"X" Marks The Spot
Your starting point for this cache hunt is
Inspiration Point near the site of Ye Alpine Tavern, the
terminus for the Mt. Lowe Railway and the location of the present
day Mt. Lowe Campground. There are several web resources with
information on trails and fire roads used to access Inspiration
Point. A particularly comprehensive one can be found HERE. The Sierra Club Lower Peaks Section page for this peak
(in MS Word format) is HERE.
My
preferred routes are from Altadena via Echo Mountain using either
Sam Merrill Trail or Castle Canyon Trail. It's also possible to do
a "top-down" hike from Eaton Saddle near Mt.
Wilson.
Once
at Inspiration Point, use the Mt. Lowe Railway history signage to
locate the One Man and a Mule Railway rail bed, located just
next to the Castle Canyon trailhead. This is a nice, wide and flat
trail where Henry the Mule pushed the OM&MRR car to an overlook
above Eaton Canyon. Two routes to the cache site are
possible:
- Travel along OM&MRR rail bed until you see a trail
marker reading Muir Peak on the right. Continue up the short
climb to the summit.
- Or,
travel along the rail bed to the end – a wide spot where the
OM&MRR turned around for the return trip to Inspiration Point.
Climb up the south slope of Muir Peak to the summit. This is a
fairly steep, but short climb.
Once on the summit, you’ll see a rock cairn with the Sierra Club
Peak Register. Take a moment and sign in to register your visit to
the peak
The cache is fairly near the summit. You’ll be able to see the
post at the top from the hiding spot. Use the additional hint if
you get stumped. The cache container is a camouflaged tube about
6-inches long and is hidden from sight.
Since the cache container is a small and narrow, there's only
room for tiny trade items. Once you've made a trade or just signed
the log, please be sure that the lid is on light and that you
replace the container exactly as you found it, including the
items used to keep it out of sight.
Have fun!