Hikers Missing in Superstitions Made Every Mistake Possible

According to the Associated Press and The Arizona Republic, three men from Utah are lost in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. They were reportedly scouring the area for the Lost Dutchman Goldmine - which is likely a fictitious tale in the first place.

Regardless of the truth about the mine's existence, the Superstition Mountains are not an area to be taken lightly. These would-be treasure hunters from Utah range in age from 51 to 67 (though reports vary). Their Saturn SUV, according to news reports, has been parked at the First Water Trailhead for days. Authorities found the SUV on July 6. The men's families have not heard from them since July 11.

Their plan was to hike during the day and return to a motel room at night.

There is absolutely no worse time to be in the Superstitions than the summer. The heat is ferocious, with intense sunlight beating down until early evening. Given the men's ages, they would have a hard time enduring daily treks from a motel base, much less surviving for several days in the many canyons scattered throughout the mountain range.

Other than their SUV parked at the trailheads, authorities have seen no sign of the men.

It's nearly unfathomable for anyone with knowledge of the desert that anyone would undertake a search for the fabled mine during the summer heat. Add age and unfamiliarity with the area to the equation, and it's hard to image a scenario in which the missing prospectors are found alive after so much time.

Adding to the sadness is what their families much be enduring, and that more than 100 people plus horses and dogs are searching for them in miserable heat. Helicopter crews are also risking their lives in a search that should never have occurred.

Really, the first bad decision here was searching for a treasure that probably doesn't exist. Second, proceeding with the plan in the summer. It's difficult to tell what sort of poor decision came next - it's not clear how the men were equipped. When searchers find them, though, it wouldn't surprise me to learn they didn't have enough water, food or shelter to deal with the conditions.