Day 32: To Breitenbush River

July 21, 2006

I got up at 6, ate breakfast, and broke camp. I started hiking to Bagby hot spring shortly after 7 AM. The 1.5 mile trail to Bagby hot spring is wide and level. It took me 30 minutes. Bagby is famous for being overcrowded because it's the closest free hot spring to Portland. That's why I went early in the morning on a weekday. When I got there it was deserted except for 3 or 4 old Japanese people soaking in private tubs. I explored the area, then had a long soak in the communal soaking area.

This is the communal soaking area at Bagby hot springs. There is also a bathhouse with private soaking tubs.

The water was much hotter than I can handle for long, so I made frequent trips to the nearby cold spring to dump buckets of cold water into my tub. I suspect the water temperature would be more pleasant in winter. Later I had a short soak in the "party pool" which is a 3 minute walk from all the other soaking areas.

The popular "party pool" is separate from all the other pools.

I left the hot spring at 10:15 and got on the road at 11:15. The first 11 miles were backtracking downstream to the Clackamas river.

Then I turned south on FR 46 towards Detroit. 3 miles later I pulled off the road to see Austin hot spring. I had a short soak there but didn't really like the atmosphere because of the large population of "squatters". The weather was hot and the hot pools were in the sun. So the hot water wasn't very appealing at the time.

Austin hot spring is private property that is inhabited by gypsy-type people.

Back on the road I continued the gradual climb up the Clackamas river. Eventually the road turns away from the river and climbs steeply to a summit at 3600 feet elevation. The summit separates the Clackamas river watershed from the Santiam river watershed. It didn't seem quite as hot and humid as it did yesterday. I didn't sweat as profusely. Maybe it was cooler just because of the higher elevation. The tall trees also provide a lot of shade on the road. All day I was in a lush forest of mostly Douglas Fir trees.

After the summit is a long downhill to the Breitenbush river. After following the river downstream for 6 miles I got to two National Forest campgrounds (2200 feet elevation). Both campgrounds were full, so I camped alongside the river just outside the designated campground. It was free, less crowded, and I was still close to the toilet in the campground. To cool off I had a swim in the cold river. It cooled me off in a hurry.

After setting up camp I rode a mile up the steep gravel road towards Breitenbush hot springs. At an unmarked turnout I parked the bike and hiked 3/4 mile down a trail to the ruins of an old hot spring resort. I had a soak there together with a Russian couple. It's kind of junky but it was interesting to see the ruins. And it has a great view of the Breitenbush river. I didn't go to Breitenbush hot springs. It's an expensive retreat/conference center that doesn't encourage drop-in visitors (my wife and I attended a 4-day retreat there in 1998).

The Russian Baths along the Breitenbush river. Remains of an old hot spring resort.

After such a strenuous day yesterday it was great to have a somewhat restful day today. Much less distance and climbing, with a few hours spent relaxing in hot springs. The weather is forecast to be unusually hot for the next few days. Hopefully it won't be too bad at high elevation in the densely forested mountains.

Distance: 47.2 mi. (75.5 km)

Climbing: 2490 ft. (755 m)

Average Speed: 7.8 mph (12.5 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 46.2 mph (74 km/h)

Hiking: 4.5 mi. (7.2 km)

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 1,472 miles (2,369 km)

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