Yikes. That does seem like a draconian shift. I interpret this to mean that all SB JMT hikers who do not land a permit to exit at Whitney Portal would now have to descend the east side of Whitney and head north or south to a different exit, right?
As for the rule against PCT hikers camping above "Crabtee", Ranger Rob was already enforcing that rule when I passed through from Cottonwood Lakes to the portal back in 2016. Oddly, when I did the same hike in 2018, the rule was not being enforced and everywhere from Guitar Lake to the upper tairns was swamped.
