[pct-l] Mt. Whitney permit

[dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)]

There are two VERY different stickers for Mt. Whitney -- the one you get when you get a PCT permit, which allows you to summit from the PCT up Trail Pass, and the one you get if you want to go up the Whitney Portal Trail from the eastern side.  

The Whitney sticker you get from the PCTA is easy to obtain.  The Whitney Portal Trail permit is done by lottery in FEBRUARY each year.  You have to put in your application, and wait until some time March to find out if you got the permit.  Permits are not mailed out any longer -- you have to pick them up from the USFS office in Lone Pine.

Monty is correct -- if they are available, you can try to get an "uncollected" permit from USFS office (they sell the no-show's permits). 

My experience is that if you're approaching Whitney from the Portal Trail, from May to mid-October there WILL be a ranger along the way checking for both the correct permit and to check to see if you're carrying a bear cannister. We were turned back because we had the PCT permit w/Whitney sticker, and no bear can.  She said we were approaching from the wrong way.

Bottom line, traffic on the Whitney Portal Trail is closely controlled and monitored. 

-=Donna Saufley=-


-----Original Message-----
From: Monty Tam <metam01@earthlink.net>
Sent: Mar 22, 2005 7:30 AM
To: "medusaj@aol.com" <medusaj@aol.com>, pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: RE: [pct-l] Mt. Whitney permit

At Horseshoe Meadows hitch 25 miles into Lone Pine to the main street(395).
Turn right a few blocks.  Mt Whitney mural on your right.  Ranger Station
across the street.  Be first in line when they open and take your chances
on a cancellation.

Or, by this point a hiker has honed his scamming skills fulfilling 750 mile
of hiker needs and may choose to use them.  (What does that mean??)

Warner Springs Monty


> [Original Message]
> From: <medusaj@aol.com>
> To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Date: 3/22/2005 5:15:55 AM
> Subject: [pct-l] Mt. Whitney permit
>
> Okay, new question:
>  
> Does the list recommend buying a permit to climb Mount Whitney now?  We
haven't firmly decided to climb the mountain yet and would rather wait, but
it's on the little PCTA permit dealie.  Is there a way to buy the Whitney
permit closer to the mountain itself, when we have a better idea about
whether or not we want to hike it?
>  
> Marzipan
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l



_______________________________________________
pct-l mailing list
pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
unsubscribe or change options:
http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l