Ken, I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote, and I do understand the difficult nature of trying to add any man-made improvement in the USFS's domain. The interminable wag bag vs solar toilet debate is an excellent example of the uphill battle here. Signage on the MWMT is, as best I can recall, currently limited to designations, trail junctions, and regulatory postings. What jumps out at me, though, is the cables themselves. This is an artificial device installed to promote safe passage in an area recognized for its dangerous conditions.

I don't know the history of the cables construction, and I'm certainly not equating the dangers of that area with the Mirror Lake slabs, but it brings to mind the concept of precedence in safety management on the trail. It's a known trouble spot and a reactive effort was made to improve safety by installing them. We've now had two consecutive years when hikers have (apparently) gone over the edge at the ML slabs, resulting in a serious injury and a fatality. A possible third event in the past few years is tickling the back of my mind, but I can't put details to it - maybe someone else can. It makes me wonder at what level of incidence it becomes reasonable - possibly incumbent on the FS - to do something to prevent more accidents from occurring in the area.