12. the river was wide
The river was wide. I’d say about fifty feet and twenty feet deep. Water was clear. Enough to see to the bottom. There were alot of fish. One within two feet of each other. If I had to guess, I’d say easily over a hundred. They just floated there, motionless. Gray skinned. Fat headed and about a foot long. The water probably made them bigger than they were, but that was my guess. I found a smooth rounded rock and dropped it in the water. Hardly a reaction. Only on fish moved. It was the one closest to the plummeting rock. It shifted to just out of range. A quick motion at first if it were startled but then nothing as the rock went right on down. If I had a net I could have just scooped them up. Shoot. Even with a makeshift spear. I’d probably get one in several tries.
Upstream was rocky and wider. A bit higher too, so there was kinda a waterfall that emptied into this deeper part. A constant noise of running water. I figure it was soothing for the fish to hear. Cause it was soothing for me.
Yeah. Myself five years ago would be all over these fish. I probably would be trying to spear them. Not because I had no fishing rod, but because it would have been fun. Act savage. Have a raging fire. Any unfortunate fish would end up as my skewered meal.
“Argh!”
That’s probably what I’d say in my loin cloth. Hopping barefoot from rock to rock. Spear pumping angrily above my head.
Hopefully there would be no one around.
But myself at this point? Well, I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some potato chips. Correction, alot of potato chips. I pulled out the plastic wrapped meal and slung my backpack back over my shoulders. The meal looked like what I had in grade school. Hardly a savage meal. Man. What I’d do to enjoy even fish. Sashimi’d even. With a touch of wasabi and soy sauce. Oh and a warm bowl of rice. That would be heavenly. I imagined the flavors; salty, poignant, briny, and stingy. Never can place the flavor of wasabi. My eyes watered up. No, not from too much wasabi, but from biting into my sandwich. The reality of our new diet. Soft, creamy, and sweet. A total opposite of what I was imagining. You know that thing you try to do when you imagine your eating something else? It doesn’t work when the flavors are opposite. Textures may be close, but meat versus vegetables, or in this case, nuts, is a no go. Oh how I wondered when this madness will end. This was not food.
Still had to eat though. The chips made the meal tolerable. One bite peanut butter followed by a handful of salt and pepper chips. I nearly finished half my water bottle doing this. Thought about replenishing it with river water. Just not sure.
We have become “greener” these years and this was Yosemite. Couldn’t imagine the water being bad. No factories near by. Not too many people out this weekend. The water can’t be tainted. When I got to a quarter left in my water bottle I decided to try it out. Leaning over I took a handful of water. Looked clear so I drank. Not bad. Tastes like water. That will have to do. Just one sip. If I felt anything later it wouldn’t be so bad if I drank a whole bottle. So I filled my bottle.
After my carb loaded meal I took a good look around. Packed away my trash into a ziplock. Took another look around. Still nothing in sight. I even looked up. Hoping to see the hawk I saw earlier. Nada. Again, I’m alone.
Not so bad this time. I’m not confided in a wooden box. I’m out here with nature. Broad daylight. At a beautiful spot. Probably the most peaceful spot in this park. I felt safe.
I stared at the falls. I followed the sheet of water up the side of the rocks. The brown and gray rocks we visible under the careening water. All smooth and rounded. The sunlight was dancing hypnotically over the ripples at the top. The sounds began to ease my anxiety’s and my meal demanded metabolic attention. Food coma was on its way. I decided to rest my eyes. Or what most people called, sleep.
