I easily got a permit last year for Duck Pass to Cottonwood pass, and when I booked there were still other entry trails available through Inyo.? It was totally worth it, as opposed to sitting and playing lotteries trying to get the exact?starting point of the JMT.? It's not like there's a prize or your name goes in a book for doing the actual JMT. It took a while for me to get my head around that too, because of the wanting of *the* whole trail. Finally tired of waiting, I booked what I could and just got out there and so glad I did.
That said, i'm still waiting to get a Grand Canyon wilderness permit!
Granola