The Montour Trail is a last resort for me. It's typically too crowded. But if you pick a chilly gray December day, with the slightest dusting of snow on the ground, you probably won't run into anyone. Besides, the stretch from US-22 northward to Imperial is---though postindustrial---somehow otherworldly...in a good way. If not for a hint of seedy Appalachian neglect, the little settlements along the trail would have a toy-like quality, reminiscent of the miniature Christmas villages of a toy train set.
