As a side issue, that sign to Whitney Portal is a problem. Seems like it should be on the same panel as the Crabtree R.S. sign, but pointing the opposite direction.
I am putting the finishing touches on a joint letter to SEKI and the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, urging that the sign be fixed or replaced. To SEKI because they own the property, and to Inyo because that is where the missing person report is filed.
Those who are reported - with the lady on July 19/20 being the latest example - are people we hear about. Happens several times a year. But they are only the tip of the iceberg. How many hikers have started down the JMT at that point, and been turned around quickly (or nor so quickly) by others? I have corrected quite a few myself, including three times members of my own party who happened to be ahead of me at the time. All had ascended the Mountaineer's Route and had not been on this trail before.
If you're near that intersection and see someone heading to Guitar Lake with only a daypack, give them a shout. You might save them some unnecessary mileage, to say nothing of an uncomfortable night.
