Drift Box Suggestions/ Post Office Services
Mark your boxes for easy identification! On the top -- address as usual for the PO, etc., you can
even add a sticker or drawing somewhere to help make identification easier. On all the OTHER
sides -- use a colored magic marker to "print" your last name in bold letters. If you have a last name
you feel might be shared by others, I would suggest you add a nickname or even your trail name to
make it stand out more. You might stand a better chance of getting the right box! Number each box
will help to keep track of which boxes you have gotten. The clerks at the Post Offices have to sort
through 100+ boxes to find yours – make it easy for them! Most of the clerks enjoy seeing us and
are very helpful and courteous, but we do generate a lots of extra work.
Most Post Offices will let you use your charge card to send your mail, purchase phone cards (they
are a little more expensive, but you can add time onto it at ALMOST every PO), and you can also
purchase money orders. This can be a big help if there aren't any ATM's. Check at your local PO to
see what other services they can offer.
Another suggestion: Make a list of the food that you have sent in each box. It will help you to know
what foods you have sent, after awhile it can becomes a guess game as to what you will be eating
next! Include the list in the bag along with your maps for the next section. Food is a great barter and
we become "Yogi's" very quickly. Add a list of the PO's their address and phone numbers. It can
also be a help to know when you mailed what and where if a box gets "miss placed!" Hope it doesn't
happen!
What Walt and I included in our Drift Box:
A clean set of "town clothes" – to be worn when we wash our trail clothes! We sent our
"town clothes" in a separate envelope to every town because we didn't send our drift box to each
town. You could add some laundry detergent with them if you want to but most towns sell those
small boxes at the Laundromat. Be careful of those places where you CAN'T mail from – Kennedy
Meadows is one!
Extra meds: both pharmacy and OTC, mole skin, second skin, toenail clippers, extra superfeet,
foot powder, deodorant, hand lotions, shampoo, body soap, toothbrush/paste, suntan lotion,
chapstick, clean and wipes, insect repellent, Cortaid after bite stick, eye supplies --liquid tears were
great in the desert, etc..
Extra clothes: socks, liners, bug net, gloves, wash cloth, bandannas, etc.
Extra gear: tent repair kits, water filter cartridges, iodine tablets, batteries, flashlight bulbs, camera
film, tent stakes, rope, emergency bag, stove parts, etc.
Miscellaneous: extra freezer zip lock bags for repackaging food, stamps, address book,
stationery/envelopes, post cards, pens, extra checks, travelers checks, phone cards, duct tape, tape
and address labels for mailing boxes, extra maps, film mailing bags. Our photos were processed
while we were hiking and waiting for us when we got home -- our family had a great time seeing
them too! We had double prints made to send to our "Trail Family" later.
Happy planning and see you Soon!
Happy Trails Couple -- Pat
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