One of the features of my major Spring and Fall trips to Death Valley each year is to leave one day open in my schedule for someone else to plan. As much as I enjoy planning my own trips and hikes, I've found that it is advantageous to be flexible in this way. Doing so has proved to have great benefits, as it has allowed me to hike and see areas I never had researched or planned on visiting, sometimes with great payoff. The hike on this trip that fit into this category was Between BM, which is the major peak in between Warm Springs Canyon and Anvil Springs Canyon. Being that I had just done a major backpacking trip through Anvil Springs Canyon the year before, when Between BM was suggested I instantly knew that it would be a great follow-up to that hike. Reaching Between BM would allow some views down into the amazing route I had backpacked through and provide a new perspective on the places we had visited. As an added benefit, Between BM proved to have an outstanding and unique view of Striped Butte. To reach Between BM, we hiked it as a loop. We parked along Warm Springs Road and attained a ridge that circled around to the peak from the East. After reaching the summit, Charlie, Jeremy, and Jordan did some clean-up work which needed to be done of leftover debris and wire from the surveying in the past. Meanwhile, I took some pictures. When everyone was finished, we headed straight down North towards the road. It was steep, but we made it through and then followed the road for a couple of miles back down to our vehicle. Looking back, I think my favorite aspect of the hike (besides the views) was hiking through the decomposing granite landscape. It felt like I was hiking in the Owlsheads all day.
We drove up Warm Springs Road a little ways past Warm Springs Camp on the rougher section of the road and parked. Then we headed up this small side canyon. In the distance, Between BM is just past the highest peak you can see:
We didn't head directly towards Between BM, but wrapped around to the left to attain the ridge at an easier spot:
Looking back down the wash at a nice view of Gold Hill. The Gold Hill summit is on the upper left:
Massive decomposing granite boulders resting on the ridge as we attained it for the first time:
Another excellent view of Gold Hill from the first part of the ridge:
The boulders were a huge obstacle course that we had to navigate through:
The boulders littered the hillside as we began wrapping around in a semi-circle:
Looking ahead to our group as they pass around the boulders:
Sometimes we would just climb up and over them:
The farther away sections of the ridge which we were heading towards:
First view down into Anvil Springs Canyon and across to the summit of Sugarloaf Peak (middle right):
Looking north at the base of Gold Hill. Notice some colorful designs similar to Striped Butte:
View off in the distance of Needle Peak and Squaw Spring:
Continuing along the ridge which was relatively easy hiking:
From here we had quite a long ways to go still following along the ridge:
The decomposing granite drainage section of Anvil Springs Canyon:
See if you can spot our three hikers heading up to this bump on the ridge:
Final route to the summit revealed for the most part, although Between BM stays out of view until the very end:
Steve stopping along the ridgeline for a picture. Between BM is just behind the highest peak in the distance:
Heading up a steep part during the middle portion of the hike:
Looking across at the final false summit which is the peak visible for the middle portion of the hike:
Climbing through another steep rock field:
Continuing along the ridgeline towards the summit:
We finally got to a point where we could see our vehicle parked far below us:
Our hikers continuing to climb. Charlie, Jeremy and Jordan were on this hike with me:
Way off in the distance we could see the Owlshead Mountains and Talc Canyon ridgeline:
Path to the final false summit before reaching Between BM:
View from the final false summit. As you can see, the rest of our group was already standing on Between BM:
From the final false summit, we had our very best view looking towards Striped Butte:
Survey marker at the Between BM summit:
Check out all the leftover wire sitting on the summit of Between BM. You can see Charlie winding up the wire, so he can put it into his pack and take it out for disposal. Charlie has slowing been cleaning up all the BMs and peaks which have debris on them:
View to the west of Manly Peak and Striped Butte:
Zooming in on Striped Butte. This view was one of the highlights of the hike:
Zooming in on Manly Peak, which is situated on the opposite side of Butte Valley:
Looking across the way at Mormon BM (high point). Porter Peak is just to the right of Mormon BM, but set further back in the range:
And looking due north at the summit of Gold Hill:
View into Death Valley central and the salt flats:
Perfect view to the southeast of Sugarloaf Peak:
And the view to the south of Needle Peak from the Between BM summit:
Panoramic of Anvil Springs Canyon and the Sugarloaf Peak ridgeline from Between BM (click to enlarge):
Now that we have enjoyed the views in all directions, it's time to head back down. Instead of backtracking, we headed straight down to the road directly below us. This would be a very steep 1,800 foot drop:
Left to right, that's Steve, Charlie, Jordan and Jeremy on the Between BM summit:
Picture of Steve on Between BM with Anvil Springs Canyon and Sugarloaf Peak in the background:
In the next five pictures, our group is slowly progressing down the steep terrain:
Passing by a couple of pretty rock walls on the way down near the bottom:
Finally reaching Warm Springs Road and beginning the walk back to our vehicle:
Beautiful ridges basking in the setting sun along the road: