Trip Report: 7/11/2018

What an amazing time. I planned to head down early, and help remove the graffiti on a rock outcrop over the anniversary pool that neogeo pointed out to me. I got to Bradford path around 8:40am and ran most of the way, getting down to the springs by 9:30am. Unexpectedly empty, just one couple(camping) there at the beach with 3 dogs. I had coordinated with someone who already made a large effort to remove the graffiti and I saw he had taken most of it off, I used goo off which I know isn't the most eco-friendly but at least it evaporates quickly. The towels I used to remove the paint I packed out. I then used my pocket knife to remove all the melted candle wax around the anniversary pool and womb as there was a lot. I planned to just drain and refill the pools as it seemed unlikely people would be going in this time of year. I unplugged the contemplation, anniversary and womb. I also walked around the springs, beach and river and collected all the garbage I could find. Overall there wasn't a whole lot, probably 4 abandoned inner tubes and 2 trash bags on the beach. A lot of sneakers though and some intact and broken glass beer bottles.

Then came the rain. Personally, I've been rain deprived in general for the last couple months so the feeling of a full downpour was really overwhelmingly beautiful. The rain also cooled everything down more than I expected. I decided it would be a good time to do a deep clean of the womb and the serenity pools. So I got my hose and scrubber out, by this time the heavy rain had subsided, there was a group of 3 who were out to skinny dip for the first time, a family of 6 who were all clothed. Everybody seemed to stay for only a couple hours so there were never more than 15 people at the springs at a time, probably 50/50 nude/textiles. I really got into using the the sandbags this time to redirect the water so that I could properly drain the serenity pool with my hose. The womb was tough, I didn't reach the bottom but I got much lower than before, its really not a pool that's easy to clean alone, especially maintaining the siphon. I left around 7pm and only 3 people were still at the springs. The hike back was pretty brutal as a bunch of my stuff was heavy with water and I brought back some trash and all that stupid candle wax. Overall one of the best days I've ever spent at the springs. Any advice on other graffiti removal techniques? I want to work on all the stuff on the rock by the rope swing next.

Also, I am very curious about bullfrog control here. I saw a lot of bull tadpoles/pollywogs/frogs all around the springs on Deep Creek. I've read about how American Bullfrogs are an invasive species and also that they are very tasty. Actually, I learned that bullfrogs were originally introduced to the west coast as a food source! Has anyone worked with BLM or USFS to control the bullfrog population down there? It seems like another way to make human presence at the springs more helpful than harmful, since those frogs will definitely eat the native frog populations including the endangered Arroyo Toad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2018 12:21PM by paulespo.