Date: 2018-05-12
From: Duncannon

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

I was asleep by 8:00 last night, with both windows open. I was awakened about 11:00 by heavy rain and closed one of the windows. Then a bit after midnight a siren sounded, one of loudest sounds I¢ve ever heard. I basically fell out of bed and groped for my phone, wondering if there were a tornado warning. It was just the volunteer fire department and five minutes later, the fire engines sped away with their own sirens blaring. I never really got back to sleep. I went over to Goodies for breakfast when they opened at six, but I really wasn¢t hungry after the pizza last night. I said my fond farewell to The Doyle at seven. The trail follows Duncannon¢s High Street, noticeably tonier than Market Street where the Doyle is. The fancy wood turnings and gingerbread give a glimpse into the past glory of what is now a very tired town. The trail crosses the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers on highway bridges. The bridge over the Juniata appears to be in sad shape, with broken concrete and exposed rebar. Several hikers report seeing a woman hitchhiking there, dressed in pajamas, smoking a cigarette, with a blanket and a suitcase. Why such a person would want to leave Duncannon must remain a mystery. Over the next two miles, the trail climbs 1,000 feet to the ridge line, that for some distance was angled slabs of rock. The hard rock, of obvious sedimentary origin, contained round pebbles that acted like ball bearings. We all found it treacherous going. I didn¢t actually fall, but I did have two unplanned controlled sit downs, falls by any other name. The expected nasty storms showed no signs of coming, so I slowed down and enjoyed meeting people going the other way. First was a man carrying a parabolic dish for recording bird songs. I would have enjoyed getting to know him better. Then came Giddyup, a silver bearded gentleman from Bradenton, Florida near where we used to live in Sarasota. He thru-hiked in 1975! There was also a Susquehanna AT Club volunteer with a huge black trash bag filled with garlic mustard, an invasive species that she was pulling up by the handful. I arrived at Peters Mountain Shelter around 12:30. Sam, Grumpy, and Now were here. The spring is 0.2 miles downhill on 300 stone stairs. Grumpy and Now decided to hike on to a campsite. After filling their bottles, they had water left over. I was only too glad to accept it and avoid the stairs. The shelter is beautiful, sleeping about 20 on two floors. There¢s also a resident black rat snake, so there are probably no mice. Go snake! I¢m joined by Sam, Batgirl, Reid, Rizz and Ulysses. A troop of Boy Scouts has just hiked in, but they will tent. Wildflowers were in profusion today, columbines, violets, Solomon¢s seal and plume, various pinks, and even a jack-in-the-pulpit hanging out with the poison ivy. A severe thunderstorm is still forecast, but the time keeps slipping. I wasn¢t tempted to hike on anyway. For the first time, my feet hurt! Leaving town is always painful. First, there¢s almost always a steep uphill. Second, food is heavy, oh so heavy. In the grocery yesterday, I thought I bought the right amount. Carrying it uphill, I had my doubts.