Ultimately only you can make the decision...obviously. Sometimes a guy doesn't know if he made the right decision until a year or more later. By that I mean, come November you might spot a huge buck but have only limited time to hunt him due to your trip to the mountains and still question yourself especially if you don't see a lot of elk and do not get to even pull the string back. However years later you could look back on the trip with fondness remembering all of the experiences you wouldn't have otherwise encountered (for example staying awake all night knocking the snow off your tent so it doesn't collapse).

For me it is more difficult than hunting whitetails, and in most cases harder to find the animals. But one encounter up close with a cantankerous bull will take a lot of the sting out of a hard hunt and few sightings.

All that aside, if for no other reason, I think the experience is worth the price of admission.