"retaining its primeval character and influence"
"without permanent improvements or human habitation"
"imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable"
"outstanding opportunities for solitude"
How do permanent toilets fit into that?
How do 160 people a day fit into that?
Ken, the specially designated Whitney Zone is not typical "wilderness" as found in the hundreds of thousands of acres elsewhere in the high Sierra. For example, the permanent man made habitable stone masonry structure on the summit would have to be removed in order to comply. The Whitney Zone needs to be managed as a unique area under special regulations due to it's immense popularly.
The need for toilets has been recognized since the 1960's as a critical component of a responsible waste management program for this special use area. It's only recently that a different approach has been tried and the results are obvious. Hence this thread and all the discussion about how wag bags are not an effective stand-alone solution for 17,000 people climbing this trail every year.
That's not to say wag bags wouldn't be part of any comprehensive waste management program for an area like this. They are indeed good to have been toilets (as SoCalGirl described), for the summit section above trail camp, and in the winter. Bring all available tools to bear on this problem including solar toilets, wag bags, education, and more oversight.
Even if the permit numbers are scaled back, this will always be a heavily impacted area as people will come in from other trailheads or hike through illegally at night. People will not go away and neither will their waste. It needs to be managed.
