Little Alkali Lake

Invigorated by a delicious breakfast at Erik Schat's Bakkery and freshly showered at Hostel California, we were ready to take the rest day to the next level. We knew the area around Bishop had some thermal activity. Two years ago we had been to Kerough Hot Springs, a leisure pool fed by hot water from a hot spring. But we knew there must be little hot springs somewhere nearby where you don't have to pay anything and can stay overnight right in your van. We had seen these photos! And that's what we wanted to do.

Fortunately, the salesman at an equipment store in Bishop gave us an insider tip. He told us about a place towards Mammoth Lake, about 40 minutes north of town. There we would find several small pools that were on public land and fitted our description very well.

Shortly after the last of the daylight disappeared, we reached Sheperd Hot Springs. Of course, we had hoped to be alone, but we were also realistic. After all, these pools are free and you can park your van right next to them. We knew someone would be there and weren't surprised when we saw three cars in the small parking lot on the gravel road.

On the drive from Bishop to the hot springs, we had covered a few meters in altitude and at one point the thermometer in the car showed temperatures below freezing. It was going to be a cold night.

We parked the cars, checked out the pool, said hello to everyone and went back to the vehicles to prepare dinner. It was really cold, even though we were wearing as much as we could. The mood was mixed when it came to undressing and getting into the little tub outside. But we knew we were here now, and we'd been dreaming about it for a while, so there was no turning back.

After dinner, we packed up our cameras and some beer and headed to the pool. Everyone had retired to their vans. Manu and I set up the cameras while the girls were already getting ready for the water. Being half naked at -6°C was uncomfortable, but once we were in the pool, all the doubts were forgotten. It was simply the best. The water was around 46°C, a temperature difference of more than 50°C! Above us we could see the Milky Way and the otherwise pitch black night sky. We had put our beers down next to the tub and were now sitting in this wonderfully hot water enjoying a Californian Indian Pale Ale.

For the first few minutes, it seemed like a good idea to keep wearing our caps. We had the impression that we could stay in this water forever. But soon we had to take our caps off. Then we had to take our arms and shoulders out of the water to have a bit more skin surface to help regulate our body temperature. After 20 minutes, everyone started to stand up or sit on the edge of the pool for a few minutes, sweating in the freezing night to cool down a little. We did that for who knows how long.

At some point a new car arrived and a man approached us hoping for a seat in the tub. There were 6 seats and only 4 were taken, so we were happy to have company. Another half hour later we were joined by a woman. The pool was now full and we chatted animatedly about life, the universe and everything.

When we left the hot tub, we no longer needed to hurry to get dressed. We became one with the heat. Everyone got dressed slowly, said goodnight and went to bed. The sleeping bag was instantly warm.

In the morning we woke up in a frozen car with frozen windows, frozen tomatoes, frozen olive oil, frozen everything. My camera's battery died the moment I switched it on to capture the beautiful morning light.

We made coffee and went back to the hot spring. Same procedure as the night before, but this time we could see the breathtaking landscape around us. Not a single house far and wide. Just mountains, hills, sparse vegetation and a few small birds enjoying the hot water just like us a few meters from the pool. Simply wonderful.Read more