Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Is permit office open if government is "shutdown"

Yep: On USFS, feds are just the landowners, like anyone else, and fish & game is all State. Additional fed regs may apply, such as designating catch&release areas, but feds cant permit more than what state laws restrict. Not clear whether state enforcement employees can be in wilderness without a wilderness permit, but they probably have some kind of blanket permit rather than for individual trips

http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/...l-forests/?_r=0

EDIT: So the impression I get from reading this article is that things are now like they are during the "off-season." Self-issue yourself a permit like you would if the IAVC was closed in winter and you're good to go...

Maybe Doug should have some of those "carbon copy" permit forms up at the WPS...

Has anyone checked to see if they actually have self-issue forms sitting out by the kiosk? We had a permit for another area / another entry in INYO forest on a trail this weekend. I realize a reservation is not a permit, but we are still planning to go backpacking. It doesn't sound like the trailheads are closed, though I'm told everything else (bathrooms, campgrounds, etc) are.

Anyone notice if bear boxes have all been locked?

Bear boxes were unlocked on Sunday. Enjoy your trip! Looks like winter is here!