The Smoky Mountain News, Waynesville, NC has Quintin Ellison's 4 January 2012 article titled "Fontana Dam gets a temporary reprieve from post office closure".
The Postal Service had earlier included Fontana Dam on its list of post offices likely to be closed in budget cutting efforts. Now the Congress wants to slow things down (big surprise there, eh?) and consider other options to pull the USPS out of the red.
As readers of this blog probably know, "reliant on the post office in Fontana Dam are the legions of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers who stop to pickup supplies as they traverse the famous footpath, which spans from Georgia to Maine. Many AT hikers, before leaving on their treks, mail themselves food and camping items to various drop points along the trail. Fontana Dam is the last re-supply point before hikers hit a tough stretch of the Smokies."
It could yet happen that the post office (and others along the Trail, like Caratunk, if I remember correctly) will close anyway. Pay attention if you use mail drops. The decision and closings aren't due until after 15 May, which means northern post offices could disappear after you leave on your thru-hike this year.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
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