Superior Swimming Holes

     Growing up in a small wild west town in the 1960’s and 1970’s, it’s a wonder why I, or any other rough-and-tumble kid came out of childhood relatively unscathed or better yet, alive.

     The town of Superior is located in a mountainous, desert region of Arizona and the town itself sits in a pocket with tall peaks - thereby delaying the manifestation of a beautiful sunrise or expediting a panoramic sunset. Slicing through the mountains and the town itself is a seasonal creek which after a respectable rainstorm, provides the local populace with at least 3 free swimming pools. Getting to these swimming holes was a danger in itself. Walking on an old road as far as it would take us before we had to decide when to leave the comfort of weathered asphalt and maneuver our built in guidance system towards the watery target was a choice my friends and I had to make.

     The desert tends to welcome the most ominous creatures nature can provide. Walking in the desert is not synonymous with walking around a sports track. Walking in the desert requires the utmost alertness to the surroundings. Rattlesnakes seem to enjoy the comfort of lounging next to a prickly pear cactus and tend to get in a coiled stance when threatened by the sound of footsteps. In this coiled stance, a rattlesnake will not start shuddering it’s rattler until a subject is within viewing distance and that could be a simultaneous split-second event.  A rattlesnake will decide whether it feels endangered enough when a subject is within striking distance, whether to spring into action and inject poisonous venom or let the subject walk on by. Objectively, a subject will not just “walk on by”, but rather jump out of his/her shoes and run.

     Less frequently encountered - but nevertheless as frightening as a rattlesnake - were Black Widow spiders and scorpions. Curious souls spreading the branches of bushes may stumble upon a Black Widow spider web with the host placidly looking on. Scorpions tend to hide under loose rocks and would be exposed upon a hapless individual stepping on a rock the wrong way causing it to move from its place. Airborne threats were in the form of bumblebees and wasps who loved to be where the water was. Even less frequently encountered “Devils of the Desert” were the Mountain Lion, Coyote, Javelina and Bobcat. These animals were keen in their ability to avoid human contact.

     Putting living creatures aside, one had to be athletic and agile enough to hike the 3 miles or so over mountainous rock and dense foliage to make it to the swimming holes. Once that criteria was met, the question then became, “Can I swim”? EVERYONE knew how to swim back then. There were no formal swimming lessons given. Anyone growing up in Superior had to know how to swim or be ridiculed for not knowing how. And presently, if a current or former Superiorite remembers how they learned how to swim, they would be fibbing. It was almost like having a built in gene that allowed us to become agile swimmers effortlessly.

     One particular swimming hole was called the “Number 1” because it was the first big pond a local would come to if “pedal”ing east along the creek from Superior. The pond was deep and was well hidden from the outside world. Nestled between two enormous rock formations, the pond even had its own cave dwelling and mini sandy beach. And there lies more danger. These swimming holes didn’t attract only a few diehards during the rainy season. Flocks of teens and preteens would make the trek to this majestic place. Imagine numerous limbs flailing around in the water as others would climb up the rock walls to see who could dive from the highest ledge. Couple this with older teens climbing up the opposite cliff where the gut jutted out too far to be able to see the water below and “accidently” loosen rock and cause the law of gravity to kick in.

     The age range of these brave individuals were between twelve and twenty-one. I wouldn’t call the legal adults in this age group responsible enough to carry the title of Chaperone, Lifeguard, Medic or any other profession that was needed to ensure that every living human being wading in these treacherous waters stayed that way. Yet, through it all, it’s safe to say that through the one rattlesnake bite and the one injured shoulder from a falling rock, everyone did survive without one loss of life or limb. Ironically, I credit this to our parents willingness to trust our survival skills enough to allow us to experience the good and bad of nature and mold us into what we’ve become today.