Sunday, June 10, 2007, several members of the Freehiking Utah Group met to take our new friends (who had traveled all the way from Minnesota ) on a hike to the premier hot springs in Utah – Diamond Fork (also called 5th Water). PJ, Ken, Ben, and Cherie met Warren and Gloria at their Midvale motel, and traveled south on I-15, then up Spanish Fork Canyon and the turnoff to Sheep Creek, to the upper trailhead. Several cars were already parked at the trailhead. We expected we might meet people on a weekend in this popular area.
We started down the trial and mostly got nude when we could no longer see the road. (The girls were a little more cautious because this place is so busy.) The trail down to the springs is about 2.5 miles. It’s a little steep and rocky in places, but really not too difficult. A pretty stream runs by the trail the entire way, and we paused to take photos of four different waterfalls – the forth drops down near the hot pools.
Much of the way we hiked through shady groves of evergreen trees. The temperature was just right. The sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. It was a perfect day.
On the way down we passed one clothed couple, and several campers. They didn’t seem to mind that we were mostly nude; Diamond Fork is the place where nudity is most accepted in Utah , soaking that is, but some people still don’t expect to see people hiking nude.
In an hour we reached the hot springs . Two nude men were soaking in the spring nearest the falls, but luckily no one was in the largest pool, so we quickly slid in. It was quite clear. Two hot steams and one cool one fed the pool. The pool temperature was just right, at least for me. I could have stayed all day, which is unusual as I overheat quickly in very hot water. The sound of the waterfall mixed with our voices as we soaked and talked.
After a while a nude man came along and invited us to visit him and other nudists in an upper pond. (We later visited for just a few minutes as we were leaving.) He kindly took several photos of us in the largest pool. (See the photos of this trip at: http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/diamondfork )
After a little more soaking, PJ got excited to have a photo of her signature pose at the falls so she climbed on top and Ken took some photos. Then she got below the falls along with the rest of the group for some more photos. She was surprised by a bull snake that was hiding by the rocks near the falls – exciting, they are harmless.
After some more soaking, we all decided it was time to hike out and get something to eat - no one had eaten all day. Besides, several clothed people had showed up. One mother and her son hiked past and said “Hi”; she sat in the pond with the two nude guys, so I guess she was all right with nudity, even though she didn’t participate. Several other women in bikinis hiked past and said “Hi”. We decided it was getting too crowded so we started back.
The hike out was a little difficult. The sun was hotter, and the steeper areas proved a little tiring. Gloria got a little dizzy, and PJ got a side ache. Cherie, however, charged ahead and beat everyone out. (Ben found that very interesting. ) It didn’t take too long before we made it back to the cars and got dressed. The frozen water from Ben’s big bottle sure tasted great.
We all enjoyed the hike and soak at diamond Fork. Freehiking and soaking nude with your friends can’t be beat. It’s a very special thing. Warren and Gloria have quickly become forever friends. We all gathered at the Cracker Barrel in Springville to eat a great meal. What a wonderful day.
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