I've mentioned before, I did a trip out of Mammoth/Purple Lake area a few years back, after leaving Purple Lake where I stayed my first night, I saw no one for 4 days, but once back on the JMT, I saw 20 people within an hour by Horse Heaven. With that said, on my just completed trip into Desolation, the first mile into Eagle Lake, I saw 40 people. Beyond that, they thinned out pretty quickly. More surprising, was the lack of trash, but some tp by Susie Lake and illegal campfires.
Duane