Dave Brewington and his 19-year-old son Jack are spending six months hiking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine — with a little help from the Postal Service.
Barbara Brewington, an operations specialist at headquarters and Dave’s wife and Jack’s mother, is shipping Priority Mail packages containing food and supplies to Post Offices along the trail. The offices hold the packages until the hikers arrive.
Dave, who retired from USPS in 2008, and Jack use a tracking app that shows Barbara their location and check-in points regularly.
“My son had some major blisters that stopped them for two days and my husband fell the other day and has some bruised ribs,” Barbara said.
Father and son, who began the hike in March, sleep in tents and carry their food and equipment in backpacks.
“The going has been slow as they gain their trail legs and their backs get stronger from carrying their packs,” Barbara said. “They’ve also run into snow and extreme cold.”
The Brewingtons are glad they can stay connected through USPS.
“We have an amazing product in Priority Mail,” Barbara said. “This is just one story of the power of the Postal Service.”
