By Mineral King standards, Soda Springs is a short hike. In fact, we call it a “walk”. It is all a matter of one’s perspective. I think it is 3 miles round trip and is mostly level.
If you are used to towering peaks, majestic canyons, blowing erupting fountains, roaring waterfalls and the like, this is no big deal.
If you just want to take a nice walk in the mountains and end up by a weird little orange hole of water, then Soda Springs is your walk.
Almost all walks require crossing the bridge. If you are familiar with this view, you might be wondering why there are no dead branches in the upper left corner of the photo. Wonder on. . .
After crossing Crystal Creek, the trail splits. You take the right fork, unless you are going somewhere else like Farewell Gap or Franklin Lake.
After another 1/4 or 1/2 mile, you see this view and know you are almost there. Those are aspen trees below the conifers (which means cone shaped trees that produce cones)
Told you Soda Springs is an orange hole of water! It bubbles up from the ground, and has a slight carbonation. Some folks like to mix it with various powdered flavored drink mixes. I think it taste like fizzy metal, so I carry my own normal water to drink.
The flow pattern of Soda Springs changes from year to year. I don’t know why. Some things just are, like orange holes of water that draw us back, year after year.
4 Comments
… i’m homesick –
Jana,
I enjoy sauntering through your pages, hikes and paintings –seeing your mind at work. It makes me grin. You have seen quite a few animals! A bear was the most exciting to me.
Painting faces, especially faces you know, seems daunting. “Bon Courage,” as the French say.
Smiling at you from MN,
Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com
I did that “walk” with Chris Durniak when he worked up there in MK. It was great! Had to do a fast step in one of the streams as my legs just weren’t long enough to make it completely across in one step hahaha.
He also cooked fish for dinner one night…I don’t normally eat fish but it was delicious!
~~~what did happen to the dead branches? 🙂
Mary, I know exactly where you had to do that “fast step” because I’ve done it myself. Also just said “what the hey” and walked straight through Crystal Creek.
The dead branches . . . poof, gone.
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