What we hot springers need to do, is write the USFS higher-ups to persuade them to open the hot springs now, not 3 and half months from now. This closure thing doesn't make any sense to me.
My beef is that the area of the forest near the hot springs was not affected by the recent fires, and so why should they (USFS) close the hot springs? Their counter point was that they do not want anyone entering the forest and hiking into the burned areas of the forest that could then be injured. My answer to that is, everyone going through the Bowen Ranch or wherever is hiking directly to the hot springs and have no intentions of hiking into burned areas of the forest. The hot springs was miles away from where the fires were.
If the USFS doesn't want anyone going into the affected areas of the forest, then they should post signage to that affect at the hot springs and along the Pacific Crest Trail. Write the USFS and file a complaint about the closure.
Those to write to would be:
Ken Harp kharp@fs.fed.us
Allison Stewart astewart01@fs.fed.us
Gina Thompson gthompson04@fs.fed.us