Mail drops

Jesse and I dont plan on using mail drops too frequently, since we don't want to stick to a schedule. We don't want too push too far or stop short to make it to a post office in a specific town on a specific day all the time. However, we know we'll need gear mailed to us a few different times as it warms and as we hit cool mountainous air to the north. So we thought we'd combine gear drops with mail drops and save a bit of cash by buying some food in bulk for the endeavor. We purchased and packed up  5 mail drops, plus some food to get us started.  For breakfasts we have instant oatmeal or poptarts when we don't feel like cooking. We know we'll find this on the trail, but we wanted to save some cash here. We've included dried fruit to supplement our oatmeal, and also included some chia seeds mixed with dehydrated milk, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg for instant chia pudding. This can be mixed with a packet of oatmeal or eaten as a breakfast or snack on its own. 

Lunches in the mail drops are going to be snack bars, trail mix with greek yogurt balls and pistachios, dried Michigan cherries, and other tasty surprises. It was really important to us to send things that are less common in small grocery stores (like chia seeds, Greek yogurt balls, dried blueberries) that will keep us from getting too bored with food and provide some real nutrients. 

Dinners are going to be a mix of gross, dehydrated mashed potatoes (thankfully mixed with dehydrated veggies from home) and stuffing. These are, again, more of a cost-saving move. The tasty dinners will be quinoa with chicken bullion cubes and dried veggies, or mixed with almonds and dried fruit.

I've also insisted on packing instant coffee and extra bullion cubes for warm drinks when it's cold. I usually keep the heat at my house around 60, even when it's below zero. Sipping on chicken broth or coffee helps me stay warm, or at least give some illusion to that end.

Here is a picture of our food collection sitting in jesse's basement. A big shout out to his parents, Tom and Brenda, for being our mail droppers. 

We're still contemplating the location of the drops, and there are some knowledgeable past thru hikers out there whose advice we're taking in. And if anyone at home wants to send us something, you're more than welcome (and we'd love to get a care package!!!). We'll share information about how to do that later. For now, more dehydrating!