How the hell will you eat?

I am ready to share with you a “truth” about myself. This may scare some of you, or maybe a little closer to others. Either way, let’s find out.

I LOVE SPREADSHEETS!

Talk about being overly dramatic. But seriously. I can be the kind of person that scares people. I am extremely organized and everything has its perfect place. There you go.

I don’t like labeling people, so please don’t label me. I know what I like and what makes me happy, as Marie Kondo would say. Having a document with all my thoughts and logistics laid out in a grid of rows and columns, where I can create formulas that display statistics, has always warmed my heart.

Yes, I am that person.

Normally, before any hiking trip, I create a Google Sheet. On this sheet I include starting and stopping points, mileage for the day, elevation, notes about the expected day, a separate tab for all my gear, another tab for trip costs, and food for each day, including meals and snacks. I like to be ULTRA prepared.

I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s the process that has always worked for me.

That being said, for my Appalachian hike in 2026, I’m totally going off script! Don’t worry, there’s still a spreadsheet I’m trying to follow a bit, with flexibility of course. But I completely deleted one tab from the spreadsheet. FOOD.

But how will I eat?

I’ll ask you that question too!! So, get ready!

Many hikers like to mail themselves «resupply boxes» to lodges and post offices along the trail. This works; I actually did this for the John Muir Trail in 2017. However, this time I want to do something different.

The Appalachian Trail is known for traveling through many “trail towns.” In fact, according to my spreadsheet, I should hit one, on average, every 3 or 4 days. Many of these cities depend on hikers for their business and livelihood.

I will restock locally

Spending the money I’ve saved is a great way to support the community while also experiencing the AT culture around me. What will that be like? I have some rules that I’m going to try to follow. You may have left the spreadsheet tab, but there will still be a process to follow! Come on guys, I haven’t completely lost my mind.

My 3 rules for replenishing

1. Something close to the trail. I don’t want to pay a fortune for transportation to a big city when there is a city of hikers nearby. Like I said, I support small town locals. We have already said enough.
2. Mom and dad have priority. If I can shop at a Mom & Pop store, I will choose them first. I love supporting family or “homemade” businesses. My parents owned a restaurant while I was growing up and I witnessed how difficult it was for them. I want to do my part to help families stay in business.
3. Grocery stores, dollar stores and gas stations. Even when I shop at the local Dollar General, I know that my money helps the community by creating jobs, even if it is a chain store.

Just curious. Are there Dollar Generals EVERYWHERE along the AT like here in the Midwest? No joke, I have 5 3 miles from my house!

Finally

I will stay in many hostels along the way. This girl has to shower and take breaks. All that said, I could easily resupply at a hostel if it’s available (if the food isn’t too expired!). So if you’re a hostel owner, maybe consider reaching out to some smaller Mom & Pop food companies to stock your trail meals.

Personally, I don’t plan on buying much food for the trail. However, if I see one made by a well-known family-owned company, I will go crazy and spend more money on it. We have to do our part to support these families!

Now it’s your turn!

I would love help! I want your recommendations on the best places to resupply along the way. Do you remember the rules?

1. Something close to the trail.
2. Mom and dad have priority.
3. Grocery store, dollar store and then gas station.

I plan to post a YouTube video at my local family grocery store with some of my favorite hiking foods from the past. But go ahead and share your favorite foods you’d restock at these places.

And then I’ll add it to the «notes» section of my spreadsheet! 😉

I really appreciate your help with this! Are you ready? Place. Go!

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