Got a decent day hike in today, pack (light, but a pack) and all, over uneven ground in a state park. Different from my usual sidewalk-and-road-to-work, but I enjoyed it a lot. Have been continuing to think about the possibility of a multi-day hike after more training and preparation. I have a few questions about things I'm not seeing pop up too often online.

1) There's a lot about picking up packages at post offices. Do trails (like all the 60-250 mi trails) tend to have mailboxes for sending postcards or letters? Or is that kind of hit-or-miss? I don't mean every mile, but at roads every couple days, places visible from the trail -- or do you need to know where you're going and/or wait for a post office to mail something? Or does no one send mail? Maybe it's 'gauche'?

2) Everything I read online and hear from hikers and thru-hikers is all 'hike your own hike' and 'there's no best way to do something'. That's cool, but when you meet people on the trail...what's it really like? Are there a lot of hiking blowhards and bullies that you need to be prepared to encounter?

3) How do you really know when you're fit enough to tackle a thru-hike of any distance? I mean, I know you should be up for walking the miles you're planning to cover over that kind of terrain, but is day after day somehow draining in a way unpredictable to a newbie?

Thanks a lot.