[at-l] Planning mail drops

[hiker 317]

Another valuable reference, from the archives...
perhaps a bit dated, but probably still 95% accurate...
http://www.backcountry.net/arch/at/0311/msg00513.html

On 2/5/09, rcli4 at comcast.net <rcli4 at comcast.net> wrote:
> carrying 50 miles of food is easy to figure when you are home.  On the trail
> it will be different.  I went to trail journals and found someone that fit
> my characteristics the best.  Read their journal and see where they
> resupplied.
>
> Clyde
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: EHamilton
>
> To: Allen Freeman
>
> Cc: at-l at backcountry.net
>
> Sent: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 20:55:13 +0000 (UTC)
>
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Planning mail drops
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hmmm, a spreadsheet..... I've been just kinda going through the book
> figuring, 30 miles/4 days to Neels Gap, then letsee, another 5 days, call it
> 40 miles, hmmm, find something about 40 miles from Neels, then maybe 50
> miles to the next one, since I'll be able to hike a little farther, etc.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Spreadsheet might be better.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> macGyver
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Allen Freeman <allen at allenf.com>
> To: EHamilton <imagainst_the_wind at yahoo.com>
> Cc: at-l at backcountry.net
> Sent: Thursday, February 5, 2009 2:39:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Planning mail drops
>
> 2009/2/5 EHamilton <imagainst_the_wind at yahoo.com>:
>> This is probably shockingly elementary, but how in the heck do you match
>> up
>> how far you're going to hike in how long with where to plan mail drops?
>> I've
>> got the new 2009 Thru-Hike's Companion in my lap and I feel overwhelmed.
>> How
>> did some of you figure it out?
>
> I worked up a spreadsheet that lists all the places I
>
> plan to
> resupply, either from a mail drop or by shopping, and for each
> resupply location I enter the number of days I expect to take getting
> there from the previous resupply. For example, I have allowed 4 days
> from AFSP to Neels Gap.
>
> The date I will start at AFSP is entered, and the date for Neels Gap
> is derived from a calculation that adds the number of days to get to
> Neels Gap (the 4 I entered) to the date I started at AFSP. That gives
> me the date I expect to arrive at Neels Gap.
>
> This adding of days continues down the spreadsheet, and obviously the
> further out into the future I project the less accurate it becomes.
> But I will be leaving this spreadsheet with my wife who will be
> shipping my mail drops to me, and by simply entering the date I
> actually arrived at any particular resupply, all the dates further
> down the spreadsheet will recalculate. She should have quite an
> accurate idea of where I will
>
> be and when for the next couple of
> weeks.
>
> --
> ~~~~~
> Allen F. Freeman
> allen at allenf.com
> www.allenf.com
> allenf.blogspot.com
>