Mail Drops and the Virus

During this time of issues with unknown resupply in towns and the current virus outbreak, I highly recommend mail drops for resupply on the trails. So what goes in your drop?

Food for what you need for the days until your next drop. Write out a sample menu list. See this food list for other ideas.

Sometimes extra treats can be put into the box from home you can’t get elsewhere to enjoy on your day off from the trail. Especially treats you may not find.

A roll of toilet paper in a Ziploc along with some baby wipes. For women: light pads are helpful. A new pee rag bandana. If you know approx when you might need feminine supplies, it helps to have that in your drop too along with any medications you might take.

Medications. I have a set of personal meds and vitamins I take (see the first aid blog for what I add vitamin-wise. I usually carry enough meds for ten days. Be sure you are ok on the homefront with your prescription meds and plan ahead (you can ask for "vacation refills" ahead of time to pack into maildrops). I have added a sandwich-size Ziploc with some extra Advil and Tylenol.

Pages copied from the Thru Hiker Guide or the Companion (AT) or specific trail guide you need for the next section of trail you are hiking. 

I've also added for long distance ventures – 

Some brand new Ziploc bags to replace the ones I use in my pack. And large envelope in case I need to mail things home. 

A few extra band aids, leukotape, etc to replenish the first aid kit. Small bottle of hand sanitizer to replace. 

For fuel, use the trail guidebooks and trail forums to find out where they are obtainable on the trail.

Be sure to send your mail drop Priority Mail and allow plenty of time (I give it at least a week). 

The drop should be addressed as follows for a Post Office delivery (Use your REAL name, not your trail name, and be sure to carry ID to pick up at the PO). Be sure to have a RETURN address on it in case you need to ship it home. Writing or marking something obvious or your last name on the outside side of the box so the carrier can see it among the piles of boxes helps too. Send it Priority Mail. 
Sample address:

Jane Doe

General Delivery

Hanover, NH  03755
Hold for AT Hiker: ETA (state the expected date of your arrival)

Other businesses, hostels, etc are accepting maildrops and are good options if you feel you may arrive on a weekend when the PO might be closed. However some of these are closing due to the virus. CALL AHEAD with your ETA to see if they will be open. If you mail to other locations, be sure to put your real name and "c/o" - care of and the address being sent. Include your ETA.

If you are going to be late (like more than five days), courtesy asks that you call the place holding your drop and alert them.

If you sent your drop Priority Mail to the Post Office, are going to be late, changed plans, etc and you have NOT gone to the PO and claimed it at the window, they can bounce your mail drop up the trail or send it home for you at no charge. 

During this time of uncertainty, but really, at all times on a hike, planning and preparing is essential to a great time in the outdoors. 

Related Links: The Virus Thing and Hiking - 8 Ways to Protect Yourself and OthersNeed to be at home for a while? Check out my Hiking Adventure Series on the Appalachian Trail - Mountains Madness and Miracles and the Florida Trails - Gators Guts and Glory!




    

The Hiker Medicine Chest

So what do you carry on a backpacking trip with regards to supplements and other medicines? I’ve touched on this briefly in my blog on first aid, but I wanted to add in a few extra ideas that I found helpful on hikes.

Supplements

Drink Water!

While it would be nice to get all our nutrition naturally from what we eat, as backpackers it’s rare we can do so. Additional supplements helps the body recover quicker from the damage caused by hiking and provide more energy and less issues with health. Herbs can also help with inflammation and pain. Do not underestimate water consumption. Water is your best defense against achy joints.

These are supplements worth taking (some will be different with men and women)

A Multi Vitamin- some prefer to carry a chewable kind, but if you do, they usually have sugar on them. All vitamins should be hung then in your bear bag. I take just the plain pill form. Women, make sure yours contains adequate iron.

Turmeric for Inflammation

Joint supplement – this can vary, but to help with joints and knees especially, glucosamine sulfate, at least 500 mg and up to 1000 mg a day works well. So does Eggshell membrane that contains MSM and chondroitin.

For Inflammation – I carry Turmeric in pill form. Also Boswellia Serrata. Ginger has also been used for anti-inflammatory issues as well as the chief component in Cayenne pepper, capsaicin. Green Tea helps fight pain, which you can bring in pill form or as teas to drink.

For women, I highly recommend carrying calcium carbonate, extra Vitamin D 3 (helps absorb the calcium), and cranberry tablets to control urinary tract issues

Other Medications

Sometimes other pain relievers are needed. If you don’t have ulcer issues, you can bring some of the standard Vitamin I – commonly known as Advil, to help with inflammation and pain. I usually try to control pan with plain Tylenol though and use the other herbal supplements to help with inflammation. Do not plan to bring other kinds of narcotic pain relievers with you. If you feel the need for a narcotic, then the pain you are having is NOT normal and you should get off the trail and to a doctor.

Doxycycline – 200 mg of this, taken when you first discover a deer tick bite, can help against the development of Lyme disease. Talk to your doctor about having this prescription in your first aid kit. And carry a tick key too for tick removal. Use permethrin to treat your clothing, shoes and socks (do not apply to your skin!).

Stomach Aids – I do not recommend any kind of stomach aids for diarrhea such as lomotil. Diarrhea is the mechanism the body uses to flush out harmful bacteria and viruses. If you are experiencing constant diarrhea for a week or two that does not go away, you may have contracted the water borne illness giardia, and then, you need a prescription antibiotic to cure it. If you suddenly develop an onset of the runs and vomiting, you may have contracted norovirus. No stomach aid can help with this, but only time as it is a virus. Be sure when you are able, drink electrolyte solutions (such as Gatorade) to replace the fluids lost. Coconut water, if available, is helpful also. Try also broths and bananas. Carry with you a good hand sanitizer such as Purell with at least 70% alcohol content, and use it freely to help prevent contamination.

If you plan to be on the trail long term and are on prescription medication, use mail drops to mail the meds to your stops. Having a reliable person at home to help send them to you is a good idea. You can also get a vacation refill from your pharmacy so some drops can be made up ahead of time. Drops can be sent to a host of locations such as outfitters, hostels, motels etc besides just post offices. Check recent guidebooks for where to mail them. And always send your parcels Priority Mail.

 Related Blog

Sickness on the Trail - what to do, prevention

Possible Maildrop List for the Appalachian Trail

Possible places where you might send a maildrop for a northbound Thru Hike of the Appalachian Trail where good resupply for adequate nutrition is challenging, very limited or can be pricey. Or if it's real easy to get a drop too (some POs are right on the trail). See below for some Southbound options.



Neels Gap, Ga - Outfitter at Mountain Crossings but there is some resupply here

Outfitter at Natahala Outdoor Center - NOC (there is a small store but resupply is meager)

Fontana Village before the Smokies (or if staying at the Hike Inn, there - have offered shuttles to town). Watch PO open times, they can vary and frustrates hikers.

Possibly Standing Bear Farm out of the Smokies but there is also resupply there

Kincora Hostel

Bland, VA (will need a hitch)

Glasgow, VA (store here, but unsure of what they have. rather long haul from Daleville to Waynesboro if you skip it)

ATC at Harper's Ferry - opened seven days a week, but until 5 PM

Delaware Water Gap, PA - PO right near the trail

Fort Montgomery NY

Salisbury, CT ( I sent here, there is a store but it was pretty pricey)

Dalton, MA - just a convenience store, and PO is convenient

Inn at Long Trail unless you take the bus into Rutland, VT

Hanover, NH  (may be sending cold weather gear here to for the Whites. There is the food co-op but it is pricey. PO is convenient)

Glencliff, NH (cold weather gear for sure and send some food too)

Crawford Notch  (I sent mine to Highland Lodge, need a hitch though)

AMC center at Pinkham Notch

Andover, ME has a small store but you might send.

Stratton, ME - motel there or the PO

Caratunk, ME  - friendly PO

Monson, ME - store closed, send a box

Southbounders can do it the opposite direction but the store at NOC will likely be closed or very limited stock, so need a drop there. Also there is usually no transportation to Fontana Village for the PO. Might consider instead resupplying in Gatlinburg in the middle of the Smokies to get you to NOC. Also, your colder weather gear will need to be picked up by early October - possibly somewhere in VA.

Check out these other Blogs on Mail Drops and Advice

Postal Advice for Mail Drops
What Goes Into Mail Drops
AT Grocery Listing of Good Stores 

Hiker Nutrition: Dehydrating Foods to Add to Meals

I must admit I get alarmed sometimes by what hikers choose to eat while on long distance hiking trips. From plain noodles to Ramen to mashed potatoes, it's the same old, carb loading meals with little nutritional value. Backpacking meals don't have to be nutritionless, boring or expensive. With just a little time and a food dehydrator, you can dry meats and veggies to add to your ho hum rice and noodle dishes and make them not only yummy but good for you when you are out hiking those long miles.

It begins with a good dehydrator. I use the Nesco Snackmaster that has various temperature settings for the foods you wish to dehydrate. It comes with several trays and the noise level is minimal. Plus dehydrating is quick and easy.

Dehydrating meats is simple. Want to add chicken to your dishes? You can! Canned chicken, that is.  It dehydrates and best of all, rehydrates well. Open the can, pour off the broth, and break up the chunks. They will resemble thread-like pieces. Spread them out on the trays. When crisp, package into Ziploc snack bags to add to your favorite Knorr Rice dishes, couscous, etc.

To dehydrate beef for meals, buy a good lean cut. To make a beef puree to fortify your dishes or to make trailside beef stroganoff, add 1/2 cup soy sauce to 1/2 lb trimmed beef, cut up. Marinate for 15 minutes, add 2 1/2 cups of water and boil until tender. Puree in a blender with 1/2 cup of liquid. Spread on a jelly roll pan and dry in a 150 degree oven for 4 hours, stirring at times. It is done when crisp. Package in snack size Ziplocs and store in the fridge or in freezer until you need them. (Recipe obtained from "The Appalachian Trail Food Planner" by Lou Adsmond).

To add veggies to your dishes - 

   Start with frozen bags of vegetables from the grocery store. Peas and green beans dehydrate and rehydrate well.

 You can thaw them ahead of time or just place frozen on the trays (they will dry anyway). Spread the veggies on trays, make sure they are separated. When veggies are crinkly and not soft, they are dry.

 Package up your meats and veggies into Ziploc bags to add to dinners on the trail. I put these in my mail drops.

When you arrive at camp for the night, a good trick is to let your dehydrated food sit in water for about half an hour in the pot while you set up your camp. Then when it comes time to cook, the meat and veggies are already partially rehydrated and the cook time for the rice and noodles makes it ready to go without wasting fuel.

Now you have a good way to add needed protein and vitamins to otherwise starchy rice and noodle mixes. And it sure beats the cost of those pricey dehydrated backpacker meals.


Previous blogs on the topic:  Maildrops  Hiker Foods  Dehydrator Food Recipes

Good Grocery Stores Appalachian Trailside

To supplement the mail drop list I decided to include this listing of towns with larger grocery stores where you can buy food that might fit your different needs on a long distance backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. 


Hiawasee, NC

Franklin, NC

Robbinsville, NC (Before the Smokies. They will shuttle from the Hike Inn)

Erwin, TN

Pearisburg, VA

Daleville, VA

Waynesboro, VA

Front Royal, VA

Take a bus to Charles Towne Wal Mart from Harper's Ferry (schedules at the ATC center)

Waynesboro, PA (need hitch)

Duncannon, PA (usually they offer rides from the Hotel as the walk there is dangerous)

Port Clinton (new Wal Mart there as well as a Chinese Buffet)

Palmerton, PA

Vernon, NJ (try to get a ride from the Farmer's Market, hitching is illegal in NJ)

Kent, CT

Salisbury, CT is ok (but expensive)

North Adams, MA

Bennington, VT if you can get a hitch, but it's a haul. 


Manchester Center, VT (need a hitch)


Rutland, VT (take a bus)

Hanover, NH (the co op is there right on the trail, real cool but pricey)

Lincoln, NH (need a hitch)

Gorham, NH (can hitch from Pinkham Notch and  where the AT crosses out of the Carter / Moriah Range)

If you can find what you need at Dollar General type stores then there is no need for drops or extra food at Hot Springs, Damascus and Bland.

Postal Advice on Mail Drops for Long Distance Hiking

With hikers gearing up for the spring hiking season, the question comes forth regarding mail drops and the postal service. This blog post is not about the pros and cons of mail drops or what to put in your drops - I will blog on that at another time - but logistics for mailing them out. Fellow hiker Len B. (trail name 4eyedbuzzard) has some good advice.   

For terminology sake - a "bounce box" is a box of supplies you mail to yourself from town to town along the trail. It can contain some resupply, personal care items, town clothes, phone chargers, etc that you may want while in town. Once you are done with it, you seal it up and "bounce" it or ship it to the next town where you believe you will need it.

Also, PO = Post Office

Mails Drop and Bounce Box Postal Advice

(Courtesy of "4eyedbuzzard" - Len B)

Just a few tips regarding the mail itself

1) Don't use spackle pails or such. They are heavy and will add to the postage cost unnecessarily. Boxes get handled better and a box will survive an impact that will crack a spackle pail. (Blissful: the only time pails are required is mailing yourself a drop to Muir Ranch on the PCT - Pacific Crest Trail or JMT - John Muir Trail).

2) Do not use parcel post EVER. It is not forwardable (you must pay more postage) and only marginally less than Priority Mail to start with and can take much longer. Use Priority Mail with delivery confirmation and keep your tracking number in case it's ever needed. (Blissful: I used Parcel Post for boxes to Maine, and I can attest to the fact that delivery is unreliable. Two of my food mail drops did not arrive, including a crucial one to Monson before the 100 mile wilderness on the Appalachian Trail. ONLY use Priority Mail)

3) It is often cheaper NOT to use Flat Rate boxes if you are only moving a bounce box a hundred or two hundred miles up the trail as postage prices go by zones. Usually a 10 lb box will cost somewhere between a medium and large flat rate price.

4) Do not take possession of the box at the PO counter unless you are going to open it. If you don't need the bounce box or your mail drop, just tell them you have a General Delivery Priority box there AND that you would like it forwarded to another PO.

5) Take a list of PO phone numbers you will use so that if, for example, you arrive on a Saturday afternoon and the PO is closed, you can call the office on Monday and have it forwarded. You can then resupply in town if needed.

6) Use a small a box as is practical. If you stick to priority boxes, they are free, so if it starts getting torn up, just get a new one. Note:  you cannot use "flat rate boxes" unless you pay the flat rate postage, so pay attention to what boxes you are using.

7) As for mailing fuel canisters via the USPS - 

You can mail them (but not internationally). http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_017.htm#ep898788
They must be marked "Consumer Commodity ORM-D(other restricted materials-domestic)" and "Surface Mail Only". You must adhere to quantity restrictions (for hiker purposes, that equals 3 small 110 gram canisters) and put "ORM-D" (other restricted material-domestic) AND "Surface Mail Only" on the box. Same goes on the ORM-D on any other restricted materials. (Blissful: for fuel canisters, I put the small sticker that show no aircraft on the box - our post office had these stickers and gave us extras to use). There's a big chart and also info in the DMM(domestic mail manual). Up to three of the smaller cannisters meet the volume restrictions, see the link http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/DMM300/601.pdf
 (Blissful: I mailed fuel canisters to myself surface mail several times using the postal sticker, and they all arrived without issues when I hiked the AT) 

8) (additional comment by a viewer, thanks!) - When using the PO for mailing your packages, use your debit card to get the cash back you need on the hike and save ATM fees. 


 

Where We Sent Our Mail Drops in 2007

Paul Bunyan resting in front of the Unionville Post Office after receiving our mail drop.

While many long distance hikers choose to buy along the way, Paul Bunyan and I did a combination of mail drops and buying (like cheese, bread, chips) which fit our needs well. At times my husband, Skipper, delivered our boxes to us. We chose a combination to help supply nutrition and to mail necessities (such as my medicines, etc).

Note on mailing Mail Drops - be sure to send them Priority Mail with delivery confirmation. Do not send surface. We had two boxes in Maine get lost or arrive without any contents after they were sent via surface. Most POs will hold boxes for a long time, so don't worry if you are running behind. If you are way behind or must leave the trail for a time, you can call them to let them know. Also, drops sent Priority can be forwarded ahead if you find you don't need them. Some hostel owners will do this for you too, but best to call them if you need your box forwarded to see if they will mail it for you.

Also, if you are using fuel canisters, they can be sent in the regular mail. BUT they must go surface mail and with a sticker on the box that has a symbol for "no airplanes" - available at your Post Office. Don't let your PO or others tell you they can't be mailed. They can. We did it several times.

This was our schedule in 2007:

Neels Gap - Skipper brought but you can send drop to the outfitter

Unicoi / Hiawasee- Skipper brought but have good grocery store

Dicks Creek- we dropped at Cloud Nine Hostel

Franklin- you can maildrop at the PO or shop. Ron shuttles to both

NOC - Mail drop to outfitter

Fontana Dam - we went to the Hike Inn which shuttles to Robbinsville. We also dropped at the Inn.

Standing Bear Farm - mail drop

Hot Springs - mail drop and a Family Dollar there; outfitter

Erwin - Skipper brought, Supercenter there for resupply but out of the way

US 19E - mail drop to the hostel - Mtn Harbour B&B

Kincora - mail drop, but they shuttle to town for shopping

Damascus, VA - mail drop to PO but you can buy there; two outfitters

Atkins - we paid $5 to drop at the Relax Inn

Bland - Skipper supplied, but services are there

Pearisburg - we dropped at a friend's, but services there

Daleville- great grocery and outfitter, don't plan a drop here

We then went home (we live in the area), slacked, did sections on weekends, etc. But some options for drops in this part of VA include:

Glasgow- requires hitch

Buena Vista - long hitch

Dutch Haus B& B - check on on drops or might be able to drop at Montebello

Waynesboro - full service town, but spread out, excellent outfitter

Shenandoah NP- you can resupply at the waysides (Loft Mtn, Big Meadows, Elkwallow), but can be pricey

Front Royal - full service town, but spread out and requires hitch

Bears Den - check on mailing a drop there

Harpers' Ferry - you can drop at the ATC office; outfitter here

(the rest below are what we used)

Pine Grove Furnace SP, PA - maildrop to Ironmasters

Duncannon - maildrop to PO, they also make a grocery run

Port Clinton - mail drop to PO; Cabelas with fair selection (can get fuel)

Palmerton - great place for supplies or mail drop if needed

DWG- Maildrop at PO; outfitter

Unionville - mail drop to PO

In NY we got supplies from Skipper. Convenience stores in this area are expensive for resupply.

Kent, CT - Mail drop to PO; poor outfitter

Salisbury - Mail drop to PO, have grocery store

Cheshire, MA - mail drop at PO

MA 2 - good supermarkets here

Manchester Center, VT - mail drop to PO or you can buy; two outfitters

US 4 - Mail drop at The Inn at Long Trail.

Hanover, NH - mail drop to PO and buy at Food co-op (a little pricey); outfitter

Glencliff - mail drop to PO including your cold weather gear, limited food at hostel

Franconia Notch - if you stay at Chet's you can buy in Lincoln; outfitter

Crawford Notch - mail drop to campground

Pinkham Notch - mail drop to AMC office; outfitter (small)

Gorham - mail drop to PO or buy (Wal Mart supercenter here with town shuttle); outfitter

Andover, ME - we sent our box to The Cabin but they are closing.

Stratton - maildrop to PO or buy at grocery store

Caratunk - this one is tricky. Might see if the Northern Outdoors resort will take a mail drop since the Ferryman is closed and he had a store.

Monson - mail drop to PO (store limited for the 100 mile wilderness, IMO)

Abol Bridge - store there