Storm Mountain

07/06/2016 By Tucson Coyote
I took the easier route up to the cache. I was not in shape this year to hike up from Silverton. I dropped off a Silverton snow globe souvenir and an emergency blanket and picked up a few bucks left by a previous cacher. It stayed sunny this afternoon just a little too windy though. The mountain didn't live up to its name today. The cache is in good shape and ready for more finders.

08/30/2015 By WingsAndTales
We were able to drive up the mountain for a way to start the hike. The area is labeled Hancock Gulch on my map. The elk showed us a decent way to get up to the ridge and from there it was a beautiful hike through the tundra. There is a large vein of bright red running through the rock. I'll have to show a sample to a friend and see what it is. We thoroughly enjoyed the views and picking out other peaks in the area. The 14ers get all the glory but places like this will keep me hiking as long as I am able. I picked up a coin that has been here for a couple years. TFTC

08/30/2015 By COpackrat
Had a nice hike up here today with WingsAndTales - spooked a good sized heard of elk in the basin and followed their trail up and across the steep area. Good views from the cache location - let the little resident turtle enjoy the view, also, while we had a snack. Thanks for the cache!

09/06/2014 By jake92
Well this was a nice hike even though the grass and rocks were slippery from the frost and the sun had not got to the shady side of the mountain. I was expecting to see numerous game trails. My friend that has the cabin below hikes this mountain often and told me about the trails. Did not see any until the top.

Two Elkers and myself went straight up. Good exercise for the heart and lungs. Got a good picture of my lake front property from above and the two lakes that feed it. Thanks for the placement of this cache.
Took a TB. It could have been here until next year.
jake92

09/06/2014 By TwoElkers
“Found it” is a pretty lame response for the experience we had today. But it IS accurate.

For all of you watching this cache and considering taking the hike, there is only one way to do it ... that is ... with someone else. Because if you are alone, that little voice you hear in the back of your head will work on your resolve and eventually convince you to turn back. It’s a HIKE!!! When you are with someone else the little voice is a lot less convincing.

I’ve been trying to get up here for about 3-4 years, but just haven’t been able to put it all together. Determined to get it done this summer, I asked jake92 if he was up for the hike. He hadn’t logged it yet and agreed to keep me company and keep a fat old flatlander out of trouble. His only request was that we get an early start due to the monsoon storms’ tendencies to blow in around noon.

We left Silverton between 6-7am and made our way up the west side in my Rubicon until the trail ran out. I had previously scoured Goggle Earth and plotted a climbing route that looked safer than most. It turned out to be “not so bad”. During one of many stops to replenish the lungs with oxygen, we saw 4 mule deer does romping around about 1000 ft below us, completely unaware they were being watched. It was a thoroughly enjoyable 10 minutes. Slipping and sliding on the frosty vegetation, we were nearing the top when jake92 stopped and stared uphill. By the time I noticed, the MONSTER buck was already running left-to-right. Dropping my hiking sticks I reached for my camera, but he was gone. Would have liked to get a picture of that nice 6X6 still in velvet. Then all of sudden 2 more were up and running ... this time they went left. WOW! Three great mulies in under 15 seconds. They must have been bedded right on top in the open tundra.

The views are AWESOME up there. I’m a retired fighter pilot and am used to seeing things from above, but standing still and having all the time in the world to look is a lot different than seeing them from 500 mph. The pictures do not do the views justice.

The cache is still in great shape and well stocked. I “liberated” the coin to take it to Arizona later this month and left some cash. After signing the log we put everything back where it should be and started the climb back down. I had planned timing from the jeep to the top and back down anticipating the climb up would take longer than down. But I was significantly off. Down took longer than up.

We found the jeep (I had “marked” it just in case) and by the time we got back to Silverton, it was starting to sprinkle ... good timing and we were off the mountain before the storm arrived.

Many thanks for putting this up here and giving me a “goal” to attain and supplying fantastic views for the rest of us to enjoy. Obviously this one gets a favorite.