Another one of those days when we changed our plans shortly before heading out the door.

Instead of a Superstitions hike from First Water to Cavalry Trail and back checking on 4 water caches I placed 18 months ago, we opted to place a cache for SUN_HIKER and I to use during our search for GPS-Joe on Thursday.

This hike accomplished two tasks:
1. Placing the cache to allow us to pack less and move faster on the search.
2. Refresh my memory since my last trip late December 2010 and provide up-to-date photos of our planned search area.

The second task provided a reality check. I had forgotten just how rugged and uneven the terrain is. It's easy to see a formal grid search was and is completely out of the question. That means I've got more homework to do before Thursday, comparing the photos I took today with topo and satellite maps and modify the possible routes as needed.

It already looks like a daunting task just to take one route through the area let alone attempting to cover a few more routes in one day. But then isn't that what are challenges for? Exploring the limits of our capabilities? I guess we'll soon see.