Trip Report

As Ron reported in the thread in which I announced that my DCHS trip was at hand, I did make it to DCHS late on Saturday, April 24th. I also went back again on Sunday the 25th, Monday the 26th and Friday the 30th. The draw of the place is incredible! I was happy to meet Ron and Wizard and some of the other regulars.

I had a great time during all four visits last week. The weather was hot, but the breezes made it very comfortable at all times. The warm pools, cool breezes, hot sun, and soothing sound of running water made for a very relaxing time.

The crowd was thinning out when I arrived on Saturday, but I had some nice conversation with several people. There were probably about fifty people present at one time or another while I was there on Sunday. There was a group of 15-20 people who arrived together and who all seemed to know each other. When I went back on Monday morning, there were only about 6 people - very quiet and very soothing. Since Monday was such a good day - that I had to cut short for my drive to LA (to start business meetings Monday night) - I resolved to return on Friday to experience another weekday at DCHS. I returned on Friday and was not disappointed.

By the time Friday arrived, I was hiking all the way down to the spings from Bowen Ranch - and back - in the buff. Nobody I met on the trail batted an eye. I even said hello to a couple of Forest Rangers (one male and one female) who had hiked down to the springs as I was hiking out on Friday.

I found the trail and the springs very clean and litter free for the most part. Most people do seem to respect the place, however, I did pack out plenty that seemed to be refuse left by some campers and day users. The work of the volunteers who keep up DCHS is much appreciated by this casual visitor. I hope to return whenever I find myself in Southern California. - NJN