Trip report 12-5- 2020 Saturday

It was 10:30 when I got to the Freedom trailhead. It was sunny with a slight chill in the slow but steady breeze. Perfect hiking weather. While hiking in I saw 15 people hiking out with sleeping bags. All commented that they had a great time and that it was too crowded at the hot springs. Also, I noticed that the graffiti problem reported on this forum has been painted over by someone with a can of gray paint. At least the artist's DUMBASS messages are null and void. When I got to the hot springs there were maybe 60 persons. Some loud-mouthed teenagers were around the Phoenix pool. So I lumbered around the Womb pool till the loudmouths left. Which was only about 30 minutes. Their language was despicable. Then I got my thermometer out to see the temps of the pools. All measurements are from the center of the pools and near the surface. The Phoenix Pool was 104 degrees and a terrific group of people was there from some commune near Riverside. A very diverse group of enthusiastic hot spring lovers. They were fun to be around. The Anniversary Pool was only 101 degrees? This pool was constantly full of persons after a group of about 25 young people came from the Bradford Ridge trail. The Womb pool was another popular place to hang out. It was 99 degrees. The Sun does not shine on the rocks in this area. So the pools are not as hot for all of this month till the beginning of February.
The Serenity Pool was the best place to soak on this day trip. It was 109 degrees. This is the pool just below the Womb pool. Someone put sandbags in such a way that all of the water from the Crab Cooker pool was flowing into the Serenity Pool. The Crab Cooker Pool is the hottest pool next to the rock cliff. It was only 112 degrees. Before I left I soaked there for about 30 minutes. As the water in the creek is too cold for this Florida boy. But, As I was sitting in the Phoenix Pool a guy volunteered to take the temperature there. He said it was 47 degrees. This was just outside of where the water from this pool flows into the creek. It is most likely colder everywhere else. On this day trip, I only saw 2 hot spring regulars. They know who you are, Good luck Chuck. You KNOW why. As the day went on it got to most likely over 100 people. The Contemplation pool, the cool pool behind the big rocks, was 75 degrees. This was one day where people were not drinking or smoking herbs. Which as most know is unusual. It made for a very nice day. On the way out I counted seven more persons with sleeping bags and flashlights were coming down the trail. You can guess why. Happy NUDE year everybody!