That happens at other popular hiking spots too. In New Hampshire periodically visiting hikers decide to climb Mt. Washington without thinking carefully about how dangerous the weather conditions at higher elevations can be.
They set off in shorts with sneakers, totally unprepared for 40 degree temperatures with 65 MPH winds and condensing water vapor, or even snow or icing. Some lose their lives as a result.
Actually, that almost happened to me on a ridge trail to the summit of Mt Jefferson when I was a teenager hiking with a friend. It was fine at the base, and suddenly…it wasn’t fine anymore. Clouds came in and covered the rocky trail, the wind picked up, the temperature plunged, etc.
We managed to make it down but I was beginning to get hypothermia and I was disoriented, and my friend was so cold and stumbling that he could barely help. We squeezed together into one sleeping bag, covered ourselves with everything we had, and fortunately that and the fact that it was warmer at the base revived us.
Since then I’ve been careful and very obedient…needless to say, there were warning signs all along the trail, but teenagers never think warnings apply to them. Fortunately, I lived to tell about it. But many White Mountains hikers haven’t.