Diamond Fork Hot Springs

With my dear roommate Michelle's permission, I'm going to include some pictures from our hike to the hot springs. I figure it's about time I actually provide some legitimate updates in my blog. I get too abstract and vague sometimes. Fun, but not all that informative. 

These first two pictures show what we saw on the way there.  As we got closer to the hot springs, the river, which was stunning, by the way, turned foggy  where the sulfur mixed with the water. You could smell it too. That ever-so-lovely odor of rotting eggs. At least the view was worth it. The trail was gorgeous. Unfortunately, all those little rocks that make the trail look so quaint and woodsy make the hike home in the dark a little less fun. Surprisingly, though, we walked almost the entire trail without using flashlights, and managed to see surprisingly well. I've always been amazed at how well your eyes can adjust to take in as much light as possible. Not enough to avoid tripping, but enough to navigate away from giant rocks and steep dropoffs. My toes may hate me, but I made it back in one piece.

Once we got to the hot springs we started to explore. Most of it looked just like the foggy water from the picture above, but a lot warmer. And the reason? This little bitty bubbling spring. :) Of course, this spring is hot enough that you can feel it just walking up to it, and it's too hot to touch for more than a second or two. Yes, I'm aware that it may be considered slightly stupid in some circles to stick your finger in a spring of uncertain temperature, but many trips to Yellowstone have taught me that it's the blue and green stuff that you really want to avoid. Red is actually usually a temperature that won't scald you on contact. And if it's pure white (in the water... deposits on dryish rocks don't count) then it's really hot. Fun fact, right? It's like the colors of the rainbow, where red is cooler and it gets hotter all the way up through blue/violet/white. 

No, this was not one of the hot springs where we hiked. I wish it were, but this pool would probably boil you. This is the Morning Glory pool in Yellowstone, and it illustrates my point. The source of the spring is down in the center, and therefore it's hottest (and bluest) there. As you move toward the edges, it turns green, then yellow, then that reddish orange: the color of our piddly little hot spring up in Diamond Fork Canyon.

Ha. I sound like an encyclopedia. Wonderful. Back to the actual trip to the hot springs. :)

Right above the hot springs, there was a small waterfall of not-so-glacial water, thanks to the fact that it's the end of July. I'd never play in it in the springtime, though. The flow of water and the mineral buildup somehow created a hole in the face of the rock and you could climb behind the waterfall and poke your head through. It was fun. Chilly, but fun. Luckily for me, I have more insulation than some. ;) 

Tevan found a little grotto under the hole and tried not to freeze to death (poor desert boy) while I took the picture with Michelle's camera.

After that, we thawed out after our play in the cold water by soaking in the deliciously warm pools scattered around the waterfall. The hot spring bubbled up fairly close to the falls, and some unknown geothermal experts or someone like that had come in once upon a time and run some piping from a couple of other hot springs that aren't easily accessible into the pools around the waterfall. Unfortunately, not all of the pools are natural: they've arranged rocks to hold some of the water in different levels and different temperatures. But every rock is covered with real-life, icky, slimy moss and mineral deposits, so I guess it was much more authentic than a trip to the day-spa (funnily enough, Michelle's baby sister thought that's what we meant the first time we mentioned the hot springs).

Unfortunately, I forgot about sulfur's adverse effects on silver and left my ring on. In truth, I wear it 24/7, so I didn't even think about it, but sulfur does not forget that it likes to oxidize silver rings, so my ring is now a kind of cool-looking tarnished color. I was really disappointed at first, but it's not a particularly expensive ring and it's been beaten up over the years. I could remove the tarnish, but I kind of like it. A small memento of a fun trip. Just one more memory all tied up in that ring.