Hot or not, I needed a Supes fix.
At 6am, I pulled into the horse lot at First Water to find it full of trucks and empty horse trailers. What the...? Only one rider and horse were still at the far end preparing to depart. He rode out as I was putting on my pack and I could see that he was in uniform. Then I noticed that all the white trucks were Sheriff vehicles. I wondered if they were having some sort of training exercise, then I found out later they were searching for 3 Dutchman hunters from Utah who have been missing for a week. After hiking out of the horse lot, I saw no one else during the time I was out there.

In a quest for some variety in that oh-so-familiar area, I often skip the trails and climb up the higher ridges alongside them for a completely different point of view. With no water in the creek to entertain me, I decided to get up close and personal with some of the familiar landmarks that I've only seen from below. Having a bird's eye view of the creek and all the trails in the area provides an interesting perspective and some of the ridges I've walked are worthy destinations on their own. It's amazing how much different the rock features can appear from below versus seeing them at eye level or from the other side.

Being irresistibly close to my house, I have spent more than my share of time around First Water. I used to wonder how soon I would grow bored with it, but this new game opens up all kinds of fresh territory. I have a long mental list of spots I intend to explore and that should keep me amused for quite some time.