Return to Saline Valley Hot Springs

Presidents Day Weekend

When I backpack I normally go on the weekdays because there are less people. My friend Ken invited me to a 10-day trip to Saline Valley Hot Springs and I jumped on it. When we arrived Friday morning there were quite a few extra vehicles and judging by the dust trails behind me…more were coming. We found a nice quiet place halfway between lower and upper springs. We quickly set up camp and headed for the lower springs for our first soak.

All through the night I could here vehicle after vehicle searching for a place to set up camp. When it was all said and done I would guess close to 200 people where set and ready for a great Saline Valley Hot Springs weekend.

Saline Valley Hot Springs Festivities

Breakfast, RAV, Softball and Potluck in that order.

The first thing I heard about was the free breakfast Saturday morning. Pancakes, sausage, oranges and more. There was plenty of food for all. I soaked in the Volcano Spring until the line went down and then I filled my plate up. The only thing you needed to bring was a plate, fork and a smile.

Saturday night the place lit up with lights and music. There was a RAV going on. I was eating dinner with some new found friends from Idaho and they were all pumped and excited for the RAV…brought to Saline by the Bat-2 vehicle. I’ve never been to one but I had to walk over and see it. It was complete with loud music, light show and of course people dancing. It was hard for me to believe this was the same place I visited a few years earlier. People were just having fun and being free to express themselves in their own special way.

You could feel the excitement in the air all weekend at Saline Valley Hot Springs. There is two decade-plus tradition of playing softball, the Misfits vs the Skins. Judging by the banter the skins were going to be on the losing side. The team was actually recruiting potential players as late as Saturday night. Sunday morning I started seeing all these vehicles leave. I figured they needed to get home so they could get back to work. Little did I know the vehicles lined up on both sides of the desert to form a baseball field, just about 100 yards North of the lower springs. The improvised field of dreams was complete with cheerleaders in all forms. The infield and outfield looked the same…dirt and rocks. It was obvious someone took the time to clear it for play…as best as you could in the desert. Something that really touched my heart was the way all these strangers came together and honored our flag and nation by singing the national anthem. The game started out exciting right off the bat. The Skins started scoring points right out of the box. All the smack talk didn’t deter the Skins from wiping the floor with the Misfits. I don’t remember the score but it wasn’t very close. I heard through the Saline Valley grapevine the Skins may have invested some of their pregame strategy in providing copious amounts of alcohol to the opposing team. Regardless, judging by the adulation, the Skins team felt proud of their triumph. Everyone walked away from the game happy and ready for the great potluck.

The potluck ran into some issues. A “Wind Event” occurred just as the potluck was getting underway. They ended up relocating it at the lower springs. I was able to grab a plate and eat some fine grub before it was too late.

I Found My People

I was really concerned about how many people showed up to MY tranquil place at Saline Valley Hot Springs. I didn’t find one person I came into contact with I didn’t like. Everyone was kind, generous and I enjoyed their company. I met Noah from Idaho and his band of merry soakers. We all clicked so well, I’m certain we will meet again. At the other end of the springs I came across Tequila Pete, all the way from Maine and his skilled musicians and friends. I had the pleasure of singing and jamming around the campfire with a cornucopia of guitars and ukuleles. Oh the tales that were told and the songs that were sung with happy hearts and open minds. I really felt like I was with family just about everywhere I went at the springs.

There were a few people I would like to give a shout out to. I enjoy promoting people and their gifts….I dare you to ask me about my kids…If you have an hour.

Megan Bee is a Singer, Songwriter, Vagabond and Lover of Life. I can tell you, she is all that. Her voice is so unique and fits her personality perfectly. She travels across the country playing in all kinds of venues. It truly was a pleasure to sing and jam with her. Listen/buy her music here.

Joe Stevens, another exceptional singer songwriter. Joe and Megan Bee sang together and what a gift it was to hear them. Check out his music here.

Of course Jena Nova…she was just the sweetest thing. I had the pleasure of hearing some of her poetry. We talked about art and of course I bragged about my kids. Artists seem to be able to connect with anyone. Jena Nova makes jewelry and sells it on facebook. Look for her craft, it’s called Tempered Moth Designs.

Dave…He has a big heart and when he hears of a need…he is on it. Someone used the GPS to travel to Saline Valley Hot Springs and it took him down a road that hasn’t been used for 20 years..he ended up buried in the sand. It took him several hours to hike to the springs and Dave went out and rescued him. Dave is a very giving man.

These are just a few of the amazing people I met at Saline Valley Hot Springs.

Day Hikes

Seven Sisters

Myself and some friends took a couple of day hikes while at Saline Valley Hot Springs.

Our first hike we set out to find Seven Sister Springs and loop around to the huge peace sign on the side of the mountain. We hiked for just over three hours and went just under six miles. We headed south/west from the lower springs and simply followed the burrow trails. It wasn’t too hard to find because you start seeing more and more brush. Unfortunately I only saw one of the sisters. I didn’t spend too much time looking for them. We met an old grey haired burrow. He seemed to be disgruntled. He had a stripe going down his left shoulder and his face was pretty grey. He stood his ground and I decided to start heading toward the next part of our journey…off we went to see the peace sign.

We were following a washout and about halfway there it was time for lunch. It doesn’t matter where we go in Saline Valley there is alway…I mean always burrow scat. After lunch we started the scramble up the mountain. I was intrigued at how dramatically the earth colors went from brown to red. We climbed to the top and started working our way down the very slippery red rock slope. As for me…it was worth climbing just to say I climbed it but I doubt I would do it again. The peace sign is so big I couldn’t see it when I was standing on top of it.

The hike down from the peace sign and to the lower springs was pretty easy. I enjoyed looking at all the different color rocks as I hiked. As soon as I got back…I slipped into the hot springs for a nice post hike soak.

Ravens Nest

While soaking I overheard Megan Bee talk about the Raven’s Nests. High on the cliffs the ravens build their nest and I wanted to see them. Megan agreed to show Ken and I where they lived. We tore up the north side of the mountain and looked for trail to take us down into the washout. We overshot the trail by about a quarter of a mile. We doubled back, found the trail and headed down. It felt a little odd being in a washout with no place to run. It didn’t take us too long to reach the nest area. On the east side of the cliff we found lots of twigs and sticks on the ground and sure enough…just look up and the nest were there. They were huge. I didn’t expect to see something that big. We continued down the washout as it opened up to the entire valley. We kept following the trail…and burrow scat around the hill until the lower springs came into view. We walked across the Chicken Strip runway and it was in much better shape than I imagined. This hike took us about two and a half hours and we covered five miles. I enjoyed this hike better than the Seven Sisters/Peace Sign hike. Just like last time a soak was the first thing on my mind when we returned.

I still have a desire to hike up to the furthest most spring and to hike on the east wall of the valley to see if there really is an old landing strip.  Maybe on my next trip to Saline Valley Hot Springs.

Some of The Unwritten Rules

I’ve been in several hot springs and these hot springs are no different. You will find all kinds of people from different backgrounds. I’ve not had a bad experience at any springs I’ve been to. I will say a majority of the people you meet at any spring are pretty laid back. So what are the unwritten rules of a hot spring? That depends on the group.

• Some feel hot springs are a sacred experience and should be enjoyed in quiet meditation and reflection
• Some feel the springs are a place to carry on a quiet conversation, keeping a wide berth from religion and politics…
  • (please…avoiding politics and religion at all costs!)
• Some feel the springs are a communal time to meet new people
• A lot of people feel springs should be enjoyed completely naked
• Some people don’t care what they wear when they slide into the spring

Saline Valley actually has some written rules.  The only four really pertaining to the hot spring has to do with taking a shower before you enter the hot springs. I believe this is a very important rule. The water you are climbing into is pure and we…the humans are the only contaminates. Our body is covered with oils, deodorant, sunblock and dirt…so by taking a shower before we slide into bliss we will ensure the springs stays cleaner…for much longer.  At the lower spring there is a sign that says “Pool Cleaning Daily at 3:00 PM.” I’ve seen it, like clockwork Lizard Lee, our resident caretaker, walks over and pulls the plug on the spring and will start draining it…even while your in it. Since your in it you might as well help clean it too. It’s really not that hard. The third rule, “All babies and toddlers must wear waterproof swim diapers if entering any soaking hot tub.” Finally the one BIG rule…absolutely no glass around the springs. One broken bottle requires the spring to be drained and every shard of glass to be found. Then it takes an hour or more to fill the spring back up. A lot of people go bear foot…ouch!

So what do you do with all the unwritten rules, you may or may not have heard about? It simply boils down to respect.

If you show up to a spring and you see people in their sitting quietly in some type of meditated state, then enter in with them. Don’t try to create a party atmosphere. Feel free to strike up a conversation but if it feels like the person/persons don’t want to talk then just relax…or go find another spring.

If the current inhabitants of the springs are enjoying themselves and talking, don’t expect them to change the atmosphere to be meditative or quiet for you…go find another spring.

As for being naked in the hot springs, a majority of the people will be freee. If you are part of the few that just can’t soak in your birthday suit, that’s okay, I’ve yet to see anyone judge…. 

The Wind Event

I was cautioned by my friend several times to never…ever say “wind” while at Saline Valley Hot Springs. The weather stations forecast high winds Sunday. It was like someone turned on a switch and the winds started blowing. I was hanging with some of my new found friends talking about the game, playing a little guitar when it hit. Anything not nailed down started to fly. People were diving into tents, trucks and campers. It was not just the wind either the fly dust and dirt was not pleasant. I headed back to my truck, climbed in the back and listened to the wind beat on my friends tent like someone beating a rug. I don’t know how he slept that night. By morning the “Wind Event” was gone and somehow so were a bunch of people. I would say more than half the people left that night.

The Critters

The wild life at Saline Valley is much more active than you can imagine. I’ve seen burrow’s, rabbits, ravens, small sparrow looking birds and did I say burrows? The burrows visited our camp nearly every night looking for food. The ravens and the burrows will ravage your camp. As soon as you walk away the ravens will fly in and take anything that appeals to them. They really like tearing into your garbage bag and eating your garbage. The burrows are much more selective. They love cardboard and they will eat just about anything. They can open plastic coolers, they will stick their head through the window of your vehicle to eat…(if left open) They will dine on your seats or anything they like. They will kick stuff around until it opens and just thrash your campsite.

Here is how the story went this trip. I was relaxing in the hot spring listening to people talk. Another person showed up and said…Does anybody know who owns the red truck with a camper on it? Yeah…that sounds like mine, another man said. Well, the burrows are eating your food out of your coolers. No…that can’t be I have a strap on it and a big weight on it. No I’m pretty sure it is opened and they are all in your groceries.  The owner of the red truck exited the spring and went to salvage the remaining food. Fortunately the borrows don’t like beer. Once people start talking about the burrows you will hear some great stories. One person said he went back to his camp to find four burrows with a head in each window of his vehicle. Another said…they are all nice to you until you run out of food.

Okay…I know there are no cow at the hot springs…just a shameless plug for my daughters art work…I’m a bragging father…

www.cassandraburgess.com

Traveling

I took the north road coming in and leaving. The road in was in really good shape. In some of the shaded areas the dirt road was iced over and I drove very carefully to keep from sliding into the embankment. We had a few roadside stragglers (burrows) we saw on the way in. They were only interested in what we would give them. On the way out I hit a nice rock that punctured my tire. It didn’t take too long to change and we were on our way home.

What did I do different this trip? This time I brought 7 gallons of drinking water and I bought an extra spare tire. When I got home I bought a $10.00 tire plug kit for any future flat tires. By the way…Lizard Lee at the lower springs will plug your flat tire for I think about $20.00.

Next time I go I will bring an additional 7 gallons because I drink a lot of water. I will also bring more firewood.

Treasure Hunting

Saline Valley is as amazing as it is mysterious. While sitting in the lower spring I started noticing some odd and interesting objects. If you look under the picnic table you will find a small clock. Look to the right on the large piece of wood and you will find a thermometer telling you what the outside air temperature is. Look over to the fire pit and a carving of what appears to be a wizard in the wood. On its forehead it says “Turtle Jim”. I’m sure comes with a cool story too.  Needless to say everywhere you look if you look closely you will be intrigued with what you find. I would love to hear about the treasures that you found at Saline Valley Hot Springs and if you haven’t treasure hunted go hunting and see what you will find. 

What an adventure. If you get the chance…go to Saline Valley Hot Springs, put on your favorite hippie clothes and soak in nature at its best.

I would love to hear about your experiences at the hot springs. Send me and email or message me, it would be great to swap stories.