Barefoot Rockclimbing at DCHS on 7-3-2010 / 4 photos of climbers

Yesterday when I was at DCHS a young couple began to climb the cliff across the stream from the hotpools. They began at the water level upstream across from the general area of the Arizona Hot Pool and went gradualy upwards across the cliff ( in a downstream direction ) ending up reaching the top of the cliff roughly across from the Womb Hot Pool. They were climbing bare foot! I thought they were just messing around at first but after watching them for a while you could see that they new what they were doing. Thats the first time I have seen anybody do something like that at DCHS :-) I put 4 photos of these climbers at the Wizard's pictures link below, or you can go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35054303@N00/?saved=1

In previous trip reports I noticed that the temps Jobe was citing for the various hot pools at DCHS was higher than I've ever heard of them being. Curious about this I took the themometer I have used for years down with me and measured three of the main hot water sources that I have tested many times before. What I found after checking the temps is that these three sources, the main ones at DCHS, are now 2 degrees higher than they have been all the other times I have measured them. The source at the Crab Cooker is normally 114, it was 116. The big sources up by the PCT is normally 116 and now its 118. The sources for the Arizona Hot Pool is normally 112 and its now 114. This makes me wonder what is going on down below the earth in the fault that has increased the DCHS hot water sources?

It was another wonderful day down at the springs visiting with regulars and enjoying refreshing dips in the creek. The weather was perfect with cooler than normal summer temps, light breezes and blue skies :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2010 07:40PM by Wizard.