What date/day of the week is it?
There are pretty much always unused permits available. I realize it is difficult to come from a distance without a sure permit reservation, but if you get there with a little time in advance, you can get the permit. You should spend two nights at altitude before doing a day hike to ensure nobody in your group suffers too much from the altitude.
Here's the link to the whitneyzone unused permits for 2016:
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/46223/Unused_Whitney_Permits_2016
