Resupply on the CT

[Andrew Jennings]

Hey all,

Planning on starting a CT thru-hike early next week, but still haven't made up my mind about where I want to resupply. Considering how dry this year has been I know that I'm going to need to carry more water than usual, so I was thinking about resupplying more frequently to keep the food weight down. I've given myself 5 weeks to get from Denver to Durango, so with that in mind does anyone have any advice as to the most convenient resupply towns along the trail?

Also, having never taken on a hike long enough to warrant a resupply, I wanted to make sure I understand the process correctly. I need to address my resupply boxes to myself care of "General Delivery" to the post offices I end up selecting? Is there any sort of time limit on how long the post office will hold it? I just want to make sure to have all my ducks in a row when I hit Waterton.

Thanks in advance!

[Justin Baccary]

http://www.pmags.com/colorado-trail-end-to-end-guide-2#Resupply for The Colorado Trail

[Andrew Jennings]

Appreciate the link, Justin… Have you hiked the CT before? The reason I ask is that I am a little curious as to how I go about sending myself resupply boxes. The CT Guidebook says that I need to address parcels to myself in care of "General Delivery". Is that all I have to do? PMags mentions that certain places need to be contacted in advance. Do most people do this, or could you just write a note on the outside of the box?

Thanks!

[Paul Magnanti]

For hostels and such, always good to contact ahead of time. Note that some hostels will prefer UPS vs USPS. A call or e-mail should work. Note that some places like the Leadville Hostel are just used to hikers and have the system pretty well in place.

For mailing to post offices, you'll want to use this format:

Joe Hiker
c/o General Delivery
Somewhere, CO 55555
Please hold for Colorado Trail Hiker, ETA 8/20

When you go to he post office, ask for your package and state it was mailed in c/o general delivery. You'll have to show an ID.

Note that this format works well for mailing to private businesses.

Paul MAGnanti aka Paul Mags aka Mags aka PMags ;)

[Andrew Jennings]

Paul!!! Thanks for the quick response! I had been struggling with when and where to make my resupply stops until I found your site. Between your info and Tim Drescher's trail journal (user name timdcy, http://timdcy.wordpress.com/) I think I've figured out how I want to go about it, but I can't imagine trying to figure it all out without your insight. Thanks again for helping me make this dream a reality.

[Justin Baccary]

I thru-hiked in 2009, and Mags' guide was invaluable. My stops were:

Copper Mountain – my girlfriend met me for food and beers and delivered my first resupply (you could easily mail a package here)

Twin Lakes – picked up a general delivery package and had a great meal at the restaurant next door

Princeton Hot Springs – picked up a package from the resort, enjoyed the hot springs, had a burger and a bunch of beers, and was offered a super cheap room by the front desk…

Creede (via San Luis Pass) – *** Mags' description of a "notoriously hard hitch" seems accurate.*** When I showed up I got nervous and thought I would never get a ride, but I got lucky and two Georgia boys showed up minutes later and drove me down to Creede where I picked up a package from the PO. All of my resupplies were very smooth but this one could be problematic.

Silverton – easy hitch into town (package to PO, although you could mail to a business address), lots of food and drink options and cheap lodging if interested

[Andrew Jennings]

Thanks for the additional info, Justin. As it just so happens your resupply locations were almost identical to those that Tim used on his thru hike (minus Copper Mountain), and I was planning on going off of his recommendations. That said, I'm going to be shipping out my supplies tomorrow so I still have a chance to change my mind…

As for the resupply in Creede, Tim had mentioned in his blog that he was concerned about making it to town, but when I spoke with Aimée over at the CT offices she gave me the names and numbers of a number of people that offer to shuttle hikers at various bail out spots along the way. Hopefully I can get someone to pick me up, but like most things in life: everything will work out in the end.

Thanks again for the link to Paul's website. It was INVALUABLE for making the necessary preparations.

[Paul Magnanti]

Glad I could help Andrew. The doc is a labor of love for me and a way to give back. Many people helped me on my long hikes over the years and glad I can help people in return.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ping me.

[Curry]

+1 for Paul's guide.

Also, Creede can be difficult to hitch in and out of. As an alternative, you may try contacting with Apple the trail angel (his camp is late in Segment 17) and arrange a ride with him into Gunnison. Apple will take you there in the evening and pick you up the following evening. The Wunderlust hostel there is great to stay at. You can resupply in Gunnison, many full groceries, etc, and skip resupply in Creede. Your next stop would then be Silverton.

Actually, every town along the way has great grocery stores, so there is really no reason to send a resupply kit anywhere. IMO, being locked into a specific stop just to make it to a post office may seem more trouble than it's worth. It was for me.

Even in Twin Lakes, the small grocery is adequate if you're not too picky. However, don't plan on being able to eat a meal there or stay overnight wihtout spending a fortune and making reservations way in advance. The small restaurant is closed, the only place to eat a sit down meal is in the expensive lodge as a guest. Otherwise you just snack from the store and get back on trail. BTW, the folks in the visitor centr and lady who runs the small store are all super nice and helpful.

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