JB,
By no means would I describe DCHS as a muddy hole. All the hot pools themselves are pristine with no mud in them at all. The creek itself does have a substantial amount of mud on the bottom as a result of all the silt that washed in after the Willow fire and there has been no significant storm to wash it out. However the section you cross the creek has now cleared and is mostly sandy bottom.
As for the hike out, I have not been to More Mesa to be able to compare but it is a 930 foot climb over a two mile hike, so I would expect that it may be harder. Hope this helps.