[pct-l] Resupply strategies

[Andrea Dinsmore]

We opened a box that was bounced from Oregon to our place (The Dinsmores)
in Skykomish, WA. It was never picked up and couldn't be returned to sender
because the hiker put the return address the same as the delivery address
(ours). We were hoping to find an address inside that would help us return
it. It sat here from July until mid November. When opened most items where
completely moldy and nasty. Be careful what you send if it is going to sit
for months in the box. Also make sure you put a good return address on it
so we don't have to track you down to return your left over box.  When you
pack your box....pack enough in it so it is tight. Your box is going to be
tossed, beat up, other heavy boxes dropped on it. Even if you have to stuff
it with wadded up newspaper. When we get a damaged box in here we duck tape
it so the mice don't feast on your food. We missed taping up one corner on
a hiker's resupply box and the mice ate everything they could and pooped on
everything else. We felt we should have caught it so we made up a box for
the hiker.

Andrea Dinsmore
Dinsmore's Hiker Haven


On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 12:27 PM, <chiefcowboy at verizon.net> wrote:

> On both of my thru-hikes I mostly re-supplied in towns.  The slightly
> increased purchase costs are insignificant when compared with shipping
> costs.  Second, I avoided using the Post Offices when mailing the few I did
> mail.  By doing that I avoided becoming a slave to their hours.  In some
> remote areas they hours are very limited.  In 2009, DNA arrived in Onyx on
> a
> Friday night - where they learned it was the Memorial Day weekend - three
> days to wait or simply forward their package, buy more food and push on.
>  My
> best reason for resupplying on trail is that the stuff you pack and prepare
> in March will turn your stomach by the time you try to eat it in August.
> Buying in town gives me lots of choices and chances to mix up my diet to
> what I want at that time.  Plus, it makes the town people more welcoming to
> us as we drop a few dollars into their economy.  I only mailed packages to:
> Kennedy Meadows (S), Crater Lake Store, The Dinsmores and Stehekin.  Has
> worked well for me both times.
>
> Just my two cents worth.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Welch
> Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 11:43 AM
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Resupply strategies
>
> <<  Cheapest is doing everything for yourself ahead of time and most
> expensive is buying along the way. Although you should factor in the cost
> of
> mailing if you pre package everything at home. >>
>
> When I was looking at the cost of resupply, it struck me that for each food
> package I'll send, I will pay $16 on shipping.  Am I really going to make
> that up by finding cheaper food at home?  Hmmmm...    Not to mention the
> freshness factor.  I don't really trust cheeses and such for more than 2 or
> 3 weeks - not enough time to make them logical choices for shipping.
>  (Note:
> I am shipping from North Carolina where Flat Rate is the lowest cost.  If
> you live on the West Coast Regional Rate will be cheaper, but it is still a
> significant cost.)
>
>
> <<  There is also the hassle of having someone send your boxes to you. >>
>
> This is really a hassle for my wife - but I feel guilty having her make too
> many trips to the P.O.  But in addition to that hassle, I don't like to be
> forced to adjust my hiking schedule.  More than once I have found myself
> scurrying to do more miles than I want just to get to a P.O. by Friday
> afternoon.  On the flip side, I have found myself spending an extra day in
> town just to wait for the Post Office to open the next day.  For me, part
> of
> the fun of thru-hiking is not having to adhere to a strict schedule.  Post
> Office visits mess with that.  Sometimes (but not always) you can find a
> "non-Post Office option" for pick ups.  That helps with this issue.
>
> I have only hiked a couple months at time previous to this - but enough to
> experience some of these issues.  For my (planned) 2014 thru, I am
> intending
> to do the hybrid re-supply strategy.  I'll take zero days in Mammoth,
> Ashland and Cascade locks for re-supply to points "downstream."  This
> sounds
> like a pretty popular strategy and it sure makes sense to me.
>
> Timberline
>
>
>
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