Signage isn’t the solution . Personal responsibility is.
Personal responsibility includes situational awareness, contingency planning and risk assessment/mitigation.
On the other hand, look at it this way: Mr. Alderman was hiking with a partner, who was obviously faster. He was just following, and in that mode, people sometimes don't pay any attention other than trying to keep up with that figure in front of them. He finally made it to the top, but you can imagine how wiped out he was, leaving the summit over 12 hours after he started from Whitney Portal. Then starting down, the partner figures he can just find his way down, and leaves him in the dust. Night is falling, and it is storming. He is stumbling along, and comes to that junction. Thinking "it's all downhill", it's actually easier just to keep descending. ...into near disaster.
Some of the personal responsibility lies on the partner that abandoned him leaving the summit. Two people descending can help each other make better decisions. There are so many instances of a slower hiker left behind and getting into trouble.
I can never understand why faster hikers leave slower ones behind. Sure, they can feel good sailing along. Problem is, if anything happens to the slower one, the one in front becomes a useless idiot.
