Mysterious hot springs, green flashes in the shadow of Mt. Tam

It all started when I met a member of Earth First! in an AOL chat room back around 1993. (And no, they weren’t recruiting me to chain myself to bulldozers and firebomb humvee dealerships).

We were discussing Newt Gingrich's "Contract on America," and how they were trying to wipe out so much environmental progress. She mentioned a mysterious hot springs at the base of Mt. Tamalpais, but it was hidden, and only accessible at a negative tide.

Well, I am a knight who loves a good quest and what better quest to undertake than trying to find a secret, hot springs? In the end it took ten years to find the hot spring, but I had many adventures along the way.

One in particular stands out in my mind. I hiked down the coast from Stinson Beach. Although I didn't find the hot springs, I did find a colony of naturalists sunbathing on a secluded beach. For the first time ever I had seen a group of naturalists.

I thought I might be returning to the innocence in Eden, in that secluded cove. I was sort of right. There was no shame on that beach. However, it wasn’t quite a return to Eden. A gaggle of fully clothed migrant workers was ogling the Frisbee football team, drinking Budweiser, enjoying the cheap thrills.

Eventually, however, I ran into a ranger who was taking care of the cabins at the base of the nearby Panoramic trail.

He said I should walk along the beach to the north. That’s where we would smell rotten eggs and find buckets for scooping out sand. Sure enough, we could smell the sulfur springs bubbling up through the sand and some buckets were nearby amongst the rocks.

I checked the Internet for the next new moon, and found the time where the tide was below sea level.

We took a shortcut down a treacherous rocky path. The locals there and it quickly became apparent this wasn’t an adventure for the prudish. Everyone in the pools was sky clad. About 14 of them were packed tightly into a small pool, right over the hottest spot.

While I waited for a turn, my companion and I tried to relax in a second pool. It was warm enough, but the ocean waves kept splashing in.

Sunset green flash, Image Source: mikebairdWe were enjoying the setting sun when one of the locals said, “Did you see that green flash? That’s extremely rare!” He tried to explain it, but all I ended up understanding was that the moment was that more special.

Then, somebody got out of the hot pool. I slid in and continued enjoying this moment of wild freedom. I roasted slowly in the hot water as the evening sky grew darker and stars started coming out. The diamond of Venus popped out on a carpet of sapphire. The moment was spectacularly edenesque.

My quest had been completed, and my tenacity was rewarded with the treasure of a moment no money could buy.

Donovan Rittenbach is the Web Manager for the California Academy of Sciences. He has a Master’s Degree in Multimedia, and 12 years of web & multimedia industry experience.