I am curious as well..if only to make sure I take extra precautions. Already I am telling myself GO LEFT, GO LEFT at the granite slabs when Mirror Lake comes into view!!! People keep telling me the trail is like a freeway, just follow the trail. You can't go wrong. Well, that is evidently not completely correct.
tollermom, it sounds like you're prepping for your first attempt of Whitney? Don't be overly concerned for your own hike due to this tragedy. We'll likely never know the circumstances that led to John's fall, but the Whitney Trail truly is like a freeway over most of the 11 miles. There are areas where a little extra caution is appropriate, but not that many. I think most of us focused on these slabs because of personal experience in losing the trail for a minute while descending. Much of the trail above timberline is granite that has been reworked into steps, staircases, paths and corridors, and is generally easy to follow if you're paying attention - or following the summer conga line.
However, in this section of the slabs above ML the trail can become faint, and does have a few sharp lefts that can be missed (again, descending - ascent is really not tricky). In daylight, no biggie - you realize you're on a slab that seems to be going nowhere (except progressively steeper downward) and you backtrack a bit till you pick the trail up again. In darkness or other limited visibility conditions, it can become more serious. Hypoxic difficulties can complicate the situation as well. Best advice - don't descend in the dark if you can avoid it. But remember, thousands upon thousands of people of all skill levels safely get up and down this mountain each year. Serious accidents are rare for the volume the trail carries - statistically near zero.
Study a Whitney trail map before your trip, carry the appropriate gear, pay attention to the trail, exercise due caution, and enjoy the experience.
