Sprung Spring - Santa Ritas...

[writelots]

Anyone have a good idea if there's any water? I know it's been a dry spring, but there was a lot of snow up there this year. I'm taking a group camping up there this weekend, and I'm hoping to find water near our Josephine's Saddle camp...

[SkyIslandHiker]

Sorry that my reply is too late for your backpack this weekend, but perhaps others will benefit. The Sprung Spring tub has slowly dried up over the past two years. However, a very reliable source of water near Josephine Saddle is McBeth Spring which is less than a mile down the Temporal Trail from the saddle. There is also a nice campsite above the trail at McBeth Spring under a canopy of huge ponderosa pines. Unfortunately, the McBeth Spring campsite is frequented by illegals.

[Jeffshadows]

Sounds like Bellows was the way to go?

[tibber]

Sounds like Bellows was the way to go?

and what a wonderful spring it is!

I believe Jake and Wendy did end up using the Sprung Spring .2 miles from Josephine Saddle where we were camped. Wendy told me that a natural wood bench that is now askew used to be right at the bottom of this spring making it easier to fill your water containers.

[Jeffshadows]

...And Baldy was dry?

[tibber]

...And Baldy was dry?

as a bone.

[Jeffshadows]

...And Baldy was dry?

as a bone.

Noted...and surprised.

[sirena]

@SkyIslandHiker
I'm posting a link to your great trip report about the springs of Mt. Wrightson: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/4138

[tibber]

...a little late for our trip but what a great report. I liked the name Lower Sprung Spring. Thx Sirena.

[Jeffshadows]

Wow. Very sad. Sprung and Bellows used to be my go-to springs up there. It's amazing how much can change in even just five years. Even more disturbing: I can remember hiking up there fifteen or twenty years ago and seeing bellows belching out water in June...

[SkyIslandHiker]

Wow. Very sad. Sprung and Bellows used to be my go-to springs up there. It's amazing how much can change in even just five years. Even more disturbing: I can remember hiking up there fifteen or twenty years ago and seeing bellows belching out water in June...

Jeff,

It's Sprung and Baldy that are dry. Bellows still flows year round. However sometimes the pipe comes apart and you have to go
up to the base of the waterfall to get water.

Bill

[Jeffshadows]

Bellows looked pretty dry in that guy's picture and according to the most recent trip reports, but I'll take your word for it...

[base871]

Bellows was flowing about 2 quarts per min., maybe more two weeks ago.

[Jeffshadows]

Cool. I haven't been up there in a little while.

[SkyIslandHiker]

Bellows looked pretty dry in that guys picture and according to the most recent trip reports, but I'll take your word for it...

Jeff,

Those were my photos and report that Sirena posted the link to. In my nearly 70 hikes to the summit of Mt. Wrightson over the past several years, Bellows has always been a reliable and ample source of water - except when frozen or snowed over like this:



The "problem" at Bellows is with the pipe, not the water source. The pipe frequently becomes separated between the inlet at the base of the waterfall and the outlet at the trail-side basin - most likely caused by careless hikers or bears who bump it when going up to the waterfall. In addition, about a year ago the pipe got clogged by sediment. So when the pipe is broken, all you have to do is go up to the base of the waterfall (about 40-50' above the trail) to get water. That water source is always ample and reliable.

BTW, the above sign is over five feet high off the ground.

Bill

[joebartels]

70 hikes to the summit of Mt. Wrightson

Bill step up to the plate already and post a triplog.

With Yahoo you only get the corporate shaft in the long run
Geocities... gone
Yahoo Photos... gone
Groups...TBD

[Jeffshadows]

Thank you for the clarification. Again, I haven't been up there in a little while.

[fricknaley]

@joe bartels

that's exactly why i refer to him as "santa rita bill"... you got a question about the ritas? ask bill.

[SkyIslandHiker]

I'm happy to report that sometime during the past two weeks, someone has fixed the plumbing at Sprung Spring (Madera Canyon) and the pipe is now literally gushing water into the trailside tub, so much so that it is overflowing. Take a look here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/4224

Bill

[sirena]

Great news-that is quite a difference!