Thunder On The Mountain Traditional Geocache
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is for the cacher who likes a challenge. It should only be attempted by experienced hikers who have good off trail skills. The last half mile requires navigating through heavy growth. I recommend a compass as well as your gpsr.
This cache is hidden at the peak of Mount Porte Crayon at 4770'. The mountain is named for illustrator David Hunter Strother, known as "Porte Crayon", who produced a wide array of West Virginia landscapes in his work in the 1800s. Mount Porte Crayon is the sixth highest point in the state of West Virginia and the northernmost of the top ten state highpoints. It is also the highest point on the Roaring Plains, a natural extension of the Dolly Sods Wilderness.
The summit is covered with a heavy growth of red spruce. This is from a trail guide:
“Mount Porte Crayon is notorious for its inclement weather and strong winds. The prevailing westerly winds are so severe, they have deformed the red spruce trees, causing branches to grow on only one side. The summit itself is very isolated and difficult to access. Even the best routes require a two day hike. The last half-mile to the summit is a bushwack. Mount Porte Crayon is for experienced hikers only and should not be underestimated”
It’s not that bad. I decided to attack it from the bottom by using Flatrock Run Trail. You start at around 2400' at the parking area and hike up to around 4800'. The parking area is .2 mile from the trailhead. You hike up the road to the new traihead that leads up from the road and across a horse farm. The first mile of the trail is on a Monongahela Forest right-of-way across private property. Please respect the propery owners who are allowing hikers to go across their land. It’s quite a trip with lots of nice scenery along the way. It also gives you a chance to get Flatrock Run Waterfall Cache if you haven’t gotten it yet. I left the trail when it showed I was .6 mile from the benchmark disc at the peak. You pass through mature spruce until you get within .25 miles or so and you hit the nearly impenetrable young spruce. If you keep the peak to your left and circle around, there is an old path marked with red tape heading to the benchmark. The forest is older and easier to walk through there. The benchmark disc is attached to a pipe sticking out of a rock cairn. The cache is very close by. Please make sure it's well hidden when you leave. This is a remote location but it still gets visitors.
Allow plenty of time for this one and carry lots of water or a pump. You’ll want to wear waterproof shoes and long pants for this one. The trail is muddy and wet at the lower elevations and boggy at the upper. There are stinging nettles growing along parts of the trail in the middle.
You can also get to Mt Porte Crayon from above by using the directions to “Bushwacker’s View” and coming down Flatrock Run Trail from above. It looks like it’s longer but there is less elevation change.
FTF prize is an unactivated West Virginia Appalachian Trail coin.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ebbgonyy