[pct-l] confusion over climbing Whitney:clarification

[Gary Wright]

Note to PCTA:  This is a copy of an ongoing discussion on PCT-L, perhaps
you can comment?

On Jan 17, 2007, at 1:38 PM, kmurray at pol.net wrote:
> Actually, I *am* a wilderness ranger, and I promise I won't cite you!
>
> I'm also involved in giving a series of seminars on this exact  
> topic at
> A-16 stores starting tonite, and I'd vetted this through the USFS  
> people
> on the Inyo.
>
> HOWEVER, just to make ABSOLUTELY sure, I called and spoke to the
> wilderness permit office this morning, and confirmed that for PCT  
> through
> hikers that start outside the Inyo National Forest, you DO NOT NEED  
> any
> additional permit if you decide, on the spot, that you want to climb
> Whitney.....as long as you DO NOT cross Trail Crest. If a person  
> wanted to
> resupply at Whitney Portal, you would need the exit permit, and
> significant numbers of people do that, and that may be why the PCTA
> includes that.

Bureaucrats surely can make things complicated.  The conversation you  
had
with the wilderness permit office certainly doesn't agree with any of  
the
information on the Inyo National Forest web site.  For what it is worth
here is my amateur interpretation:

1) You must have a Wilderness Permit for overnights the Inyo National  
Forest
    -- the PCTA thru-hiker permit takes care of this

2) You must have a "Mt. Whitney Zone" sticker ($15) if you *enter*
    the "Mt. Whitney Zone" (day hike, overnight, from any trail)
    -- you can ask the PCTA to add this to your thru-hiker permit
    -- PCT is not in the zone, which starts east of Crabtree Meadows
    -- see map: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/ 
zonelarge.shtml
    -- see permit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/ 
applications/Wilderness_Permit_Application_2006.pdf

3) You don't need a Trail Crest exit permit.
    -- only trail with an exit quota *but* it doesn't apply for hikes  
that
       originate in Yosemite or Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
       Which is sorta, kinda, what a thru-hiker is doing.
    -- see: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/ 
whitneylottery.shtml

4) You don't need a Mt. Whitney Trail permit.
    -- thru hikers are not starting their trip on the Mt. Whitney Trail
    -- if you exit and enter within 24 hours (via Mt. Whitney Trail)  
you are
       still on a contiguous trip, so you can resupply via Whitney  
Portal
       without a problem.
    -- see: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/ 
whitneylottery.shtml

I can see no information at all that indicates that *any* type of  
hiker is
exempt from the Whitney Zone fee.  I'd be really curious as to the  
reasoning
the permit office gave you for saying that thru-hikers were excluded  
from
that fee.

My logic re: the Trail Crest exit permit is a bit strained but it  
would seem
to be in concert with the spirit if not the letter of the law/ 
regulations.
An alternate interpretation would be that the PCTA $15 Whitney Zone  
Permit
implicitly includes Trail Crest exit permit.

Gary Wright (Radar)