Day 4
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It was just past noon when Dale returned from his hike. Dale has never been a chatty man, but in as few words as possible, he told us of the beautiful scenery that he enjoyed on his way to the mountain. From his sparse description, this is what I pictured: tall evergreens surrounding quiet lakes, feeding streams that are still softly bubbling, despite the draught. The water snakes its way along, tumbling over rocks down the cliffs, where it pools for a while before beginning its pilgrimage further. This was the hike through rugged but beautiful terrain and breathtaking views that Dave wanted to take. Too bad he didn’t.
With Dale back, we all gathered the usual gear, rounded up the usual suspects and headed for Sand Pond. Being Sunday, it was a little more crowded, but we found a nice spot close to the aqueduct that was big enough for all of the families and pitched camp. The afternoon was spent in fun, although a little bittersweet in nature, knowing that it was our last time together. The kids took the dads around to show them everything that they had missed on the first day; they even looked for the garter snake around the rock (he wasn’t there). We all had bits and pieces of luncheon food left, so we pooled our resources and fed everyone. Someone produced a bottle of wine, which the women drank with their peanut butter on hamburger bun sandwiches.
Some of the group decided to walk up the path to Upper Sardine. Dale and Marcus decided to try to catch the large fish that we had seen in Lower Sardine earlier that week. I stayed behind with Kathy and Alyssa and watched over our stuff. Eventually, the expedition returned, trickling back in small groups. Dale and Marcus were the last ones back, fishless. I guess there is a reason that the fish are large and healthy. They are much too smart to be caught by tourists. Dale said that he thought you needed a boat to get out far enough to catch them.
