August 6 Visit

I enjoyed a nice visit to Deep Creek this afternoon. It was not as long a visit as I’d like, but it was better than no visit. I reached the Bradford Ridge Trail parking lot (by the bridge at HWY 173) a little after 2 PM and there were two cars already parked along the road. Considering it is early August, the temperature was pretty comfortable. I hiked to the springs along the Bradford Ridge Trail in a little under an hour and passed only one person.....a fellow hiking out.... near the bottom of Family Canyon.

The springs were pretty mellow and pretty clean when I arrived. There was a couple rafting in the creek, a woman in the Womb, and a gentleman hanging out in the shade near the beach and occasionally swimming in the creek. The shower out of the Anniversary Pool was flowing full on (and many enjoyed this during the afternoon) and the water level in the Anniversary Pool was quite low. However, this also meant the flow of hot water to the Womb was low and the temperature in the Womb seemed a little "cooler" (less hot) than usual, but just the right temperature for the day.

Within the next 45 minutes or so, a group of three guys and a couple of couples arrived. One of the couples brought rafts which they enjoyed in the creek and in the Womb. Most of those at the springs today were skinny dippers. They either started off that way, or became skinny dippers after soaking in their suits for a while. A few remained in their suits. All were friendly and most were quite social.

Although I didn’t see it, I understand that a rattlesnake was spotted over by the Arizona Pool. It apparently headed off into the brush beyond the pool, and a few folks followed after it.

It was a great day with fair weather for the season and a very nice group. The only bad thing about the day was leaving…… and climbing back up Bradford Ridge. I had about 1 hour and 15 minutes of solitude hiking back to the parking area.