Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board The Annual Permit Yes or No Thread

So, I checked my Rec.gov this morning and I got my permit. Yes! Four of us leaving on Sept. 8 for a three day trip. Oh boy, nice...

"Congratulations! Your application to Mt Whitney Lottery 2015 was successful"

Yes, June 23!!

WooHoo! 5 of us this time on Tuesday Aug 25th! See you at the summit, the store or the Dow!

Hi OK as the permits are released some will not get picked, Don't stress as this is the first round, They will post the open dates for day hikes and overnight hikes, this opens another chance to apply. when all the dates are taken say to Oct 15, and forget the first 3 weeks of May unless you are ready for winter Mountaineering.Watch for dates to open during the Season.

Now if you can take a few days off drive to Lone Pine and check each day at the Visitors Center for permits turned back in , Monday Tuesday are your best chance, keep the group small and lean for a day permit. Some years the Fourth of July week is very light.

Now the campground will be booked quick , again forget the campground and use one of the walk in sites 28 at the trail head and many nights we will see less that 5 sites taken. This makes the trip smarter since you do not need to unload/ load and unload the day before your hike or the morning of the hike.

Bears will be hanging around waiting to grab your pack or food, Always make sure to clean your car and Make sure you latch the bear box. Parking is front row at the trail head 8-10 PM may be 1/2 mile or more at 3 AM again staying in the walk in puts you at the trail head and as day hikers come down move your car to the front row.

Rescues take hours and most often will not start until morning so bring a jacket and snacks.A very common event on Whitney is groups break up and leave members stranded then the core group wants to start a rescue for the missing hiker they left somewhere on the trail,See the problem no location , no reported injury and many times not a lot of details about the person because he/she was tagging along with a friend of a friend. BUT THEY MIGHT HAVE THE CAR KEYS!
Coming into the store and saying you have AAA will get you a tow very fast most will be less than 4 hours and may be only 30/ 45 minutes on the Phone explaining the address: Yes 13 miles west of Lone Pine no Fresno is not the closest town, No I don't have my membership it is locked in the car, 13 Miles west of Lone Pine. What is the cross street ? I am waiting at the Mount Whitney cafe in town I don't see your car in the Parking Lot. Oh that is your car my tow truck cannot get to it! It's a rental? you will need to call the rental company and they will send out a truck with a replacement vehicle in the morning. Bring two sets of keys. Never put the keys in the pack or jacket that then will end up in the trunk. Check you hoses belts and fluids before you leave home , If your car is about 10 years old the plastic parts in your cooling system may fail bring a newer car, if the car overheats turn off the A/C turn on the heater and gear down to keep the engine rpm higher and do not shut the car off unless it has a ruptured hose or broken belt , the cooling system is removing heat if the motor is running , shutting the engine off the stored heat may break those plastic parts above. If the thermostat is stuck closed your cooling system is done until it is replaced. 13 Miles west of Lone Pine, Another tip is bring a car you know GM /Ford/Dodge the last thing to bring is Saab/
Borgward with the 5 speed stick a Yugo or a car you special ordered with the added after market security that only the dealer can reset.
The hike is somewhat easy, go slow eat and drink at the rate you are losing liquid and energy, have a plan and it should be a great trip you can enjoy talking about for years . Women ask How can I get to the summit? Men tend to ask what is the fastest time? We have very few rescues for women.

Received my notice and will be heading up Jun 29th, solo one day hike! Been waiting a long time and am super stoked!

Received a negative for my permit request.

Don't they know who there messing with???

Crazy Jack

Likewise. Very strange - under the old system I was successful 100% of the time. Under the new system? 0%.

Happy days! I put in for four different dates - full moon dates through the summer and one came back - 31 July. Full moon, no headlight, love it!

I "won" a permit but on a single day where I mistakenly placed May 11 instead of Aug 11. Such a roller coaster of emotions of confusion from seeing "congratulations" in the e-mail, to seeing a weird date, to realizing what had happened. I am so sad now... As I am not from the US, this season is probably my only chance to climb Mt. Whitney.

You should not be discouraged... see Doug's message above... there should be walk-in permits available - get to the Lone Pine Visitor's Center early...

"We are sorry to inform you that your application to Mt Whitney Lottery 2015 was not successful."

Well, that kinda sucks. So, I guess beginning Apr 1st I have to persistently apply for my date in the hopes that the date w/ sometime open and I can grab it? Keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

Hiking in from the west along the High Sierra route. Any tips or advice to help my chances are greatly appreciated! Thnx!

Ooch

Nope. Arrgh.

On second thought they do know who there messing with, that's why there messing with me!!!!

I put in many different dates and did not get any of them. Last year I did my first summit as a one day hike. Never been at altitude and it was a grueling 22 hrs but I can say I climbed the highest peak in the lower 48 in ONE day! LOL
So this year I wanted to go back so I could actually enjoy the climb and camp overnight on the mountain and take a few friends with me to experience this awesomeness.
So I am hoping I can land a date April 1st. I guess because I have 5 in our group trying to get 2 overnight passes is not very favorable in to lottery?

Well, If Crazy Jack couldn't even get a permit, I guess I don't feel quite as dejected over my denial! Really wanted to do my 20th climb for my 70th birthday last summer. Didn't get a permit. So, figured I'd do the 20th for my 71st birthday this summer. I guess not. Is somebody trying to tell me old ladies shouldn't be climbing mountains?

A new rule suggestion...
As soon as you're eligible for that cheap National Parks Pass, you should be granted an exemption from the Permit System... I wouldn't mind seeing the back country overrun with old people.

Daooch - going over Kearsarge Pass and exiting at Whitney is a nice hike...
Go to Recreation.gov or call for reservations (up to 6 months in advance), but be aware besides getting the permit to enter Inyo at Kearsarge, you also need a permit for exiting the Whitney zone...

Don't give up yet Randuf. Check on April 1 and May 1 for permits.

For me sometimes it's harder to get the permit then doing the hike!!
I actually agree with Richard on this one. Us senior citizens should get a break. Even hikers that live in Maryland should get the same.

I was thinking of moving to Pearsonville.