After hiking some lowland swampy areas of NJ, we went up and down some modest hills. During a drizzly light rain it was very  slippery, so Ed had to pick me up a few times.

Really nice waterfall early in the morning :

Late in the day, we passed a road and found this cooler right on the side of the trail. This is called “trail magic”. Left by kind souls, it’s usually some treat for thru hikers to enjoy. This cooler had fresh fruit and soft drinks.

Got an early start the next morning and our first challenge was to fit through the Lemon Sqeezer.. Since I lost all this weight, I had no problem fitting through this VERY narrow passage :

Mountain Laurel is at it’s peak

Last night we slept at the West Mountain Shelter. High on the ridge, it offered an amazing view of NYC 40 miles to the south.

This morning we hiked up and down Bear Mountain.

After lunch at the base of the mountain, Ed’s friend Kwan, picked him up and brought him back home to Cooperstown. It was great having Ed with me for the week. Grandpa has hiked the AT with me. Three more Bauer boys to go. Any other takers out there?

Finally, why did I title today’s blog “A big day?!”  BECAUSE.. Today is my birthday and look at my new Birthday card:

I had a great day with Ed, and am now finishing my post packing some ice cream calories. Awesome.

Starting some solo hiking tomorrow.