New HSG Blog is LIVE

That was fast! I aim to please.

With that said, this blog (powered by blogger and located at http://hotspringsguy.blogspot.com/) will no longer be updated. And, eventually, all posts will be removed as they have been imported to the permanent address:

http://hotspringsguy.com/

See you on the other side!

No need to update your feed or email subscription, as they are already configured with the new setup.

HSG Downtime Soon

It's a good news/bad news kinda post...

The bad news first.

This blog will soon be going offline for a few days.

The good news.

This blog will return as a self-hosted, WordPress-powered blog. Which means it will be faster, with more features and flexibility. I am hoping to minimize downtime to a couple days, but I don't often get what I want.

While down, the blog will be available at the following address: http://hotspringsguy.blogspot.com/

See you soon!

Soaking Zen in 2010 (expanded)

Note: Originally posted 12.31.09, Updated 01.02.10

First, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the fallen…

In 2009, we lost the pools at Molly’s Tubs, Vulcan and Rocky Canyon (more). All 3 hot springs are located in Idaho, and all 3 were deconstructed by the Forest Service due to reasoning centered around public abuse and misuse.

Over the last decade Idaho has lost many public hot springs in addition to the 3 above. It's going down in Idaho in almost the exact same way it occurred in Oregon and Washington in the past. Ever heard of Cougar Hot Springs? How about Scenic, Wind River, Bagby, McCredie, Olympic, Austin? These hot springs were all once incredible public soaks. Legendary, in their own right. Epic among hot springer circles. They all are either closed, or feature restricted access, expensive permits and/or excessive vandalism and vehicle break-ins (and of course unreal amounts of trash).

The good news is we can learn from their example, but we don't have much time. Jerry Johnson and Kirkham Hot Springs in Idaho are now closed at night. Skinnydipper has a range of problems; vehicle break-ins, flat tire/vehicle damage, gang fights, excessive trash, drunken and lewd behavior (meaning swinger gatherings). Skinnydipper was actually under nighttime closure for two years ending in 2009. However, it was rarely enforced, and signage was destroyed as fast as it was enacted.

The Moral of the Story

If we can figure out how to keep these sacred places clean and safe, I think we can actually save them. If we let abuse and misuse run rampant, the powers that be will have no choice but to either restrict usage or enact strict access measures.

This brings me back to the post title – Soaking Zen in 2010. This year, clean-up the hot springs before you soak. If there are disreputable folks trashing it up – do something sensible. Say something. Maybe start picking up trash in front of them, or snap a pic of their license plate and report them to the nearest Ranger Station or public lands office.

Believe me, a sweet soak in a natural hot springs feels a lot better this way. Hot springs need protection if they are to be enjoyed by the public for years to come, as it should be.

With that said, I want to express my gratitude to all of the unsung HS heroes. All of the trash picker-uppers, conservation and preservation supporters, volunteers, eco-friendly public land workers, petition signers, bloggers, news anchors and directors and outspoken enviro do-gooders. I thank you, mother nature thanks you and a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts, thank you.

It is not enough to UNDERSTAND the natural world.

The point is to DEFEND and PRESERVE it.

-Edward Abbey

Happy New Year!

• Follow HSG on Twitter
• Subscribe to the Blog
• Meet Amber - New HSG Contributor!
• The 2010 Northwest Hot Springs Calendar on Amazon.com
• Check Idaho Road Reports/Conditions and WebCams

Calendar Power-Up

This year, I crafted out a calendar of my favorite northwest hot springs photos. Then, promptly forgot about it until today. I received an email from the calendar publisher telling me that it’s among a select few that are going to be featured on Amazon.com for the holiday. Score!

Click the button below to view/buy the calendar on Lulu:

View or Buy on Amazon.com!

Feel free to purchase in large quantities. ;).

Hangin from the Rafters

Been a busy couple of months, here’s what I’ve been up to:

1. Adding limited Google Maps functionality to the GPS page for Idaho. Only a few HS have been updated, but more are on the way. Once I’ve got ‘em all linked, I’ll put something together like I did for commercial Idaho hot springs.
2. Compiling a listing of “The Legends of Hot Springs”, or something like that. Hot Springs already have rich histories, but there are a number of influential individuals that I’d like to acknowledge. This will be a hot springs history lesson you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s the short list:
   Skip Hill
   Evie Litton
   Moss Man (no joke)
   Hot Springs Harley
   Keeper Ken
   NZ Defendress
   Scenic Rick
   Tim Messing
   D & J
   … and many others. Got suggestions? Please comment!
3. Completing the trip report from visiting hot springs in the Middle Fork Boise River area. Codenamed the PIE trip (Poison Ivy Eye).
4. Working on a post about the “Gift of the Waters Pageant”, held annually in Hot Springs State Park.
5. Listings on IHS for the remainder of all commercial hot springs.
6. Trip planning for a possible run at Arizona Hot Springs, near Vegas.

Winter Travel Reminder

Travel and soak safely; check weather, road conditions and webcams before leaving. Then, check again. Especially if you are heading into the backcountry. Pack like you’re going to get stranded a couple days – bring extra food, clothes, water thermometer and sleeping gear. Also, try to not fall into a hot springs with all of your clothes on.

In Idaho (and SE Oregon), most remote backcountry locations do not have cell phone reception. I’ve been through places that are plowed 1-2x/day, weather permitting, and have soaked in pools that freeze the hair on your head, face and inner-nose in seemingly seconds. Just be careful.

On a Lighter Note...

Just when I finally figured out how to reduce this blog's ranking for the search tearm "hot guy" (ugh) another blip on the radar appeared...



Now I've gotta figure out how to separate traffic from the good ol Hot Springs Hotel franchise.

Rocky Canyon Ruckus

It looks like there might be some trouble brewing at Rocky Canyon Hot Springs. According to this forums post, the Boise National Forest has plans to dismantle the improved pools.

Here's the post:

I have had a very disturbing conversation with the district ranger Boise National Forest, area around Crouch. Includes these hot springs. They told me that these rebuilt pools are going to be "dismantled" because there was no permit issued for the building of them. I have written a letter with a copy to his boss. District Ranger attn: John Erickson 1805 Hwy 16 Rm #5 Emmett 83617. His boss is Boise National Forest attn: Ceilia Seesholtz at 1249 Vinnell Way suite 200 Boise 83709 . Above the Social Security office just west of the Wal Mart on Overland. We need H E L P and more people to protest the destruction of these awesome pools. lhp2658@q.com But the pools are still awesome, and today "election day" we had them all to ourselves, with only 3 vehicles on the road!

My thoughts, based on past/present visits and submitted hot springer trip reports:

Before the pools were improved:

• (-) The terrain was more dangerous to navigate. The best pools to soak in were located near the top of the source; a slick, steep climb.
• (+) The pools were natural in design, (-) save for tarps used that deteriorated and entered stream systems (tarps have fungi that cannot naturally be broken down, fish eat it, animals eat - then we eat it).
• (-) Poor pool construction meant poor water flow; pools often contained stagnant water.
  

After the pools were improved:

• (+) The overall level of trash at the hot springs and pullout has been dramatically reduced.
• (-) There is an increased potential for overuse and abuse, which typically leads to vehicle vandalism and other assorted problems that occur at some of the more popular easy-access public hot springs. However, Rocky Canyon is somewhat off the beaten path in regard to typical easy-access classified soaks.

My question to the forest service is why Rocky Canyon? There are many other improved soaking pools in the Boise National Forest that I doubt have permits and are notorious trouble-makers. If you target one, don't you have to go after them all? Maybe I'm missing something.

What are you thoughts? Should Rocky's pools be dismantled or preserved?

[where: Crouch, ID]

A Victory for the Environment and Wildlife

I'm generally not very political these days... except when it comes to the environment. That, I understand better than the many other faucets of our quagmired yet multi-dimensional political system. What I do know, is that many of our current politicians have continuously levied attacks against the environment for no better reason than to make money. Not for the country, not to serve the people, but either for themselves or for political gain. The expense? A few more thin slices are cut from America's last piece of public land pie.

The evidence is overwhelming here in Idaho; the state with the most open space in the lower 48 - the only state not covered by the nationwide Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Even despite the economic viability of fishing, hunting and backpacking - and the combined outcry from these groups; Idaho's roadless land remains virtually unprotected. Keep in mind, less than 2% of all land in the US is roadless (Source: Wilderness Society). That means Idaho and Alaska are about it. I don't know about you, but I'll take summer in Idaho over rainy, cold, mosquito-infested (yet absolutely beautiful) Alaska anytime.

Living in the reddest state of the US has proved enlightening. Aggravating too. Urbanization of Economics depicts that the reason why people live in Idaho is primarily singular - they come for the wilderness. It also teaches that cities (economies) are nothing without a core group of people - the working middle class. But yet, this evidence eludes many. Our political leaders tend to support causes that promise them big business in the future by use of methods that go against what sustains cities to begin with. I'm not saying I want to see Idaho all blue or all red, just a bit more balanced.

Growing your business in Idaho, be you a politician, small business owner, corporate worker or Joe the Plumber, should utilize methodology that supports what makes Idaho - Idaho. Grow in a way that conserves, preserves, promotes and protects Idaho wilderness - instead of making the easy choice to support methodology that undermines the reasoning of why people choose to live in Idaho.

It seems, that once you've lived in a frontier state like Idaho, it's easy to forget that the other 48 states don't have roadless forests, open desert and intact ecosystems that aren't swarming with people and problems. In some states, they just plain don't exist.

Even now, the day after the election, there is hope. Environmental organizations are scrambling to embrace a new forthcoming administration, one that favors protecting the environment in hopes of protecting our future.

That gives me hope.

More info. on Idaho Roadless Rule

Defenders of Wildlife Election 08 Wrap-Up Video:


2008 Election Wrap-Up from Defenders Action Fun on Vimeo.

A Few Quick Updates

Eastern Sierra Hot Springs Goodness

CaliCampBug has a great post up of her latest visit to a few northern California geothermal gems on her stellar blog 'California Camp Bug'. Featuring amazing pictures and corresponding trip report. View the post

Idaho's Roadless Forests in NYT

Idaho is the only state that is not covered by the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Read the article

Boise Larry Lynx Creek Trip Report and Pics

Here's a great hot springs trip report on the elusive Lynx Creek Hot Springs, located a few miles hike from the backcountry mining town of Atlanta. View the trip report

MSN Hot Springer Now on Multiply

Notorious hot springer Kim has migrated his hot springs content to Multiply. Visit her new site

Latest Updates Before Hitting the Road / Trail / Backcountry

I hope summer has been treating you all well. Here's a little FYI for those of you ISO stellar soaks for the last of the warm season.

Warm Lake Access Road Update

Forest Service Road 474 South, also known as the South Fork (Payette River) Road remains closed until November 1st. The East Fork Road from McCall is currently the only access road will get you to the town of Yellow Pine and the northwestern trailheads of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.

Area Map showing FSR 474 northwest of Warm Lake


View Larger Map

Hot Springs access restricted by the closure: Penny, Sugah, Lodgepole, Teapot, Buckhorn (1 of 2 trailheads)

View the official news release PDF

Bull Trout Lake Closure

The Fir Creek and Bear Valley areas are now both back open. However, the Bull Trout Lake area is intermittently closed until August 30th.

Bull Trout Lake Map


View Larger Map

Hot Springs access affected: Sitting Bull (trailhead 1 of 2)

View the official Boise National Forest new release

Idaho Wildfires

The last few days have brought some hefty thunder and lightning storms through Idaho. So far, only light wildfires have been reported, and no fire bans have been initiated. Which is really amazing, considering the last 4 years in a row fire bans hit most of Idaho before the start of August.

The best place to keep tabs on Idaho's wildfires is at InciWeb's Idaho Incidents area.

Please remember to pick up your trash, don't bring glass or hassle wildlife. Remember to share, and most of all - enjoy the rest of summer.

Happy Trails!

Side Note: My blogroll has been updated with some incredible blogs: California Camp Bug, Hiker Hell, Idaho Nature Notes, Light Backpacking and the Idaho Incident feed from InciWeb.

Hot Springs Guy Idaho Green Living Video Clip

The above video clip is from KIVI Channel 6's 'Idaho Green Living' segment; where I took a news crew to a natural hot springs. Here a link to the full story...

A special thanks to Lincoln Graves, Cameraman Kevin and KIVI Channel 6 for the hard work and attention to detail. The other local news networks could learn a lot from you guys.

[where: Boise, ID]

Taking Channel 6 to the Hot Springs

When KIVI Channel 6 anchor Lincoln Graves approached me a couple months ago in regard to a hot springs venture, I was hesitant. In the same way that I am regarding IdahoHotSprings.com and this blog. Believe it or not, it's not my intention to drive large amounts of people to hot springs. It's actually to educate newbie and veteran soakers alike. However, after I was able to talk with Lincoln, I found out it was for a special segement called "Idaho Green Living", and that I could talk about the environment as well as protecting hot springs. Any hesistation I previously had, dissipated.



This morning I took Kevin (photographer/cameraman), Lincoln (anchor) and a longtime fellow hot springer with me to a hot springs in the Boise National Forest. The event went great, Lincoln and Kevin did an excellent job and everyone seemed to have a good time, myself included.

An easy ford, low amounts of trash and beautiful Boise National Forest scenery made the soak just that much more stellar.

The segment is going to air on Wednesday night, July 16th, 10pm and again on Thursday during the morning show. There will be a version on KIVI's website as well.

AIR DATE UPDATE!!

Due to breaking news the "Idaho Green Living" segment will now air on July 30th.

[where: Boise, ID]

IdahoHotSprings.com Clean-Up and NE of Cascade Hot Springs Condition Update

Despite a redesign looming in the horizon for IdahoHotSprings.com, I took some time and did some spring cleaning. I removed a bunch of slow code, ads, and non-relevant pages. I did everything I could short of a complete redesign, which is coming, did I say that already? ;)

Last weekend I was up camping and hiking around the Warm Lake and Krassel areas. Runoff was picking up, but not quite enough to bury the pools at Trail Creek and Sugah. However, it was enough to limit access to the hot shower at Buckhorn and bury Penny and Teapot. Forest Road 474S road into Molly's, Molly's Tubbs and Vulcan was still snow-covered.

Forest Road 474N is in the worst shape I've ever witnessed. After the wildfires and before winter, crews had to quickly replace a series of over 20 large, metal culverts along the road, and unfortunately didn't have time to repave the road after installing the new culverts. That's exactly where all the rough spots are, some are tire killers! Go slow, it's only the first 20 miles.

On the way up to Cascade, passing through Banks revealed tons of people. The pass between Cascade and Warm Lake had at most 7feet of snow on the roadside, but the road itself was dry pavement. However, snow drifts, at times, covered an entire lane throughout many blind corners. I experienced a few scares with speedy oncoming drivers not paying attention on the way in and out.

All things considered; trash was low, the nights were cold, but the campfire, warm spring days and hot springs were stellar.

Jaiku Hot Springs Channel

View a combined stream of hot springs feeds from a variety of sources on the Jaiku Hot Springs Channel.

Seperate hot springs feeds for forum posts, pictures, videos, events and other hot springs related content can now be viewed together, in a single feed (or stream).

There are subscription options and badges available as well.

View the Jaiku Hot Springs Channel

The Story of Stuff

I always come back from wilderness pack trips different. I'm reminded of the insane amount of waste we produce, stuff we have, ridiculous inhibitions we hold on to. I truly believe that there are two core problems we face in life as a society; education and over population. And, everything boils down to education. Peace. Health. Pollution. The Environment. Almost every challenge, threat and problem we face can be traced back to either of the two.

The more time I spend in nature, with only my backpack to provide the two primary staples of food and shelter, the more attune I become with myself and the world. If only I could backpack more, as to keep rejuvenated mentalities and perspectives fresh.

Wilderness is inspiring. My best ideas have come from the result of a wilderness adventure. One week away from all of the noise, advertising, routines and hustle and bustle of everyday life is liberating in so many ways.

The Story of Stuff, a 20 minute video by Free Range Studios, encapsulates much of what I've come to learn since I started backpacking in 1999 - and then some. It's an eye-opening look at the world we are living in. Check it out:

Visit the official website

Download the full version (50MB) [have a viewing party]:

Soak.net Down for the Count?

It doesn't look good for longtime hot springer hangout soak.net. Updates stopped a few years ago on the static side of the site, leaving the forums members to wonder if their soak seeking community was in jeopardy. Despite the lack of updates, the forums lived on.

It wasn't until about a year ago when the spam came. Breaking threads, marketing posts of every kind went un-moderated. And, then... silence. Offline. How do I know this? Well, I've been hanging out on soak.net for some time. I'm also very sad to see it finally go down.

So, where to go now? There's a couple new geothermal enthusiast hangouts that have started to gain momentum. One to note is the FindHotSprings.com Forums. All of the forums software is up-to-date, there are a couple moderators, the community is growing and members seem to be quite helpful.

FindHotSprings.com is actually a very unique website aside from the forums. It's basically a portal for all things hot springs. It's content comes from all over the web. From the latest New Zealand hot springs YouTube videos to blog posts on Yellowstone hot springs. As soon as it hits the web, if it's hot springs related, it's on FindHotSprings.com. Way cool.

If you were a soak.net member, you might find some value out of this link. It leads to the archived soak.net forums, where you can read past posts and grab member info.

Know of any other great online hot springs hangouts? Please, comment away!

Best Wishes,

IdahoHotSprings.com Updated

IdahoHotSprings.com has recently been updated with new navigation buttons and layout, plus a new logo. Take a peek!

Forest Service Road 698 to Boiling Springs Closed

FYI The Middle Fork Road north of Crouch Idaho (FSR 698) is closed just past the fork to Silver Springs Plunge. That is, if snow hasn't already closed the road.

You can still make it to Fire Crew, but put your plans for Boiling Springs, Pine Burl, Moondipper, Groundhot and Butterfly on hold. If Fire Crew is your destination, good luck, the pools are sizzlin hot!

Thanks Nick for the update, as well as everyone else for sending in other updates. I'll get the rest up soon.

Peace outside, HSG

Walk in the Light

The Hot Springs Guy (.com) has gone through a few upgrades and has a new light and wide look.

Here's a rundown of the upgrades and new features:

• Domain name issues cleared up - you can access my blog with or without the 'www' before hotspringsguy.com
• New subscription options - get my blog updates via AOL Instant Messenger, Twitter, Skype or regular old e-mail
  
• Video subscription options - get my hot springs video updates via iTunes or your preference of podcast readers, even e-mail
• New blogroll - the old blogroll has been replaced with a new one, courtesy of google reader
• Twit This and Blog This functionality added to all posts - with one click, you can shoot off a tweet on Twitter or re-blog the post to your blog
  

HSG

Skinnydipper Hot Springs Federal Closure Order - No Joke!

Here's the link to the federal nighttime closure order for Skinnydipper Hot Springs AKA Mile Marker 4. The nighttime closure order remains in effect until May 24, 2009, and cites public safety as the reason for the closure.

The 2004 order was enacted in response to a surge in disorderly activity; gang fights in the pullout, tires slashed, windows broken... etc. However, signs posting the sunrise to sunset closure are continuously defaced and/or removed; making it difficult for officers to write tickets. To my knowledge, all posted closure signs have been either removed or have been defaced, and the hot springs/pullout has been in full swing. So, I don't know. It's been awhile since I've been up at night, but I've seen the aftermath in the a.m. many, many times.

This particular hot springs is actually administered by the BLM, despite being located in the Boise National Forest.

Why? Because the land around Skinnydipper is considered to be in critical condition. Did you catch that? CRITICAL CONDITION. This means pick up your trash, don't deface federal signs, don't even bring glass, don't take switchbacks (stay on the main, most-used, marked trail), pick up trash (even trash that isn't yours!!) and maybe, just maybe Skinnydipper Hot Springs can be saved.

Give them one more reason and they'll take it away.

Peace, HSG

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