April 22

I know that 4 pm is a late time to arrive at the springs but that is when I got there. I suppose the saying is true... better late than never.
Before I got to the springs I spotted my first snake for this year. It was a 3 foot long gopher snake setting right on the trail at the bottom of the first hill below the Freedom trail head. As I saw him he quickly retreated into the Phedra bushes there. He looked like he was hungry. But he disappeared into the bushes faster than I could get to my camera. While soaking I mentioned this snake and several persons said they too had seen snakes while hiking so be warned. It is that time of year. He was black with a yellow stripe on both of his sides.
When I first arrived I found the springs very busy. There was a purple 2 inch rope tied from the Womb pool all the way across the creek to the rocks on the opposite side of the creek. This provided a huge amount of entertainment for everyone as many soakers attempted to tight rope across the creek.
A large group had settled where I usually sit, so I found a spot above the Arizona pool and began unpacking. While doing this a fellow regular soaker came over and said he had followed my advise and went camping in Saline Valley, for a first time and for 11 days. He said he loved that place more than D.C.H.S. He kept thanking me for telling him about Saline Valley.
After talking to him and his family for @ 30 minuets I finally soaked in the Arizona pool. It was less than 1 foot deep. Some one had put about 10 yellow sandbags around the perimeter as if this would make it deeper. It did not because the creek level and the pool level are the same. As I soaked Pan came over and said " he had put the sandbags there because this was his bed. " So I got my shovel out and started shoveling out the sand there. Then I turned it over to Pan. Pan is the Hippy looking dude with bad teeth mention by others here as living at the springs. Pan is short for Pandora his real name, so he says.
While watching Pan a familiar looking person arrived on the beach and sat down behind me. He asked me if my name was Joe ? I said yes who are you. He said he was Scotty. My conversations with him took several minuets. He said he had been living in Quartzite Arizona working at a church there feeding the homeless. Before this he was in Washington state. He never made it out to Saline Valley as I advised him too. The last time I saw him 2 was years ago. So I directed him to the guy who had just left there. And they started talking about hot springs.
While they were busy I went to the Womb pool. I was too late to try tight roping as the owners were packing it up. So were just about every one else.
The creek is only in the low sixties as Wizard reported earlier and not too hard to cross. Many persons were swimming in it for long periods of time.
As I climbed Mofo hill the moon was a beautiful sliver of white. As it descended it became yellowish then reddish, a terrific show to watch.
When I got to the last hill before the Freedom trail head I had to stop to get my flashlight out. As I did this I noticed I had stopped at the same bush the snake had disappeared into. OOPPSS ! You can NEVER be too careful ? can u ?