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With unstable snow conditions in the high country, we were looking for something low and safe and close to home. George spotted Warm Springs Point on TOPO, and it ended up fitting the bill perfectly. After what was barely a 45 minute drive up highway 21 from Boise, and some brief deliberation on where we should pull off the highway, we were on the trail before 9am. The car thermometer read 5 degrees, but things started warming up as we climbed the east ridge and finally started getting into the sunshine. Thanks to a good crust on the snow, we made pretty quick progress to the summit, covering the 3.3 miles and 2300' of gain in just over 2 hours.
The summit area was flat and open, with great views of many of our local peaks including Schafer Butte, Scott Mtn LO, Pilots Peak, Sunset Peak, Steele Mtn, Thorn Creek Butte, Mt Heinen, and even the Owyhees. It was an amazingly clear and sunny day to take in the views. After hunkering down for a while to eat lunch, we began the hike down. I was able to get in a few "hip glissades", which is a soon to be patented method for sliding down crusty snow slopes when you're too lazy to remove your snowshoes. The others (George, JohnR, and Splattski) were amazed at the elegance and grace I exibited during the slides. Keep practicing gents, and you too will have it mastered.
Map of the route, 7 miles round trip and 2300' elevation gain.
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Old cabin we saw on the ridge.
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Group shot on the summit.
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Splattski and George leaving the highpoint, Mt Heinen off to the right.
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Descending the ridge back to the car, with Thorn Creek Butte in the background.
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