>>>>". If you have never been up on the summit when the trail/talus is covered by snow, then it would make sense to question how anyone could possibly get lost. However, when there is snow, there are dozens of separate snow tracks as each individual climber/hiker makes their own path. It's only when you get off the summit block that a consistent trail begins to consolidate, but ever then there can be variations until the main trail really (re)establishes itself further down by the needles."

I have summitted Whitney more than 20 times using various routes, mostly the trail and the MR, but also the E. Face and the E. Buttress. I was on Whitney four days prior to Ling Dao's ascent. Above it is implied that it would NOT make sense to question how someone could get lost if you have been there when there is snow. Well, like I said, I was just up there in the snow a few days prior to Ling Dao, and I think this has it backwards. It would have been more difficult to get get lost.

There was a very prominent boot track (essentially a well-trafficked and very obvious trail, that went south). It would have been very difficult for any person in the presence of their mind to confuse the other isolated footprints going to the Final 400 or the walk-off traverse for the main trail.

Also, the main snow trail in use did not jog west to like the official constructed trail does. The official constructed trail takes you quite a ways towards the walk-off traverse, but was buried in the snow, and was not the way most people were going.

As to the other points:

From posts I read, I got the impression that maybe Ling had been intending to go up the MR all along but had missed the turn-off in the dark. If that was the case, it would make more sense for him to want to go down that way.

And while going up the MR and down the trail is more common, this is especially in summer conditions and especially among the "we have to save our knees crowd" (hey, there is no shame--I am car-carrying member :-). Hiking down the talus is hard on the knees, and so a lot of people opt to take the gentler trail. But in current conditions (with the talus covered with snow), I think it makes a lot of sense to down the MR. You can avoid the traversing trail (which has a lot of sketchy sections right now) and get a lot of glissading in. After going down the trail, we were somewhat regretting not going back down the MR.

Nobody is jogging down the main trail right now--at least not until they get past Lone Pine Lake. (Like you said, jogging is for when the trail is dry.) The MR is the fastest, and most direct way down right now.

And as a marathon runner, I expect Ling was not part of the "save your knees" crowd.

Regarding going solo: Having partners definitely increases the margin of safety. Agreed. You have more people looking out for you. If you get hurt or have trouble, your buddies can help. If you start going the wrong way, hopefully one of your buddies has been more attentive and corrects your mistake.

But unless you are roped, the actual amount of safety you get from being part of a team on a snow/ice slope like this is illusory. People might *feel* safer because there are other people there with them, doing what they are doing, but essentially, absent a rope, when you are on a slope like this you are doing an unroped solo.

For better or worse, I have gone on many solo trips, and it would not bother me that it was a peak that I had not been up before. (If I encounter conditions I am not comfortable continuing solo on, I will simply turn around. No big deal.)

I agree this is not the FS's fault. If we make it their responsibility, they'd have to just shut down the mountain.

I would be fine with a sign being added with an arrow. But I don't expect it to stop accidents like this. I suspect that Ling knew where he was going. As to Eric, well maybe... With his gear near Trail Camp, he would want to go back that way. But at some point soon after leaving the trail, he must have realized that he was NOT in Kansas anymore and going down a different route from how he had come up.

Something we haven't discussed yet. A lot of people like shortcuts, especially going downhill. Look at all the use trails cutting switchbacks, including those in places were you can't even see the trail down below. Who knows why he went down that way. But it is possible he thought he was on a shortcut.