I personally am not a huge fan of Duncannon, PA. It is or feels like a pretty rough part of town walking nobo prior to the doyle. That wasn't the feeling I got with the rest of PA but for some reason Duncannon just has a rough non "small town america" feel to it. As well as Wind Gap, PA just south of DWG.
Trail Miles: 5,265.4
AT Map 1: ✔ | 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: ✔ | 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: ✔ | 23-24'
Foothills Trail: ✔ | 24'
BMT: 168.3
CDT: 210.9
GSMNP900: 134.7
AT Map 2: 279.4
^^^^+1
I'm enjoying my family and career at age 41, I am not going to get this family time back later. the kids are off during the summer and we do cool stuff together. A traditional AT thru would eat a whole summer that I could have spent at home or on vacation with them. A thru hike would remove me from where I "need" to be. the AT isn't going anywhere. if I live long enough it will be there when I want it.
Class of 2030 here I come!
Amen and amen.
"It goes to show you never can tell." - Charles Edward Anderson Berry
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
As to the thread, IMHO as long as you hike with Mr. Green, there are no bad towns.....
Recently we went through some trying times for Damascus but we have never lost our standing in the hiking community. However, there a good many hiker individuals who have lost their standing with us. If you get treated wrongly in our town the reason most likely will be you started it first. I am not saying you will not catch some business owner on a bad day, I certainly have had my share of them with some of my guests. But to diss a whole town because you have had a bad experience is childish. Go to the next business. And don't be so dern picky either. I have met some of the most pickiest people in my life that come out of the hiking community. Maybe we don't talk right? Go find a town that talks right for you.
I will never forget all the horrible calls I received when the town decided to take away the tenting. Folks were telling me they were going to make sure our town dried up and the hikers would be re-routed and so forth. Hasn't happened yet. But if it ever does I got news for you Damascus will not suffer because the bicycling is the big economy here.