I’ve done Whitney, Muir, and Russell together three times:
1. Russell up the east ridge and down the south face, up the north face of Whitney, down the trail to Muir, back to Whitney, and down the Mountaineers’ Route. This was a 10-hour day in 2002.
2. Up the east side of Muir directly from Trail Camp, down the west side and up the trail to Whitney, partway down the Mountaineers’ Route, traverse over the saddle NW of Iceberg Lake to Russell, up the south face of Russell, and down the east ridge. This was a day hike in 2003.
3. Up the Mountaineers’ Route to Whitney, down the trail to Muir and back, partway down the Mountaineers’ Route, traverse to Russell, up and back down the south face, and back to camp at Iceberg Lake. This was in April 2009 with lots of snow.
I found some rotten class 4 on the north face of Whitney. The east side of Muir was supposedly class 4, but I couldn’t find a route that easy. Otherwise, all the routes I did were pretty straightforward. I would do Russell first. If you’re really comfortable on class 4, the north face of Whitney may be faster. Traversing to the Mountaineers’ Route is easier and safer, but it’s a bit of a slog. Good luck, Ben.
