I can't help with the ride or shuttle, but if you have a wilderness permit you already have a place to pitch a tent in the Valley.
The wilderness permit campground.
When you get a wilderness permit you're entitled to stay the night before and the night after the permit in one of the wilderness permit campgrounds in the park for $5 a night a person.
In the Valley you can park in the wilderness permit/trailhead parking between Curry and Happy Isles, bearproof your car by putting fragrent things in the nearby bearboxes, and hike over to the wilderness permit campground which is across Tenaya Creak from North Pines campground.
Be EXTRA carefull in bearproofing the car!
Last edited by Joel M. Baldwin; 06/02/09 05:58 PM. Reason: add $5 comment