But that hike humbled me. But I have to trust the judgement of the Jim that just topped out on Horseshoe Mesa as opposed to the Jim that's typing this while so comfortably seated in front of his computer. After getting to Berry's cabin and dropping our packs, we come to the conclusion that maybe we had left Hance Creek too soon. We could have spent more time snooping around the Land of Milk and Honey where there is plenty of water. But we decide to make the best of it and explore around the mesa.
Nothing moves out there, yet it keeps changing as the angle of the sun shifts.
My eyes are continually drawn back to the deep cut of Vishnu Creek, off to our west on the far side of the river. No trail is depicted leading in there. When we set up for the night, the wind is blowing in fits and starts. It will be dead calm for five minutes, and then the wind will kick up gustily, enough to send the empty tent skittering along the ground. We try moving it behind a juniper, but the wind is not only gusty but shifty also.