It is easy to lose the trail, especially in the dark in that area.
I always have a tough time reading about fast hikers taking off and leaving their slowest members on the mountain. Maybe these hikers did that often, but it just doesn't make sense. Doug at the Portal Store gets hundreds of people wandering in worrying about the people they left back up on the trail. In the "bad" memories I have had while hiking all involve hikers leaving the slowest behind.
