Cold and hot: a winter hike to Diamond Fork Hotsprings

 

So, have we found spring yet?

When we left our hotel this morning at 7:30 heading for the hills east of here it definitely didn't feel like it: it was overcast and -8, a few thin snowflakes sailing through the air. Even so, the snow-covered mountains to the north and west wore a faint blush from the just-risen sun, a narrow seam of blue sky suggesting that things might change where we were headed, too.

The Quality Inn where we are staying is right on Hwy. 6, and within minutes we were headed out of town. We kept a lookout for the marker to Diamond Fork, which is at about mile 11, and since Johann remembered that the turnoff to the hot springs comes right before a right curve and a hill we found it easily. Another 9 miles or so on the well-maintained narrow paved road brought us to the parking lot. Once again we thought of the first time we had visited here, when the first gate was closed and the road not plowed and we walked 11 km to get to the springs, more than half of it on a paved road. Thankfully this is no longer the case.

We had made arrangements to meet up with Jay, a retired dentist from Salt Lake City whom we had met the first time we were here in 2017 and then again a couple of years later. He comes here three times a week during the winter months. He had once again alerted us to the fact that it gets really busy late in the morning, so he goes as early as possible. When we arrived at the parking lot there were two cars besides his, so all was well.

The area had received a nice snowfall a couple of days ago, and apart from the well-trodden trail it was still pristine. The trail obviously had been quite icy in spots before, but the new snow and cold temperatures combined improved conditions considerably: it was a joy to walk, especially after three days of driving!

It was very quiet, apart from the creek running alongside the trail, its clear waters becoming more and more milky as the trail ascended. Icicles hanging from rocks and tree trunks fallen across looked like trimmed beards or bangs: the rushing river water must keep all of the ones in a group at the same length. Snow covered the branches of maples and oaks, Douglas firs and cedars alike, and from time to time a breeze showered me with a veil of snow, taking my breath away for a moment. My hope of finding a few acorns to take along dwindled quickly when I saw that the sides of the trail were still covered in a few inches of snow.

We encountered nobody, and when we reached the springs after a good hour and a half we found Jay waiting for us, as expected. Only one other guy relaxed in one of the other pools, other than that it was totally empty. Jay had warned us already that we wouldn't find him in the uppermost pool since that was too hot: a lack of snow in the mountains had caused the cold creek from which he used to divert a bit of water to cool down that pool to diminish to the point where it wasn't enough. That is a worrisome development, and Jay told us that after several years of drought Salt Lake City was contemplating limiting even culinary water. Drought is only in part to blame, of course: the Salt Lake City metropolitan-Provo-Ogden area has more than 2.6 million people, and Utah and Idaho are the fastest growing states in the US by percentage of population. High-tech companies from California and elsewhere are moving in, and when there are lots of people they need lots of water. Snow storms like the one a couple of days ago are better than nothing, but a lot more moisture is needed.

Wreathed in steam, our hair frozen, we enjoyed the hot water and Jay's company for a couple of hours before we headed back down the mountain. Amazingly, only five more people arrived during that time, which is highly unusual according to Jay. We encountered a few more coming up on the upper part of the trail, and then suddenly a couple of huge groups of college-aged kids, likely nearly a hundred altogether. Thank goodness we didn't have to share the pool with them!

The sky had started to clear already when we were soaking, and on the way down the sun shone from a deep blue sky, a beautiful sight with the white trees outlined against this backdrop. Some of the snow was starting to melt on the steep southern slopes , and I kept looking for acorns in the now exposed leaf litter under the shrub oaks but found only a couple. The trail was already soft in spots, and here and there some smaller rocks and mud had slid down the hill, leaving a reddish-brown trail in the clean snow. As for the question if we have found spring yet: during the hike down, when the snow was soft under our feet and the sun shone warm on our faces, I felt as if it might be just around the corner. Who knows, maybe it is.

After a half-hour drive we arrived back at the hotel at about three and decided we had done enough for the first day. Tired and happy, we declared the holiday as officially started.