trip report 8 24 2009

Went Sunday morning to DCHS. Weather perfect. Roads fine, though in my 2 wheel drive I have been finding the last part of the drive increasingly hard--the road that leads from where you pay at Bowen Ranch to his parking area. There are two places at least that are hard to get by with a 2 wheel drive with lower clearance, especially on the way out.

Hike down with a slight breeze cooling things off, keeping it in the 70s at 8:30 am. Passed no one, saw no one. Just critters. In fact, it was quite peaceful at the springs when I arrived, very few people in sight. I soon learned however that there were a few campers, and they were all in the process of being or had just been woken up by the rangers who had hiked down sometime before me to patrol the area. In the early hours of the morning, the few people using the springs were mostly nude, about six people or so. But as the day went on, famliy after family arrived, many with young children in tow--more than I have ever seen at DCHS--and so most naturists and skinny dippers moved off to the shade trees on the side, ceding the springs themselves to the families. I'm not sure what to think of this development. The kids were having a great time, but there are so many other places for families to go and swim and jump off rocks. Why one where most people go to skinny dip, unless you and your family are OK with that?

On the rangers: Word at the springs was that they have been patrolling more frequently since the vandalized car incident. They gave tickets for camping and tickets for those who had built fires. After my arrival I noticed that they were off to the right of the springs, in the wooded section, and had not re-emerged or hiked out. We were all wondering about that. Around noon, we noticed that they had begun the hike out, and were hiking two people out with them in custody! Long story short: In giving tickets to campers they found a 30 something guy in a tent with a 17 year old girl. They did hike them out in the heat of the day, arrested them for a charge unrelated to statutory rape so that they could search their belongings, confiscated marijuana that they discovered, found out later that they had no proof that they could charge the guy with, and let him go--with tickets for camping and for the drugs. He returned to the springs later in the day. He claims that he and the girl had just befriended each other, nothing further. You could tell he was really upset and angry about what happened to him. Weird day at the springs in that sense.

Personally however, I had a great and relaxing time, the weather was just too perfect, highs in the upper 80s only I think. Barely a cloud. Water clear and cool. Shade perfect for a nap.