[at-l] Thru Hike Planning

[carol1944 at brmemc.net (Carol Donaldson)]

I have some questions for those who have Thru Hiked or are planning to do so:

A-When did you start seriously planning for your Thru Hike?

B-Did you use a printed Thru Hiker Workbook?  If not, what book(s)/website planner did you use, if any?

C-What item/person/book/website was most helpful in planning your Thru Hike?

D-How many maildrops and why?
    1- Did you have too few or too many mail drops?
    2- How many times would it have been easier to use local stores rather than the local post office?
    3- How often did you have special items, like medicines, contacts, etc, sent to your mail drops?

E-Did you buy health insurance coverage for your Thru?
   If so, what was the name of the company and about how much did you pay?
   Was it worth the money?

F-Did you purchase new items, such as shoes or pack or tarp/tent for your Thru or did you use what you currently owned?
   1- What did you purchase?  Would you make that purchase again?

G-If you had it to do over again from scratch for the first time, how would your planning be different?

H-What's the best advice you can give a Thru Hiker in the early planning stages?

Thank you all.
Coosa 
http://auntiecoosa.blogspot.com
("Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it" ~ Pope John Paul II The Great)