Day 36 of AT in PA NOBO

Downtown Duncannon
(1,150.3) to Clark’s Valley Rd/PA Rt 325 (1,167.9)
Total Miles: 17.6

Was comfy & cozy in my tent that I pitched behind the Presbyterian Church off of Main St in Duncannon. Packed up and was off and running by 7am.
Overcast and 40 degrees to start the day. Supposed to be broken clouds/sun and warmer by noon.
Some sense of immediacy in my speed today as Pip has to pick me up at 2:30pm at the latest as she has other shuttles later. So, 17.6 relatively hilly & rocky miles to do (@ 2.3 mph, a bit aggressive on this type of terrain, but I have a zero day in Harrisburg tomorrow to look forward to! Spoiler alert, made it with 10 mins to spare 😮‍💨).
The first 1.5 miles this Sunday am was all on the tranquil side roads of Duncannon. Very quiet except for dogs barking as I strolled by their homes. Saw lots of history on my way out of town. For example, walked past the boarded up Standard Novelty Works building. Established in 1904 by P.F. Duncan (the town was named after him), the company was famous for producing the Lightning Guider Sled from 1904 to 1988. Pumped out more children’s sleds daily (1,700) than any U.S. factory (see pic). Went out of biz in 1990. A block away is the Clark’s Ferry Tavern, originally built in 1788 by John Clark. See the pic of the building and the placard describing the 12 different things the building was used for over a 150 year period.
Walked on the Rt 22 bridge over the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers below me, with the 1,000 ft ridge climb on the horizon ahead.
One thing that I should’ve mentioned before is one of the huge advantages of section hiking this time of year: there are small blooms on the trees, which adds some color to the otherwise brown landscape, but the trees aren’t leafed out yet, so you can always see through the trees and have beautiful views you wouldn’t normally have if it was just a month later. That’s why they call the AT the green tunnel… the view most hikers have as they move north are of dense foliage and limited views.
Once over the Susquehanna, trudged up a moderate incline over rocky outcroppings and scrambles for the next 2 miles. Headed north on a ridge-line that would extend the next 10+ miles (paralleled Mountain Road down to my right. See map pic).
Per my comment above, from this ridge-line, I had stunning views through the leafless trees of the vibrant green farmlands in the valley to my left below, while at the same time, to my right, an amazing panorama of the twisting Susquehanna River with Harrisburg in the distance. The changing vistas kept me entertained, as did chatting with the various day hikers I encountered.
Descended into the north Harrisburg valley at 2:15pm where Pip was waiting. Got to the Fairfield Inn in East Harrisburg by 3pm where I checked in, did much needed laundry, and was able to watch the last 3 hours of The Masters and Rory McIlroy’s phenomenal/historic march to victory. All in all, a full and marvelous day!!Read more