Now jumping ahead, imagine we have finished exploring mines; fetched water; experienced John's gourmet dinner featuring fresh meat and produce; counted stars; recharged our human batteries; and it is now the morning on day two. Today (Sunday morning) we head for the butte located in the center of Horseshoe Mesa. It doesn't look like much from the rim but on getting closer, conquering the summit is not going to be easy. Note the thickness of the strata we have to climb. Each layer is as tall as we are!

The pictured spire is located at the West end of the butte. Our plan is to circumnavigate the butte at its base in order to find the best point of assault. The guide book says it's possible which is all we needed to hear...