Posted: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 12:00 am
PORTLAND (AP) - The hot springs near Mount Hood that recently scalded four people attract many trespassing visitors despite warnings that the pools' soothing waters can turn perilous without warning.
The Austin Hot Springs in Clackamas County can have some of the hottest waters in the state, said James Roddey, earth science information specialist at the state geology department.
If an unexpected surge of 190-degree water flows into the soaking pools, waters can reach near boiling temperatures at any given moment, said Mike Rysavy of Northwest Forest Conservancy, a nonprofit group that does a twice yearly cleanup of the site.
"You're soaking and, whoosh, you can have a hot upwelling come up underneath you,'' he said.
Accessible just off Oregon 224 about 37 miles southeast of Estacada, the Austin Hot Springs are on 152 acres surrounded by the Mount Hood National Forest and once the site of a campground.
The J. Frank Schmidt Profit Sharing Trust owns the land and has tried to prevent trespassing, said trustee Jan Barkley.
"We put up signs, and they rip them down,'' she said. "We put up gates, and they were down the next day.''
The trust has had trenches dug to keep people from driving in, but trespassers have filled them with rock, dirt and logs.
People also have used rocks to wall out the river to create pools, Rysavy said.
"There are people who are die-hards … and determined to make their soak there accessible and usable,'' he said. "On a sunny weekend, it's just packed.''
There are few available details about the scaldings that sent three adults and a child to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, said Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. The injuries apparently occurred over the past two weeks, he said.
Hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Gorman wouldn't disclose information about the patients because of federal privacy law.
A developer bought the land from Portland General Electric in 1985 with plans to build a resort featuring spring-fed hot tubs and swimming pools. But the Schmidt trust obtained the property in a foreclosure.
Hot-water injuries are rarely reported at Austin Hot Springs, Barkley said.
"It's unfortunate that it happened,'' she said. "It shouldn't have. Our hearts go out to the families.''
Information from The Oregonian, www.oregonlive.com