We pass by this park every Sunday on the way to church, so why not just leave a couple hours early and sneak a hike in? And lo, it came to pass.
We’ve been impressed with the quality of the state park signs. Once again, my esteemed and talented brother-in-law has taken two photos and made them one. He assures me this isn’t rocket science, but as far as I’m concerned it might as well be. Photo editing: Rich Doll.
Things got off to a great start, since the very first thing I saw when we pulled in was a group of wild turkeys. The elusive fauna at last!! No need to rely on photos of beetles or dead animals. What I should have done was rolled down the window verrryyyy quietly and taken the photo. Instead, I got out of the car and they all fled for the brush. 
The office was closed, the park quiet and seemingly deserted, although we saw signs saying all the campsites were full. We set out on the Hiking Club trail, which was a Play in Three Acts: Hidden Pond Trail, Oak Tree Trail and Sumac Trail. Kind of gives you an idea of what to expect along the way, doesn’t it? It was overcast and the dense tree coverage made the air very close indeed, yet it was a mild 70 degrees, cloudy with a chance of mosquitos.
After passing several ersatz hidden ponds, we came across the real hidden pond (helpfully designated with a sign).
We tried to imagine what this area was like when the Wahpekuta people were the only ones living here. As we walked, the constant hum of insects lent a musical background to our conversation. Sakatah means “singing hills,” and what few little hills we trod up and down were certainly alive with the sound of music.
In no time at all, we were on the Oak Tree Trail, littered with acorns as a testament to its name.
We crunched along right over them and one of us said, “These acorns remind me of…” and the other one finished “…the skulls from the Paths of the Dead.” Great minds, right? When you’ve been married as long as we have, you no longer have to bother with finishing sentences. Kris thought the idea of acorns being the skulls of oak trees was poetry just waiting to happen, so I offer this up as a possibility:
We walked in heavy hiking boots,
The air was close, but sweet.
Acorns, the skulls of oak trees,
Lay strewn beneath our feet.
Needs work, but let’s not tarry. The transition to the Sumac Trail was subtle; the sumac didn’t jump out at us. By this time, we’d started speculating about why the Hiking Club wasn’t more “club-ish,” with group meetings, snacks and secret handshakes. Kris said, “Maybe there’s some cat poop out there,” which startled me out of my stupor. “Cat poop?” I inquired, vaguely shocked. “I said, ‘chat rooms,‘ not ‘cat poop.'” Well, shoot – that kind of thing also happens when you’ve been married as long as we have. It makes for very confusing (and amusing) conversation sometimes.
And now it’s time for the traditional flora and fauna collage. Ta da!
I’ve been a wee bit lazy about actually identifying the flora. Those brown blobs in the bottom photo are the turkeys. Sigh. Poor quality photos look even worse when cropped and enlarged, don’t they? That’s what I get for depending on my iPhone for every photo. Next time, I’m bringing the Nikon.
We finished the 2.2 mile hike in 45 minutes, record time.
But where was the lake of Sakatah Lake State Park? Hidden ponds will not suffice, and reasoning that there must be a lake, we drove around until we found it. Ahh…
We sat on a bench on the floating dock for awhile; a motor boat had just gone by and the resulting waves made the dock move gently up and down while the rhythmic sound of those waves hitting the shore provided the perfect soundtrack. “Let’s come down here every week before church and have a quiet time on the dock,” said one of us. The other agreed. And our boots made it unanimous.
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. – Isaiah 40:28
I’ll probably delete this in the morning.
Next Hike: Whitewater State Park
Lynniebeemuseoday 