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Drew - The first mountain was mined for gold from the 1860s to the very early 1900s. There were no rock trucks, Henry Ford hadn't even built the Model A yet. By the 1940s the area was essentially abandoned except for some small claims that are still maintained today on a mom-n-pop recreational weekend scale. The ore was partially processed on-site and the concentrate was hauled out by pack train. The roads post-date the industrial scale mining activity. The other mountain ... that's a good question, I don't know how the material from the top was removed. The present road was never suitable for a normal dump truck, never mind a big earth mover. There's a logging trunk, a very major one, somewhat down on the west flank. They may have used a conveyor, that was done here some. The current road to the top is a collection of hairpin switchbacks too short for a double cab pickup to go up without backing an jockeying around them. It was built to access a fire watch tower that sat on one corner of the leveled off mountain top. That was removed in the 1970s and the road hasn't been maintained since. Dangerous? Yes. So? There was no OSHA, little if any regulation, lives were cheap and many were lost ... that's the history of building the west. No different mining, road building, logging, farming. I'm not divulging the specific locations. MIB

These critters are troubling. To be sure. But knowing that there are people out there like you? That's frightening. While this sarcastic suggestion is tongue-in-cheek, thinking like this is exactly why all the big groups, all the big money fail to find diddly squat. Knowing folks know that helicopters in mountains is a bit tricky - and they have their own sets of limitations. Noise, being the first. Lighter-than-Air craft in mountains are very unstable, and with some of the winds that come up - they'll be blown across three counties - or caught in an updraft and possibly lose control. When I heard a group was going to hunt these things with a blimp - I laughed out loud. Oh. I was a commercial lighter-than-air pilot - so I know a bit about it. Cryptic, from your limited suggestions, which indicate a certain level of inexperience in equipment, terrain, and men, maybe you should stick to something else. There's always Barber College.

Bigfoot can huck a giant rock at you, but you can't get a bead on them? Why not? Where are these dangerous switchback roads? Why would they build such dangerous roads? Why did Bigfoot not destroy the roadbuilders by dropping trees on them and hucking boulders at them? Huge mining trucks could make it up and down, but the Ol' Ford Ranger can't handle it? I'm just trying to figure out where such dangerous places exist in the lower 48. It seems like there might be some embellishment taking place here. Can you point out where this place is?

Cool, that makes me feel better. The two places ... both creepy. One is one of two places that are really creepy yet really feel welcome, like refuge, to me. There "are eyes" all the time. Yet ... not in a bad way, at least not for me. Empathy perhaps? It's hard to explain. I just know those are my peeps ... or I'm their peep. I would happily walk in the dark with them there, maybe already have. The other is spooky in a different way. It's the highest mountaintop around and it's been mined flat before the mine we bankrupt. There's a feeling of extreme exposure to whatever is above. I don't like it much, gives me vertigo. The switchbacks on both of "my" mountains would kill you if you slip. The one with the better road is still extremely steep, hard rock, very bumpy, with enough loose rolling rock to be treacherous. You don't need "help", just losing your concentration would be enough. MIB

You'll have to forgive me FA, but this whole thing is playing out as a B monster movie in my head. Commandos hunting a superior beast on its terrain in the name of science. Complete with high powered weapons, helo extraction and at least one scene where a commando is shaving his 5'oclock shadow with a big knife.

I can't quite figure out the contradictory statements. You're not going hunting, yet you're preparing to do so? Don't care for proof, yet could provide it for others? Your skill level may be very high, but what does that have to do with the essential question, why? Why spend all that brainpower on it?