Being a flat lander your first day in the mountains will be breathtaking, and I am NOT talking the beauty of the Rockies. I mean the total lack of oxygen in the air. The first day or so the easiest of normal task can be hard. The truck camp is not a bad idea. You can still hunt Elk without the perils of being 8 miles back. There can be plenty of Elk within a mile or 2 of a truck camp. Plus you can do an overnight er or more if all is well. At 53 the thought of sleeping on the ground for a week or more is not very appealing to me. I have been doing this for 3 years, I haven't got a Bull yet but the opportunity has been there and I have seen some very big bulls. Also I have helped pack out a Bull. I thought I was tough until I did that. A boned rear quarter and all the backstraps and tenderloins on a pack frame is a lot of weight when in the steep and deep. If you go once you will go the rest of your life. Good Luck