Walter A. "Pete" Starr Jr. (1903–1933) was an American lawyer and mountain climber. A graduate of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, Starr was a respected lawyer in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, but he is better known for his abilities as a mountain climber and an explorer of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

. Starr was well known for his hiking ability in the mountains, sometimes walking up to 50 miles a day for several days in a row. Starr was a life member of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

. In August 1933, he failed to return from a month-long hike in the

Minarets A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

. The search that followed, which led to the eventual discovery of his body by Norman Clyde, is one of the most dramatic true tales of the Sierra exploration. His body was buried where it was found. Starr's final notes were compiled and edited by his father into "Starr’s Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region" which was published a year after his death by the

. This book has been edited and revised many times and served hikers and climbers for many years as the standard reference to the trails of the Sierra. A revised version is currently available. Walter Starr is the namesake of Mount Starr in the Sierra Nevada.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Walter A. Jr. 1903 births 1933 deaths American mountain climbers Sierra Club people Stanford University alumni Sierra Nevada (United States) Mountaineering deaths Sports deaths in California