I am planning to do Whitney this July but our group was unsuccessful in getting permits in the lotto. I have been told I can probably get a permit the day of our hike if we just show up. We are shooting to start the hike on a Thursday and there are only 3 of us in the group.
Does anyone have experience getting walk-up permits? If we show up Thursday morning, would we potentially be able to get a permit for that day? Or would it be for Friday? Are these just "day-use” only permits or can we take 2 days to complete the climb?
Lastly, if we are unsuccessful at getting permits on site, can anyone recommend other good hikes nearby that we could have as a backup plan?
Thanks!