I wanted to carry between resupply. I used the AT Data Book, and later refined it looking at maps and reading Wingfoot’s handbook.
Of course, there is more to planning than just figuring out where to mail drop, and what to put in each mail drop. I needed to upgrade much of my gear, so I did the research and made decisions on various equipment, looked for sales, etc.
Peaks
I JUST REACHED HARPERS FERRY I AM STILL ON THE TRAIL SINCE KATAHDIN 9/16/03. Don’t plan for more than three mail drops in . Things change, you speed up ,you slow down. The problem is that when you plan, you have to stick to the plan or else everything will fall apart. ADVENTURE is what we are talking about, and it is the unpredictability and spontanaity that makes it so.
fuman
Do plan, but expect to keep it flexible. As things change, just adjust accordingly. Wether you speed up or slow down, just adjust the dates accordingly. You do not need to stick to a predetermined schedule.
Do plan. Family and friends need to have some idea where you are and what progress you are making.
Peaks
After I got my maps. I sat down and loked at them in augh! Then I broke open the Thru Hikers Companion. I based everything on 10 miles a day. tats good for Ga but not so good for NC VA (you tend to pick up speed) Who knew? Anyway,just look at some of the places and read up on some of the services in various town. You can pretty much make a judgement call fromn that. If you hike with the companion and read about a week ahead of yourself. You can bounce or mil food ahead if you feel the need. I wont mail drop from home again. Its a pain and its not needed. In my opinion.
Virginian
Flame and I looked at all the journals of couples, our age or younger. Listed all their maildrops and then selected from that batch. Almost everyone was very similar. We hit all of our drops from our plan but one! We were within a day or two off. We mailed half and Fedexed half. (We have some friends who work there and we got it for about $5!!!) When I do it again I will do fewer drops and put less food in them. We ended up never having over 3 days of food, especially in the middle states. Once we set down and started planning we finished in a couple of hours. If you would like our plan, I have it in Excel and will e-mail it to you. Good luck on your hike!!
Papa Smurf
i say there is no need for maildrops on the at except in maybe a few places (fontana dam for example). the reasons go on and on, expense, planning time (it is time consuming, but you can do it in a week if you are effin crazy like me), and most of all, you get so sick of the damn crap, no matter how hard you tried to keep it interesting. there are so many markets on the at. big ones. there is not much you will not be able to buy. dont send yourself dozens of boxes of mac and cheese or ramen. there will be a store right next to the PO.
having said that, may i suggest something that many people cringe at, training. take the time you would be repackaging powdered milk (messy) and test your gear, and get your legs ready. i completely agree with ross, if you just show up at springer and walk north, it will come together naturally, even more so if you are not tied down by an itinerary or a support person back in grand rapids who has a fulltime job and lost that third package hes so sorry.
and it will come together so much more smoothly if you are just in a little bit of shape, your shoes are comfortable, and your rain system is flawless. so return the pallet of peanuts and walk as much as you can, gradually increacing the length, difficulty, and the wieght you walk with. my goal is to be able to do 10 miles in four hours with a full pack over real terrain. those days off in between walking days are what prevents injury. and being physicaly prepared eliminates a whole myriad of problems starting hikers experience, problems that force some to quit. its my suggestion. i have made every mistake in the book in this respect, so i speak from experience.
but one thing you will undoubtedly learn on the at is how to wing it and deal with situations you could never have predicted. have faith in that.
milo