Originally Posted By: wbtravis
Saltydog,

What dangers are there on the MMWT that are out of the ordinary? I hike trails all the time where rockfall is an issue, with exposure and risk of AMS for me starts at 7,500'. During the three seasons, I have not experienced any pucker moments on this trail.

There is a certain measure of safety with there being upwards of 200-250 people on the trail any given time...all permits and routes considered. To hike solo here, you must set limits. I always list mine when I suggest someone go among the masses.


Aha! First "out of the ordinary" makes no difference: they are there, and none of the discussion I have seen assumes or depends on any of the dangers being out of the ordinary - for a climb of over 6000 feet in the Sierra. But what IS out of the ordinary - unique in fact - is that 6000+ gain, combined with the highest possible elevation in the Sierra. That creates a much higher risk of things like AMS and exhaustion. Add to that its accessibility and wide notoriety, and the fact that it is all class I trail. As anyone descending on a summer day can attest, all this attracts an extraordinary number of obviously unprepared visitors. 200 other people on the trail didn't mean a thing in any of the fatalities I am aware of. 2 or 3 a year among 20,000? Doesn't sound like much until you compare it with Yosemite, yahoo central all summer, which gets 5 or ten in an average year out of 4 million visitors and a lot more wilderness miles than MW. And that includes the big walls and idiots playing around waterfalls.


Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!