This is a very difficult trail to go off track for any significant distance.
Except for the "I'm going downhill" syndrome which has led exhausted hikers approaching Trail Crest on the return leg to head for Guitar Lake.
Yeah, there is that. Good point, wagga.
Manson, after you summit and are returning to the trailhead, do NOT take the John Muir Trail fork to the right. This junction is well-marked and is about 2 miles down from the summit, but a number of exhausted or altitude-addled hikers have made a wrong turn on this trail over the years, and wound up deeper in the Sierra and often in trouble by the time they realize their error.
This happens because continuing on the MMWT requires you to go
up for a few hundred yards while continuing directly ahead, while the JMT continues downward toward the Sierra interior. Exhausted or AMS-stricken folks want to go
down, and seem to forget there's some uphill to deal with on the descent. Darkness can play a factor as well.
Just remember - you have to go
up to get back to Trail Crest and continue down Whitney. If you find yourself heading down towards some pretty lakes in a wide basin, you're day's about to take a turn for the worse.
