Ok, as we draw to the end of the season, perhaps it's time to think about this a bit.
CLEARLY, the general public simply does not understand what they are getting into when they step onto the trail leading up to Half-Dome, particularly if they are otherwise somewhat fit enough to get up there.
They do NOT have "trail judgement", or what we in the hiking community consider "common sense".
Before the permit system, we saw people load up the cables insanely. After the permit system, they go up no matter what the weather, because it is so hard to get a permit, and they have "summit fever". We see that at Whitney.
Look at the two educational websites for Whitney. What equivalent is there for the HD trail?
I advocate that the current system with the permits is lacking, and what existed before didn't work, either. I'm talking about educating the hikers as to the dangers and the realities. Should there be a kiosk at the bottom like at the portal? Would that help? Would a robust website that one has to go through to get a permit? I don't know.
How many deaths/911 calls is it going to take to do somthing different, Park Einsteins?
This is where a community advisory group would be a good way to go, I'd think.
