Axeman you are right about MW not really being back country.
wbtravis put it best on his website when he said the "MWMT is not a wilderness experience."
Never the less there is something really special about the Whitney Zone for some of us.
I have packed into some really pristine areas and I would still carry my cell phone anyways for some strange chance that it might help in an emergency.
And I still hate cell phones in the city.