Rodney Dunham is drawn to hot springs like a human divining rod. And for Dunham of Edmonds (no relation to the reporter), finding springs in the Pacific Northwest is half the fun.

The other half is sharing what he's found on his Web site, www.dusty-corner-of-the.net/hotspr

ings, a comprehensive catalog of Northwest hot springs that includes tips for finding hot springs and for using them responsibly.

To keep his springs site fluid, Dunham, 28, and his friend Tim Messing dip in more than 100 springs a year, he said. They take week-long trips to Idaho, and for the last three years, they've traveled to Northern California, Northwest Nevada and Oregon in search of springs. On weekends, they visit northern Oregon, British Columbia and Washington hot springs, Dunham wrote in an e-mail.

You pick up a few pointers by visiting so many springs, Dunham said.

For example, he's learned that in Western Oregon, Washington and Idaho, hot springs are usually in or near waterways (with a few exceptions, such as Atlanta hot springs in Idaho and Scenic hot springs in Washington).

He's found that Internet sites that let you plot a map by longitude and latitude can be helpful, but they're not completely accurate when you get down to the details.

And, even though he's a veritable hot-springs expert, he recommends anyone new to natural hot springs should do a little research first. Dunham recommends Evie Litton's "Hiking Hot Springs in the Pacific Northwest," which, he said, includes information on nearby attractions, temperature and condition of the springs and "excellent directions."

Dunham said he purposely omitted directions from his Web site, because he figures "if someone's willing to do a bit of research on how to get to the springs, they might be less likely to trash them when they get there."

Along that line, he offers tips for using hot springs so other explorers can enjoy them later.

Among them:

-- Rinse your feet before you enter lined pools; it makes it much easier to keep them clean.

-- Although some springs are in commercial resorts, most are still in their natural state (or nearly so). There usually are no trash bins, and sometimes no toilets - even the pit type. So ... if you need to use the restroom, do so far away from the springs or anywhere else people are likely to walk.

-- Many hot springs, especially those that take a bit of traveling to find, are clothing-optional. If this offends you, consider a resort, or pick springs that are just off a road and more easily accessible. On the other hand, if someone wants to use a spring and everyone in it is nude, don't make the new guy uncomfortable by insisting he also be nude. The point of a spring is relaxation, after all.

-- Do not use soap in the springs, or any other substance that could pollute or harm the natural surroundings.

-- Beware of erosion near springs on hillsides or near other susceptible areas.

-- Pack out not only everything you brought in, but any other trash lying around as well.

-- Yes, wildlife is cute. It's also wild. Don't try to pet animals or encourage them to approach you - feeding them makes them more dependent on handouts and less likely to survive the "off season." Plus, no matter how friendly they appear, they can spook easily and could attack when spooked. Bottom line: Watch them, marvel at them and take pictures, but don't interact with them.