A Quick Overnight (Wind Gap)

Britt and I were looking for a short-distance overnight trip since the last few have been really strenuous. I referenced backpacker.com, as I often do, for hikes that would fit the bill. I am very familiar with the Appalachian Trail (AT), and in most cases I am not a huge fan. The portions of the trail in Pennsylvania are usually filled with mind-numbing rocks that keep you staring at your feet instead of the scenery. However, I found a hike on the AT that sounded great, and I figured the short distance would make the poor footing more tolerable. It was an out-and-back hike about 9 miles long. The destination was Smith Shelter (three sided cabin, as found about every 15-20 miles on the AT), starting from Wind Gap. It currently has some of the least traffic of all the shelters in PA.
We got to the trailhead after work, around dinnertime. No problems…I love trails that include GPS coordinates! The first section of the trail was switchbacks up to the ridge, as expected. Once on the ridge, the hiking was mostly flat and easy for about an hour. The sun went down and we put the headlamps on. We were planning on hiking in the dark a little while, so no problem. We hiked another 20 minutes or so, and were very close to the shelter when we came to a beautiful meadow on top of the ridge. I have never seen such a thing located on a mountaintop before. We had brought our tent with us, in case the shelter was occupied. We decided to set up camp here instead, since it was so ideal. Our tent was never on ground as soft as the pressed grass found here. It was excellent. I made a fire as Britt cooked up some Asian dish which was delicious. The night was clear and a breeze kicked up as we finished eating. We didn’t put the fly on the tent so we could stare at the stars and feel the breeze as we dozed off. We were very thankful for the weather. The forecast was a high in the low 80s, and overnight it was actually cold. We woke up late, unusual for us when hiking. We took our time packing up since again we had a great view and more perfect weather. We agreed that we are going to set aside this hike for our kids in the future. Hopefully they enjoy it. This type of trail is perfect for helping decide if backpacking is something they would enjoy. Our hike back to the car was relaxing, and we had no need to push ourselves. Anyone looking for an easy overnighter-check this one out.