Does Mt. Whitney get more than it's share of stupid hikers? No; plenty all over the Eastern Sierra. We see them on all
our heavily travelled trails.
Previous posts are correct in saying that education, more warning signs, safer trails are not going to prevent stupid, careless actions by individuals.
Arizona has been considering a "stupid hiker" law, aimed at people who fail to adequately prepare themselves before venturing into the Arizona deserts and mountains, and subsequently have to be rescued.
http://www.theinertia.com/mountain/arizona-proposes-a-stupid-hiker-law/Sound like a good idea? What think we?
Some alpine countries in Europe require rescue insurance, in order to cover the cost of rescued, without which it can be very expensive to those rescued or to their families.
Then a question: how many rescued hikers and/or climbers to you think could be willing to pay the bill for their own rescue? In my previous SAR experience...no very many.
