I had Gretel, Hansel and Wolfie in the Honda on my way to the Palominas trailhead this morning at 6:30am for a quick jaunt down to the river. I wanted to see how low the river was here. But then a USBP helicopter and a CCSO vehicle were heading in the same direction so I opted instead to park by the Morning Star Cafe and walk to the abandoned Mormon Boy's camp to see the river. This camp is just south of the Palominas bridge on the west bank of the river.
The camp has been abandoned for as long as I have been here. It was closed in the 1980s after heavy flooding. Sadly, the abandoned camp is now gated shut with a NO TRESPASSING sign posted. The directional sign to the camp has been replaced with a NO TARGET SHOOTING sign as well.
I continued on the overgrown path south and parallel to the dry river, I went to the dry river bed once I was back on BLM land, just to keep the dogs in the shade.
They found one small pool of muddy water just before returning to the car.
This was a short walk of just three miles. It was disappointing due to the lack of any water and the closure of the old campsite, but the dogs enjoyed the romp. The cloud cover diffused any heat, but even the clouds faded once we got back home.
