Peak-A-Boo: East Mountain Cache Traditional Geocache
Peak-A-Boo: East Mountain Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Peak-A-Boo from the top of Emery County at 10,743’. East Mountain is the steepest grade of any of Utah’s county high peaks. Obviously the “prize” in this geocache is bagging the summit and the views from the top-the dessert is finding the cache.
Summit coordinates are N39°28.526, W111°13.019. The view of the scenic Manti La Sal Mountains is fantastic. Good job knocking off another county high peak and bagging another Peak-A-Boo series cache.
How to get to the “trailhead” as there is no trail to East Mountain:
Go to Fairview and take Utah Highway 31 east for 18 miles, the go right/south for 13 miles on a dirt road that leads to Joes Valley Reservoir. Turn left/east and follow signs to Indian Creek Campground. Follow "Spoon Creek Road" two miles past the campground to the cattle guard. Park so you don't block the road.
To reach the highest point in Emery County, start on the left/north side of the fence and follow it east from the cattle guard in the road. Stay on the north side of this fence and expect to cross some deadfall. Continue hiking east along the left/north side of a drainage. Aim for a steep clearing below the summit…In the clearing, you’ll cross what’s left of a road that was built to maintain a water line leading to a mine. The summit is atop a large rock slab.
(Description from "High In Utah: A Hiking Guide to the Tallest Peak in Each of the State’s Twenty-nine Counties" by Weibel and Miller.)
Unfortunately we hiked the south side of the drainage (choosing the “wrong” peak) and ended up in some very steep, wild, and strewn with deadfall slopes. BunkerDave would have been proud of us, even awestruck. Eventually, Mr. Pointer said to go north instead of southeast. We cut across the drainage, climbed up the clearing, and continued on to the peak.
Original Cache Contents:
· Log book & thermometer stay in cache
· Chapstick
· Latex Glove
· Mini-First Aid Kit
· Kleenix, Pocket Pack
· Hunter Orange Knit Hat
· Bait Holder Fishhooks, 6
· Emergency Hooded Poncho
· Three Mosquito Wipes w/Deet
· Waterproof Matches, Box of 24
· Official Utah Olympic Road Map
· Three Don’t Waste Utah CITO bags
· Glow-In-The-Dark Mini Devil Duckie
· O’ Brother, Where Art Thou Enhanced CD
Useful coordinates:
N39°34.947 W111°15.077—Turn-off from SR-31 to Miller Flats road
N39°28.098 W111°14.965—“Trailhead“ we used (In Sanpete County!)
N39°28.217 W111°14.049—Cattle guard at pseudo trailhead, stay left/north of fence
N39°28.281 W111°13.720—Waypoint in drainage, may want to start left/north toward the peak.
Other nearby caches include:
Peak-A-Boo: Monument Peak (GCKBEZ)
Quakie Island Cache by CachePacker (GCGTNH)
Shinob stash by Caitlinn, Stephanie, Annalisa and their parents. (GCGFDZ)
Potters Pond by leaper64 & dirk88 (GC3B)
Electrified Ghost Town by Bean Stompers Hunt4Fun (GC7564)
(There are at least 12 caches within a 10 mile radius)
After you are flush with success head back down to camp, stretch those sore legs out by the fire, and toast your success with a beverage of choice—you deserve it.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnpur vf bar uhaqerq avargl srrg fbhgurnfg bs gur fhzzvg va vgf bja yvggyr ubhfr