Thanks for this excellent site and most helpful forum. I will be in Lone Pine the weekend of 8/25-26 for a bike race and am hoping to hike Whitney on the following Monday or Tuesday, but do not currently have a permit of course. Do I gather correctly that I should have a very good chance of securing a permit if I try on Monday and Tuesday if needed?

I assume the times given with regard to securing a permit are for the previous day, right? E.g. 11am on a Sunday to get a permit to hike on a Monday? Is this office open on Sunday and if so what hours?

Thanks much for any info.

On another note, one day of the bike race we'll be riding to Horseshoe Meadows and the other to Whitney Portal. Won't be spending a ton of time at altitude but will certainly be working hard, any thoughts as to how this might serve for acclimatization? I'm a very fit 29 y.o male who lives at sea level.