On Friday, we took our recreational day with a hike back at the
Rockefeller Preserve (where we had perused the visitor center on Wednesday)
around Phelps Lake. The day began with a 7:30 breakfast, a relative treat in
the midst of a week of 5:00 alarms and dining before dawn. We then headed out
for the preserve, where we hiked, greeted midway by a refreshing mid-morning
drizzle, until the lake moved into our fields of vision. Phelps Lake was unlike
anything I had ever seen before - the antithesis to the familiar Los Angeles
River, the water seemed to be perfectly clear, reflecting the turquoise sky
without a single imperfection. The day had cleared up at this point, and the
waters off in the distance seemed to sparkle when hit by the sunlight.
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| A view of rock bottom |
We then proceeded to circle the entire lake, taking in different angles
of it and hearing tantalizing stories of a nearby bear from the people who
crossed our path. Although we never did encounter the elusive bear, we spent
time simply appreciating the sights, from a small collection of rocks to sit on
near the water's edge where we sketched and journaled to the jumping rock that
allowed us to overlook the entirety of the area surrounding the lake.
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| The cast of Rocky |
We
retreated back to Kelly Campus after looping around the area for seven miles;
there we were treated to a hailstorm that, while stunning, drew our day to an
early close.
- Suna
