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Highlight Hiker Blog

Campgaw Mountain County Reservation & Lake Henry (again), Mahwah, New Jersey

August 1 & 2, 2020 (respectively)

These two days were quite challenging. Not in terms of hiking, but the reason for the hiking, as someone very close to me who had been fighting an illness for many, many years had passed away. The forest is a generous counselor, though, as she gives us a lesson in regeneration and regrowth… how to overcome. Step by step, in quiet reflective thought. She may be hurt or scarred along the way, but she will always bounce back in time. She will reestablish herself and be stronger than before. She might look a little different in her regrowth, but she will be restored to her former beauty. As it is with our grief.

But this blog isn’t about healing, it’s about hiking! So on to the trails I went, step by step into the woods for comfort.

On August 1, I took the Olden Golden and we went to his favorite place: Campgaw Mountain County Reservation. My poor dog can’t cover the miles he did in his youth, but it didn’t stop him from trying to chase nearby squirrels up trees! We primarily stuck to the Pink Trail as it’s easy for him, but I wanted to see Darlington Lake, so we plodded on over to the Orange Trail as well. That was about all that my canine companion could do. We didn’t take very many pictures, but as you can see, Campgaw in the summer is as pretty as a picture. I love this park in all seasons, though, so you’ll never hear me whisper a bad word about it!

On August 2, we took both dogs back to Lake Henry because they love it oh so much! We just cruised around the lake and let the dogs take a little swim to cool off in the water. It was a short trip, but the fresh air was very welcome after a tough and draining day. Lake Henry has a restorative quality to it when it’s empty… and that was exactly what I needed at exactly the time I needed it.

Enjoy the photos!