Lyons Valley Desert Hike - Photographs by Patty Mooney

This weekend, I went hiking with a small group of people to a place near Lyons Valley. We kept on descending a steep sandy trail in hopes that at the bottom of the canyon there would be a refreshing pool of water to swim in; my husband, Mark, had been there several months ago and said the pool was big enough to dive in and swim across.

There was a chance that the water would have dried up now that it is almost July, but we kept hiking down, down, down hoping for and envisioning a sparkling pool. Alas, there was only enough water left for Mark to dip his hat in and drench his head. It was a perfect illustration of expectation leading to disappointment. Some in the group took it harder than others.

We made the best of it, finding some nice flat boulders to sit on and enjoy our picnic in the shade of some oaks; also, the sky showed mercy by layering up some clouds just under the sun. It was nice to converse and enjoy a cold beer as we mentally prepared for the strenuous climb back up to where the vehicle was parked.

I've been playing with the "Color Accent" and "Color Swap" settings on my Canon Powershot 750, and I like the shots I snapped along the hike. I like the dramatic quality of the clouds.