I've made 8 phone calls (following up on one email to Inyo NF) about this and been bounced from FS to eastern sierra regional office to recreation.gov (3 different places) back to Inyo FS HQ and then to Lone Pine FS.? I STILL do not have an answer.? Maybe the wise people on this listserv can help.?
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I want a permit to enter Mono Pass trail at Mosquito Flat and exit Whitney.? I'm playing around on Recreation.gov now to get ready for the actual dates I want so I can do it within a nanosecond of 7 AM Pacific time. ? I've found that most days the entire quota (12) for that trailhead is for just backpacking and NOT for exiting at Whitney.? Not sure how many should be set aside for Whitney exit but it looks like none most days.? Oddly enough, there are some NRs (not released) and some zeroes in that row going back in time.? Clearly operator error.?
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I've tried to verify that
???? a) one is allowed to enter at Mono Pass and exit at Whitney (answer today:? yes that is allowed if you have the permit)
???? b) there should be permits on recreation.gov to do this.?
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There appears to be a major disconnect between FS and recreation.gov.? None of the responsible government agencies appears to be able to get recreation.gov, a contractor, to correct the website.? No one who answers the phone at recreation.gov has any idea what I'm talking about or can help and they pass me on to the next clueless person (or in one case a dead line).? The FS guys know very well that the website is failing but they can't do anything about it.?
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So I asked a FS ranger in Lone Pine today what to do. Based on his advise, here's my plan of action.?
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???? First I'm going to call early tomorrow morning to talk to another ranger in Lone Pine who today's ranger told me might know more.?
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???? Second, I will continue trying to get a Whitney exit permit on recreation.gov.?
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???? Third, when I'm hitting the end of my starting window, if I can't get a Mono/Whitney pass, I'm going to get the regular Mono backpacking pass .
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???? Fourth,? if I fail to get a Mono/Whitney permit 6 months out, I'll try for a last minute (nee "walk up") permit two weeks before .?
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???? Fifth, if I still can't get a Mono/Whitney pass, I'll bring my Mono Pass backpacking permit to the FS office in Mammoth Lakes and grovel, tell them my sad story and hope they give me a Whitney exit permit;
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???? Finally, if that fails, I guess I'll have to add three days onto my journey, and, after summiting Whitney, hike south to Horseshoe Meadows, where, I was told, I can exit to Lone Pine (true?)? . ? OR I could risk getting a $1000 fine by exiting Whitney without a permit but doing so at night because the rangers leave at 6 PM.?
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Any other solutions out there?? Does anyone have any insight as to how to get recreation.gov to correct its website?? I do NOT want to exit on the Western side because it's too hard to get back to civilization.?
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Thanks
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Judy McGuire
