Wednesday's Hike to the Palitus Pond

Wednesday's Hike to the Palitus Pond

Many of you have already seen Annette's highlights of our Hike, but this post, and my next, will provide a few more photos and comments. I specifically asked for this hike, so I can blame getting tired, a little, and taking it easy at the end, only on myself. It was exactly what I wanted, and got. Thank you very much!

To the immediate south of the house, is a substantial Wash that goes down and to the northeast, past Bob Yager's place; but a little past there, there is another 'wash' coming down from a small, spring fed pond, not too far up that direction, called the Palitus Pond. That was our destination. Annette took, and cropped, my new Facebook cover image, from across the pond as I rested at the far left end of the earthen dam.

We started our hike out the west porch/deck of the house, entering the wash near the southwest corner of the house. 

 After hiking down the wash a good ways, I took this photo looking back up the wash (it is normally dry, like this, except during spring snow melt, and after heavy rains - it fills, a lot):

The house was above and to our right, above... a little ways further, it looked like this - see the house (and satellite dish) above the big rock upper center of the photo:

A little further along, Annette is seen with the new neighbor's house above her:

After going further down along the wash, we came to the flat area, essentially the corner of Annette and Larry's property.

The wash is below and back of me as I took this photo. As we moved on down the wash, another opening allowed us to see the valley and Thousand Lakes Mountain in the distance, as well.

We walked either in the wash, or, from time to time, along deer trails (and subsequent horse, and hiking paths) mostly on north and west side, but, occasionally, crossing over to the south and east side the wash... what ever seemed 'easiest' - Annette led the way, and I trudged along behind, at my own pace. She was kind, and a very good leader, letting me rest when I needed to. We had water, too, so here I took a break.

Again, I took this photo, looking back up the wash where we had come down it...

Here Annette is looking at some of the significant lichen deposits, these bright orange, on the boulders, along the wash.

Below, Annette is pointing to some 'sign rocks' (a cairn) she leaves, from time to time, to indicate, for example, a good place for a side hike up the mountain, to a useful location, perhaps the road, perhaps a 'short cut' to somewhere.

As we approached the bottom of the wash we were following, we neared the lower neighbor, Bob Yager's house, see red roof on the left. We went on past (and below) the house, and around the bend to the right.

Below, looking off to the right, from the above view, across the wash, south, this cut in the white rock cliff was distinctive. On the way back, we take a higher route, and will see this rock again, when we are about level with it.

OK. We went by Bob's house, left the wash, which continues down to the valley, took a hard right around the 'first' white cliff rock. It turns out there are two, separated by this little valley where the pond is... not obvious from the deck of the house, until you know - then you can see it. Below Annette has gone ahead... and you can see the north side of the earthen dame to her left, and above.

Here, I have now gotten over the dam, and am standing at the left west end of the dam... the pond is quite low, Annette said, from some of her prior visits.

I'm still standing in the same place, below, at west end of the dam. But, this photo (from across the pond) shows the big white cliff we came around to get to the dam. Annette and Larry's house is 'straight ahead' beyond those cliffs, and probably to the left, more behind the trees on the hill.

Here, Annette is headed off around the pond as I rested. She her blue shirt, above just left of center.

I'll end this Part One of the hike, at this point. More about the pond and the return trip in my next post.

It was a very good day! ;-)