I had a similar issue of no permit and someone helped me out with a link to a great site. It shows the number of Overnight and Day Use permits available each month. Check it out and good luck!!
I'm hoping to get up there sometime the first week in September for just a Day Hike.
Ya - I checked there first and there aren't any available until the 19th so I was checking to see if someone was canceling or had room on their party. Thanks though