Spring ahead, look back
by Gary Nelson
Warren Marr's photograph of the infamous warm spring
is part of the photography exhibit on display at the
Committee this summer.
During the winter of 1997–98 many Mono Basin locals wished (as we shoveled our driveways for the fourth time in a 24-hour period) that it would only snow above the 8500-foot level. This would provide ample snowpack (and resulting spring runoff) while making life more convenient for us year-round residents.
This past winter we got our wish. Most storms deluged the west side of the Sierra but hung up on the crest, dumping snow on the headwaters of Mono Basin creeks while sending only occasional flurries down to the floor of the basin. I had to shovel my driveway just twice all winter, since we received almost as much precipitation from rainfall as from snow. The rainfall could not soak into the frozen ground and quickly ran off into the creeks, and down into Mono Lake. As a result the lake rose almost a foot over the winter. While spring-like conditions currently prevail at lower elevations, the Sierra is still white with a normal snowpack, holding the promise of ample spring runoff.
A few days ago I saw firsthand just how much the lake has risen while looking at Warren Marr’s excellent photographic exhibit at the Committee Information Center. I was struck by a 1989 photograph of a bubbling hot spring, surrounded by grass and tufa towers, sitting about 100 feet inland from the shoreline. Earlier that day I had paddled into this spring from the lake.
Sometime during the winter, Mono’s rising waters reclaimed the spring, and its considerable freshwater inflow. Next to the spring lies the old interpretive trail, now submerged and looking more like a canal. This hot spring, a longtime feature of Mono Lake walking tours, has surrendered to the aqueous realm and will now be a canoe tour attraction.
For generations of Mono Lake Committee staff, this hot spring had been a sure "crowd pleaser" on South Tufa walking tours. The most legendary of these excursions took place about eight years ago, and was led by my friend Shannon. Her enthusiastic group of visitors had shown great interest in the lake and its denizens. Shannon was eagerly anticipating introducing them to the spring as the climax of the tour. Upon arrival at the hot spring they discovered that a couple had ignored the "NO SWIMMING OR BATHING" sign and were amorously thrashing about in the bubbling waters. Before they could leave, one of the visitors compounded Shannon’s mortification, remarking, "Well, you did say it was mating season!" Needless to say, she never heard the end of this. A poster was soon created advertising Shannon’s "Tour de Voyeur."
As one of the "old-timers" here, I suppose that I’ve attained the status of Tufa Nostalgist. Many of these strange formations are inextricably linked to the people I’ve shared them with. Thinking of this hot spring now brings on conflicting emotions. Shannon will be leaving after the summer to return to Oklahoma.
While tufa have risen and fallen, Shannon has been the one constant during my time at the Committee; a voice of reason amidst clamor, always understanding, tolerant of "spontaneous canoe guide behavior," and a very caring person. She has ever been a friend to those in need, and "Mono Mother" to generations of interns.
The geologic features of the South Tufa area do not carry official place names, as do the peaks of the Sierra. But within the map of my memories, this place where the water of life bubbles into the lake will always be Shannon’s Spring.
Gary Nelson is the Committee’s Canoe Tour Supervisor. When he’s not paddling on the lake you can often find him cooking up some of the best Kung Pao chicken in the basin!
Return to Summer 1999 Newsletter
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