FWIW - here's a snippet from a friend's email who hiked in the Flattop area yesterday. (Personally, if I was planning a hike up there in the near future, I'd call the Inyo Couty Hwy Dept)
"While waiting for the rest of the crew a the roadhead I watched the tragicomedy of the government shutdown unfold. A Forest Service enforcement ranger made a pass through the parking area in his marked pickup and looked me over a bit, probably looking for unsecured food in vehicles. Later another (maybe the same one) stopped and posted formidable looking form letters, effective October 3, on the doors of the vault toilet warning all USFS facilities are closed, but he also placed new TP inside. None of us photographed the form letter; would have been a classic. These doors have no locks. Rumor has it that USFS and BLM facilities that can be locked are, and that some forest, national park, and BLM roads are being barricaded. Heading down we noted that a single, small barricade had been placed over the road centerline with a closure note a short distance below the roadhead facilities."
