Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Isn't today lottery mail day? How come no posts on

wishing everyone good luck. Well, let me the first- Best of Luck to All, and may all get what they ask for. See you on the top.

Hey,
You can't get any postmarks today, since it is Sunday. Everything is delayed a day or two this year. Just be patient.

Have Fun.

My permit form is being mailed tomorrow.

You are right Fred. I'm just so excited about the possiblity of getting back on the mountain.

I did not apply last year so I did not look at the application but understood that in 2008 the North Fork (Mountaineer's Route) required a permit for a day hike and fell under the lottery. This year I read under "These Trips to Mt Whitney are NOT reserved by the Lottery" * Overnight trips via the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek are NOT in lottery (access to Mountaineers Route, East Face/Buttress routes) *. Did they finally wake up and come to their senses or was I wrong that last year you had to have a permit through the lottery for the North Fork for a day or overnight stay? It looks like a day hike past Lower Boy Scout will still require a permit per the first line under "These Trips to Mt Whitney...." Is this the same as last year or not?

No,overnight permits on the North Fork have always (since quotas were imposed) had a limit of 10 entries per day with 6 of those reservable 6 months in advance.

It is only the dayhike entries, not overnight, that were thrown into the dayhike lottery last year, and that continues this year.

There is no change from last year.

I think I'll drop off my app this afternoon... save a stamp...

Go ahead.. rub it in...

I'm getting ready to send in my first ever Lottery application! I can't decide if I want to spend one night on the trail, or take may time and prolong the experience with two nights. My questions is... if I apply for two nights, but end up exiting after only one night on the trail is this acceptable?

The only thing your reservation gives you is the permit to enter on a specific day and spending the first night. It does not matter whether you plan to stay one night or a whole week -- either plan would count as a single slot in the lottery.

They use whatever number of nights you expect to stay for statistical purposes, but it does not affect your lottery chances at all.

Just put down that you are staying two nights, but it does not matter if your plans change while you are on the trail.

Good luck in the lottery!

See Note 3 at the bottom of Wilderness Permit Options. The main requirement in your case is that you exit within the 14-day window. The Forest Service will request you to record your actual dates on your permit sheet and mail the sheet back to them for statistical purposes.