Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Sept. 26 Whitney Dayclimb. Mt. Muir Combo Partners?

Good morning from Columbus, Ohio. I'm climbing Whitney on September 26th and really want to combo Mt. Muir as well. My problem is that I will be alone and I think I'm a little green to attempt Muir by myself.

To tell you a bit about myself and skill level: I am a 26 yr old, 185 lb male in fairly good shape. I mostly run, logging about 30 miles a week. I run 1 or 2 marathons a year, including Chicago on Oct. 9th, so I swear I'm in good enough condition. In general I just like adventures. I've climbed many non technical 14ers in Colorado, done white water rafting, AutoX racing, fishing, indoor rock climbing, etc. So basically I am a pretty adventurous guy who shouldn't be much of a burden.

Since I live in Columbus, Ohio, I don't have many adventurous friends. There's nothing to do close to here. Since I don't have anybody to hike and climb with it's hard to push the limit and get any better and still be safe. I guess I could attempt Muir by myself, but I'm adventurous, not crazy.

If anyone is climbing that day and considering Muir I would really really appreciate your company and expertice. I could pay you, pick up a nice bar tab in celebration, worship you, continually thank you, or whatever else.

I just really want to get up there, improve my skills, and grow as a hiker/climber.

In additon, could you guys give me some good tips about climbing Whitney and Muir this time of year? Is a 4am start early enough for a dayhike? What's the temp and wind like up there this time of year and around what time does the sun set?
Any other general advice?

Thanks again for all the help and I'm sorry for such a long email. I'm just excited and really hoping to stand on top of both of those mountains by the end of the day.


John Rea

John,
I'd go with you, but you're too late. I'm up in the area from next Thursday to Sunday. I was trying to decide to do Whitney/Muir or Langley/Cirque or Russell/Carrillion.

If you're flexible, let me know and we can try the North Fork and go down the trail. I refuse to go up AND down the trail anymore. Too damn long for my aching knees, and the North Fork is much more beautiful and exciting.

I usually start from 3-4 AM. See all the other threads about current conditions. Bring extra clothes, gloves, etc to change out of on the summit. It could be freezing, literally. Sunset should be past 6 PM and before 7 PM. Bring emergency items in case you get stuck up there for the night.

Some people will say bring crampons, I think they're useless right now. Microspikes may come in handy as walking in them on granite is not a big deal, and they're easy to take on and off.

Good luck.