I did that section from the west side in 2018. It makes FAR more sense from the west side. And permits are usually available and easy. Transportation is the big issue. You don't say where you are from or how you are getting to the trail though, so here are the options:
1) Drive to VVR over Kaiser Pass. This is a long adventure no matter where you are. The final 20-25 miles are rough, but regular cars can do it as long as they don't have low ground clearance. But the higher your ground clearance the better.? It takes at least an hour to do the final stretch from where the road narrows. I go to VVR often, and when I decided I needed a new car I took Kaiser Pass into account and bought a Subaru Outback, which is the perfect car for that road.
2) Contact High Sierra Shuttle (via VVR's web site) and arrange for a shuttle from Fresno. Cost varies depending on how many people are on that route that day, but if you're the only passenger it will be about $230.
Once you are at VVR, you can get to the trail by hiking about 7 miles, or by? taking the ferry to the other end of Lake Edison and then hiking an additional 2 miles. There is a great campsite near the ferry landing, on the lake, with a picnic table and large fire ring and bear boxes.? In addition, there are some great tent sites near the JMT junction, just across the Mono Creek bridge. The VVR ferry runs twice a day, (roughly speaking) after breakfast and before dinner.
You end this JMT section approximately at Muir Trail Ranch. From there, it's a 5 mile hike to the east shore of Florence Lake. You have options here too. You can hike another 5 miles around the lake, or you can take the Florence Lake Ferry, which runs many times per day.? Their web site is down at the moment so I can't see the options. There's also a phone at the landing where you can call for pick up.
Once you get to the Florence Lake landing, you can get picked up to go back to VVR by the High Sierra Shuttle. You have to arrange for that, so bring your garmin and have their contact info in it. They make at least one run a day to Florence as long as they know you are there.
So bottom line, it costs some money, but by using the shuttle and the ferries you can cut down your extraneous hiking down to about 7 miles total.
