I was maybe 1/2 mile down the main trail from the summit when Mr Dao likely fell. I should have encountered him coming up as I was going down but I did not remember him clearly. The weather on the summit was beautiful. Sunny, warm, super clear and no wind with a very obvious way down to the main trail. I was thinking of going up the Mountaineering Route (MR) until I saw a post by here "Jeston" that described the "Easy Walk-Off" Traverse on the MR being "insanely sketchy". (The MR's final 400 climb is too technical for me and my dog). After further researching the posts in this forum, I dubbed the "Easy Walk-Off" as the "Easy Walk-Off of Death" (when not completely dry) and decided not to go anywhere near it. As demonstrated by my "Darwin Award" trip report, I am not so sure I would have been non-stupid enough to stop at the MR's Notch.
I think some temporary signs with wireless tracker device for retrieval/repositioning (e.g.
www.breadcrumbtech.com) may be a good idea when trails are covered in snow. Especially, to lessen trail switchback cutting when trails become partially uncovered.
