Fossil Springs

We went camping at Fossil Springs as our first outing in Arizona. We decided to stay overnight so we packed up big 'ole backpacks (bad idea) and took off. It was a quick drive up to Strawberry and a fairly pleasant 4 mile hike down while the sun was setting. We began seeing the springs bubbling up out of the ground and quickly set up camp. We spent the rest of the night walking up the river and partially getting lost on the way back. Next morning we headed to the dam and big waterfall!
Here, you see Michael to the left dangling in the air on a rope swing. The water was crystal clear and oh so clean due to the fact that its all fresh spring water. A bit chilly but nice and refreshing! To the right of the people there is a little cave underwater you can swim through and behind where I'm taking the picture there is a big rock you can jump off and a sweet big cave you can swim into. Just when we were about to leave we got the guts to jump off the dam. It was one of the funnest jumps we've done! It didn't hurt at all! You jump into where the waterfall is landing so all the bubbles create a nice cushion and the water sort of pulls you through and pushes you out so there is no slapping of the body! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.


Except, next time we won't be staying overnight...and we'll go a different way because hiking back out was pretty awful. It was hot and straight up the whole 4 miles. With packs. Awesome. Not. And we couldn't ever stop more than a minute or else the bugs would eat us alive. They did anyway. Mike looked like he had chicken pocks for a week...from tiny knat size flies! It was gorgeous down in the springs though and we're looking to go again at the beginning of August.