Friday afternoon I headed north to some Mineral Springs near Mt Shasta. I really like spending time in hot water.
I've never driven up 5 north of Sacramento. It was beautiful open country with rolling hills. Off to the east volcanic peaks. Shasta lake, pines, more volcanic topography. Beautiful. I pulled off in the sadly named Weed and headed west to a higher elevation. The road followed a swiftly running creek up the mountain.
It was raining when I reached the bath house. I noticed the sweat lodge set up near the front. I crossed the wooden railroad tie bridge and checked in. The bath set up was different than I had experienced. There were small rooms with individual bath tubs. The mineral water had silica in it and was very slippery and had a slight sulphuric scent. Nothing like other mineral springs I have been to. I filled the tub with warm/hot water and slipped in. Then I went into the wood stove heated sauna. After sweating and heating my body up I decided to check out the cold running snow melt creek. I am a fan of cold plunges. Usually the first one is very hard and then I am addicted. If I can get myself to get in, I am usually glad I did. I was standing on the edge of the creek with a sheet wrapped around my body. It was switching between rain and sleet and the air temperature was under 40 degrees. I knew the water was much colder. It was probably just above freezing, but I thought, why not experience this fully? I have nothing to lose? I have nothing to be afraid of. I can always get back out and then I will have had the experience. So with that in mind, I left my sheet on a nearby rock and slowly picked my way into the stream. I can not overstate how cold the stream was. My body was in shock. I couldn't feel anything except my heart beating rapidly and my mind freaking out. I took deep breaths and submerged my head and shoulders in the running stream. I had to carefully make my way back to the edge of the creek because there were lots of boulders and rocks and drug myself out of the water. My body was completely and utterly alive. I grabbed my sheet, which gave little if any protection from the rain and cold, and sat down outside on a bench. I was in the water for no more than 20-30 seconds.
My skin had goose bumps all over it and I saw steam rising off my body and breath. Yet I didn't feel necessarily cold. As I sat outside I felt an expansion coming from my neck vertebras. It was a white yellow feeling and moved up and down my spine. It was mostly a feeling of expansion in my whole spinal column. I sat outside and felt this feeling until it subsided and I noticed I was shivering. Then I went back inside and did the whole thing a couple more times.
I tell you, the cold plunge is addictive, if you can get yourself to do it once.
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