So I saw photos of this place "Hanging Lake" and "Spouting Rock" posted on HCSO's facebook, I decided to be awkward and message him to get trip details. He was kind enough to tell me where to go and I recruited some friends to go out there. It was a long drive, 2.5 hours west. I made everyone get up early, and I think I was the only one who was actually awake until about 9 a.m., and I wasn't driving... safe.
We hit the trail head and started climbing. The hike was about 1.2 miles into the woods with an elevation gain/change of about 1,000 ft or more. After about .2 miles I stretched out my legs and I was ready to go for the rest of the hike. One of my friend's called me a sherpa because I was hiking at such a quick pace. The scenery was completely worth it.
After Hanging Lake, we took a very short trail to see Spouting Rock (pictured below). It was pretty awesome as well.
Some interesting geology (because rocks are cool). Hanging Lake is a location where travertine forms naturally. Travertine, a terrestrial sedimentary rock, typically forms in high alkaline environments. This rock is sensitive to human skin oils and so contact with this lake is prohibited, unfortunately there is no representative from the National Forestry service there to enforce it. So some stupid people walked out onto the log or cleaned their children's feet with the water... I kept my mouth shut but I was annoyed... There was also a man who drank water from Spouting Rock while it was untreated, also not smart.
