First and foremost, if you’ve found your way to this page – THANK YOU. It is incredibly thoughtful that you want to send me something while I’m hiking. There are a few guidelines and tips that I’d like to share in order to facilitate as smooth a process as possible:
- There are two types of locations which hold packages for aspiring thru-hikers: post offices and businesses along the trail. Generally, businesses offer more flexibility in terms of schedule. I’ll typically aim to pick up mail at businesses to avoid the risk of getting into town late in the day and having to stay the night to wait for the post office to open the next day.
- Please make sure to write the address exactly as it’s written on the Contact page.
- FedEx and UPS boxes cannot be delivered to P.O. boxes.
- Some examples of items I’d be super excited to receive:
- Candy (Snickers bars, Butterfinger, and Reese’s are a few of my favorites)
- Travel size toothpaste
- Floss
- Peanut butter
- Pop-tarts
- Granola bars
- Bagged trail mix
- Airplane bottles
- Letters / notes
- Some examples of items that are incredibly thoughtful, but may not be the best fit for a long-distance backpacker:
- Camping / backpacking gear
- Articles of clothing
- Canned goods
- Trinkets
You might be thinking, “how will I know if Billy needs floss?” The great thing about the items I’ve listed is that even if I don’t need them at that time, chances are, somebody I’m with could probably use them.
And that’s all! Thanks again for thinking of me.
Billy Goes Hiking 