Mail Drops
As long as you have someone working from a "home base", or can stick to an extremely exact schedule, the best way to obtain your re-supplies are from Mail Drops. Most US Post Offices will hold a package delivered to them addressed to "Hold for Through-Hiker Joe"(etc), provided you have made contact with them.
Steps:
Remember, we can't mail fuel in the US these days.
Steps:
- Determine how many days any given re-supply will cover. For example, the first re-supply location is the Lewes Post Office in Delaware (excuse the typo in the spreadsheet). From there, the next re-supply location is Cabin John, MD, 165 miles away. Factoring an average of 20 miles a day, it will take about 8 days to reach the re-supply.
- In the months before your hike, calculate your caloric needs for each re-supply. For example, the caloric needs for an 8-day re-supply are 32,000 calories, based on an 4000 calorie-a-day diet. Make sure to pay attention to when you're going to be near towns and might have a meal or two in a restaurant or diner. This will save you weight! But not money.
- Individually box each re-supplies contents and label appropriately.
- Maintain contact with your "home base", if you're lucky enough to have one, to adjust mailing schedules as the route may change due to weather or illness.
- Try to always have your package mailed out two weeks prior to your next re-supply location. That way, it won't get there to late or too early. The Post Office has better things to do than watch your mail.
- Use the empty boxes you receive to mail back unused gear/clothes for weather you've left behind/love notes for your "home base".
Remember, we can't mail fuel in the US these days.