I've been on this trail before -- it's the trail to the Palisades Lakes in eastern Bonneville County, Idaho, but I had never noticed on the cliff face, about a half mile in from the trailhead, this little rock formation on the north canyon wall. If you squint your eyes just right and look at the little rock poking up between the two big rocks, it kinda looks like Darth Vader standing there, leaning into the wind a bit, contemplating his ultimate badness as he stares out over the canyon. So from now on, this place will be known as Sith Lord Rock.
I've been to the Upper Palisades lake a few times, and it's a beautiful place. I took my wife hiking up there shortly after we got married in 1997, and we got drenched. The lake was high, so the campground I picked out beforehand was waterlogged. We also got rained on all night. The tent leaked, and we ended up sleeping in a puddle. It rained all the way out as well. As we were hiking out, after a cold breakfast because there was no dry wood for the fire, a few other hikers passed us. "Were you camped out at the Upper Lake," one of them asked. We answered yes. "Rough night, wasn't it?" We had to agree. There were so many drips from the clouds and trees it sounded like we had a herd of horses outside the tent all night. And we were none too happy about all the wet.
This last time we went up, we only hiked a few miles because we had the kids with us, and they're not too hep on hiking yet. Well, our daughter would probably make it, but the boys, it's questionable. We need to toughen them up.
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