Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt Muir best Route?

I am returning to Mt Whitney in a month for the 7th time. Does any one have any recommendations on summitting Mt Muir? It is on my list to summit and not sure of best route. I can handle class 2 boulder hopping, no problem. I see Mt Muir is class 3, but do you feel it is achievable off the trail going to Mt Whitney? I have done Keeler Needle, but Muir seems a little more tricky.

Thanks for any insite.

I usually climb Muir when descending the main trail after climbing Whitney (or I kick myself later). I believe one of Bob Rockwell's photo sets includes some pictures of the route(s). It involves a little more than boulder hopping, and there is some exposure.

Went up there last Friday, it was quite fun. I followed the blue line in this photo (click the photo to enlarge):
http://www.summitpost.org/image/364878/150495/mt-muir-route.html

I may be able to add a couple more photos after I sort though my shots.

I drew in my route (more or less) on some of these photos:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/California-...940022313_kSM9d

It's Class 3, not Class 2, but I thought it was fairly easy Class 3 the way I went up.

I'm going up on Tuesday, my first time to Whitney, and want to do Muir, too. Is it best to approach from the descent from Whitney, or on the way up? I cannot tell which is which from the photos people have posted here because I'm not familiar yet. Does anyone have their GPS Track they could send me?

Also, we're going up on Saturday are thinking to try and get a spot to camp Saturday & Sunday either at Horseshoe Meadows, or Onion Valley. Which is better, or is thee even a better place at 9,000' or more to car camp and get acclimated??

Thanks.

Kathy's pic #37 shows the route, and the location from the main trail. I have seen a cairn there many times. A bit of class 3 to the summit a little class 4 if you get off route.

Thank you Ridgeline and Kathy for the photo, it seems it shouldn't be that difficult to spot if that's the trail where the Red Line starts.
How about car camping for the two days before my climb any recommendations?

WINGDING - Thanks for the excellent photos of your trip to Mt Muir. Great shots of the Shooting Stars and Heather, I don't know what the blue flowers are, but they're nice.

I printed the photos of your route that you took just in case, but do you also have your Track you could send me?
victor@matloffandassociates.com

Here is link to my last trip up to San Jacinto Peak and Newton Drury peak via Marion Mountain Trail, lot's of flowers, and the trek to Drury is cross country http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Qbsm7FuzZs2EK

Do you know a woman from So Cal Peak Baggers named Muku?

My topo track is saved on my other computer and I won't be around that computer again until Monday. If you put waypoints in a GPS, just put a waypoint at the point where you leave the trail on this map:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/California-...7405_Bb2vF-O-LB

As you can see, Muir's summit isn't very far up the hill from the trail.

Yes, I know Muku - she's fun to hike with.

You took some nice flower photos on your San Jacinto hike. It was a great snow year in that area and now it's a great flower year - there are lots of flowers on the trails in the San Gorgonio Wilderness too.

Horseshoe Meadows would be a great place to camp and hike to acclimate. You could dayhike Cirque and/or Trailmaster Peaks and not wipe yourelf out for Whitney.

Climb high, sleep low is he best acclimation plan, IMO.

A friend and myself bagged Mt Muir last week after summiting Mt Whitney. The little excursion took about 45 minutes. It is definitely a class 3 climb and pretty easy to run into class 4 if you don't stay on route. Getting onto the top of the summit block feels extremely airy.

Thanks again, Kathy, I just don't know where you leave the trail exactly, but I'm sure I'll figure it out, I did mark something on my track, and yes, I can see the summit is not far. I couldn't have used your track anyway because I don't have National Geographic software, I have Garmin - no biggie.

Muku is fun and she's cool. You're right about the flowers this year, and in San Gorgonio, too, I was there 2 weeks ago http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=43ea14f009ebd11c&sid=0Qbsm7FuzZs35A San Gorgonio Pk To Bighorn Pk Via Vivian Creek Trail 7-11-2010

Thank you GaryS also, I am hoping for Horseshoe Meadows but the Rangers said it's been full and 1st come 1st serve, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Trail report upon my return, and photos of course!

Go to Bob R's photo albums and look for the Mile Markers album. On the way, when you pass thru the 9 Mile marker you'll see Mt. Muir up to your right as you come out of the turn thru the gap.

The big cairn was missing about a month, or so ago, and a climber I met at the Store was having problems finding the start, so I built a small (4 or 5 stone) cairn where you need to head up.

Thanks Richard P, but I looked at Bob R's photo albums, he has many, and did not find one called Mile Markers. I'll take your notes, and Kathy's too, and look for the cairns you left. If I find them, I'll build it up some more for others as well, and I'll have a good track to share (hopefully).

I really do appreciated everyone's help and advice.
Thank you very much, and hike safely.

Since I've got nothing better to do right now...


The slot (right of center) is where the 9 Mile marker is.



Looking up at the 9 Mile marker.



The right and left that you make as you approach the start of the Mt. Muir climb. If you get to the end of this photo, you've passed it.


Of course, it's going to look different now with no snow.

Bob's Mle Markers Album.

Richard, that's blatantly clear now, if I miss it I should just get off the mountain! I guess I didn't see Bob's link because some of the title wasn't showing on my screen.

Thanks again.

I made it back alive, Yeah! Thanks to all of you on this thread, and the others here on this board. I did what you all suggested and had a very successful trip largely due to taking all of the advice I received from you.

First we stayed at Horseshoe Meadows Saturday - awesome! Then we hiked to Trails Pk Sunday. On Monday morning we headed over to the Portals and hiked up to Consultation Lake, and set up camp. It's just hard to find words to describe the beauty and serenity found at Consultation Lake.

Tuesday was summit day. We took our time leaving camp, I talked to many going up and others coming down. We got up to Whitney Peak about 1pm and left at 2pm. Thank you Verizon Wireless, we called our wives from the top of Whitney!

I recognized Mt. Muir along the trail on the way up so I knew where it was exactly on my descent from Whitney. Funny thing, I saw the 3-stone cairn stacked up about in the middle of the section between the pinnacles on the way up, then on the way down, they had been moved to the south east side of the area where I could see a faint use trail developing. Did any of you go up on Tuesday and move the cairn? My friend headed back to camp while I headed up to Mt. Muir summit alone. The lower section was easy enough, and then I got to the Class 3 climb section. It seemed very straight forward, but I got stuck climbing about half way up the Class 3/4 section and thought, "Am I in the right place"? So I went back down to the bottom of the climb, took out the photos you all graciously provided (Kathy & Richard P), and decided that I was indeed at the right spot and would try it one more time. I didn't come all this way to give up that easily! I was on the far right where I started my climb. On the second approach I made it over the questionable spot, moved across to the left laterally, then up the final crevice to what I thought was the summit. There was a large boulder right above me that made an arch, and a donut-hole to the other side. I looked around for a register box but didn't see one. I'm not really sure that I went all the way I needed to, but being alone and not knowing exactly where to go, and not having GPS coordinates, I called it good right there. I saw a cairn just below where I was perched, so I figured I was in the right vicinity anyway. Was I supposed to go through the donut-hole and up or what? Anyway, my main goal was to get down safely, which I did and was back at the trail in just under an hour, including the 2 attempts at the lower rock climb section. I ended up making it back to camp just 25 minutes behind my friend.

Wednesday morning we packed it up and headed back down.
We had an amazing trip, perfectly planned and executed, and I want to thank you all again for your help, support, and advice. BTW the weather was perfect, too!

I don't have my photos downloaded yet, but I'll try to get them uploaded tonight or tomorrow, be sure to check back.

QITNL, I didn't see your excellent photo link before I left last weekend, so I guess I missed it by a little bit. I went up the "red line" you marked on your photo, then straight up to the donut-hole instead of up one more section to the right and the very top. Oh well, I'll know what to do next time for sure.
Thanks again.

Great TR Victor, and congrats on both summits! We'll call it two, anyway - right? I'm betting it won't be your last time on Whitney. Looking forward to the photos.

You left out an important part of your TR - did you celebrate your success by feasting on pancake and/or Mooseburger at the Portal?!

I did feast on the Portals regular hamburger, but that Mooseburger sounds like an artery clogger - I still had to drive home!

Definitely not my last trip to Whitney, or to CL, I can't wait to go back.

I'm sorting through my 574 photos from Horseshoe Meadows & Trail Peak on Saturday & Sunday, to CL, Whitney and Muir on Monday & Tuesday. then my camera battery died right after the last photo on top of Muir. It was lucky I got all the photos I wanted before it died. I don't usually take too many on the way down, but it's going to be tomorrow, there's just too many.