Trego Hot Springs - Hot Springs in Nevada

One of the closest hot springs to the site of Burning Man, known as the world's largest strange festival.

Please note that this area is closed during Burning Man to prevent congestion.

Burning Man

Burning Man, a huge event held every year from the last Monday in August to the first Monday in September (Labor Day), although it was temporarily suspended due to the pandemic.

The Man and participants on Promenade (2010) - Mike Q Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0

Nearly 80,000 hippies and millionaires gather in the Black Rock Desert to live a self-sufficient lifestyle in a time-limited community called "Black Rock City."

Commercial activities are prohibited in this city, and participants are expected to express themselves creatively through installations and other means, in a kind of spirit of mutual assistance.

At the expense of health?

Now that I realized that it was impossible to define Burning Man on this blog, let me introduce you to Trego Hot Springs.

This spot is only about 5 miles away from Black Rock City, for example, in a straight line.

The site is at the bottom of Lake Lahontan, an ancient lake that disappeared about 9,000 years ago.

The whitish ground surface showed the characteristics of the playa formed by the drying up of water from the salt lake.

Access is by dirt road only, but the road surface was in good condition and could be reached by regular passenger vehicles.

Caution should be exercised after rare rainfall, which can be so muddy that it is impossible to drive.

The area around the natural hot springs was a vast vacant lot.

In the 1990s, an art event was held at this location, and it is said that the spirit fostered there was carried over to Burning Man.

The land is owned by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior) but is open to the public free of charge.

Camping is allowed, but it is recommended that campers set up 300 feet away from the source to protect resources.

The hot springs first appeared in the history books in 1856.

In the eyes of the pioneers, these geothermal springs were a valuable source of water in the surrounding desert.

Therefore, in 1860, a ditch of approximately 400 feet was dug by hand adjacent to the source.

It was to store hot water for cooling.

It is a wonder that this historic waterway is still in existence.

The ditch was dug from the springs toward the south.

Conversely, to the north, there was an adjacent railway line with long freight trains passing by.

The line opened in the early 1900s as the Western Pacific Railroad.

The springs were concentrated in a small area of approximately 5 feet square and were extremely geothermally active.

The source, rising like a mud volcano from the fragile ground, recorded a temperature of 178 degrees F.

A pronounced sulfur smell was detected.

Boiling water spilled into the ditch.

Here I was able to find places where the temperature was naturally cooled and suitable for soaking.

The bottom of the ditch was covered with soft mud and the water was always muddy.

Livestock feces were noticeable on the surrounding land.

It appeared to be functioning as a watering hole for the creatures.

The BLM notes that fecal coliform and Vibrio cholera have been detected in the water.

Alpaca

You should have told me sooner!

Sorry, I forgot.

Capybara

Being contaminated with pathogens does not mean that you cannot soak, because that is also a form of self-expression that is allowed in this desert.

Summary