Tuesday visit to the springs. Less critters than 2 weeks back, already. The squirrel army was diminished. No rattler encounters. The velvet "ants" were back - the sweet/deadly wasps. Crawling all over the beach in the late day sun. Suddenly it was yucca blossom time - big flower towers everywhere. Hike in, I was on my own, way back behind me a couple from Silverlake, a dude ... who I noticed hiking up to Bowen when I arrived before 9am. (Lots of rigs, lots of vans, lots of campers at the Ranch for a Tuesday. Expected tons at the springs with what I saw ... pleasantly surprised by the quiet day.) He evidently hiked back down just as quick, for about 1/2 way down, he lapped me. No big deal, except as he lapped me I noticed he was wearing a leg or foot brace, like a big ski boot. And still he was hiking 2x my pace. Humbling! But I befriended him later at the springs, and he cracked us all up all day - so hopefully a spring friend for good. Springs were SUPER CLEAN when I arrived. The PCT hikers were there, but lessening too, like the diminished squirrel army. Only a handful of PCT hikers throughout the day, less than 10 I would say. Immediately ran into friends from the past - D., a woman I haven't seen in 2 years down there - - - O., who I see all the time ... Jeff, who is a character of the springs, in my experience, and two years back the cause of one of my craziest visits to the springs, in the company of Wizard. When he showed up at the Phoenix Pool with a tray of tequila shots in plastic cups....Remember that Wizard? Things got a little fuzzy, I know. Anyway, paulespo did an amazing job cleaning the pools, they were pristine and so different than just 10 days ago, my last visit. The garbage reported, gathering around the hiker box - it was all gone, packed out. My friend O. did a rummaging of the area, wandering up-creek to find more trash ... on the beach, fire rings were gone, but I think some probably had had glass in them, and so we dug up some glass shards, that it was a miracle no one sliced their foot on - meaning me. I was laying out right next to the shard area. O. hiked these shards out with his trash. I took the rest of the glass someone had gathered into a bowl and placed near the hiker box, wrapped it in paper towels, and hiked it out. What else? We had some amazing vibes. Really great new friends. Lots of skinny dipping. D. brought a floatie or two, so some lazing in the creek, it was so much warmer than 2 weeks ago. Mike M. showed up and serenaded us all with his musical skillz, singing some amazing covers of Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty from the Phoenix Pool. Another woman played a ukulele all day. The slack line is gone, again, the Rangers took it, slicing it off the anchors still left in the rocks. They told a friend they will keep slicing it off the rocks, and will continue to increase enforcement against illegal camping at the springs. Early in the day, a helicopter did buzz the area, looking like it would land, but just hovering low, about 30 feet, above the beach for a while. "Party Boy" was there, he of the hiker box (and evidently an attempt at selling PCT gear) - but the hikers really seem to be lessening dramatically now. It's late May in other words. I've rarely seen the springs looking more beautiful. While it is odd to visit the springs and not see my favorite regulars - no Hippie D, no Wiz, no Ranger D., no Hiker Tom, etc. - the springs seem well taken care of lately. We spread the ethos and pitched in ourselves. That's how it goes...
