Joe, I was thinking about this just yesterday. I can't a find fault with your post.
I would suggest to the hiking/Whitney noob to read every thing they can about hiking and the MMWT so there will not be many surprises on the their big day on the mountain. To me, the only thing that really surprised me was how much upper part this trail beats the living crap out of you body. From the Mirror Lake to the summit and back you are on uneven granite and it just wears you down. Every time I return from the summit I can't wait to pass the Mirror Lake outlet stream.
Many plan for this day hike as a day hike. The problem is if they get stuck out up on the Sierra Crest overnight they may put their life at risk...yes, people die here. My one firm fast rule for day hiking is have enough clothing to spend the night at the highest location I going, not comfortably but to insure survival. At Mt. Whitney in the summer, this can be less the ten degrees and 30 MPH winds...50* F and no winds, I've seen both. Therefore, you need a pack that will accommodate up 10 pounds of water and sufficient clothing. Yes, I have utilized 5 quarts for the Trail Camp round trip to the summit...one nice just above freezing day in May, usually between 3 and 4 quarts for this trip.
