The Whitney lottery and all of its nuances, such as being able to turn passes back in and make them available to walk-ups seems to be a well rounded approach to handling a limited resource.
The Half-Dome on-line permit process seems to be a poor approach to resource management. I believe it is a distinct disadvantage to many. I know in my case I was tied up in meetings during the first round and when I was able to break away in the afternoon the permits were long gone. Also, I suspect many permits will end up going completely unused. Recycling permits that will not be used requires the pass holder to proactively free them up on-line. Where as the current Whitney lottery has a built in fail safe that makes unclaimed permits available.
I sure hope that when the Whitney Lottery goes on-line next year it preserves the flavor of the existing lottery. I think if the same submission dates were kept and the random selection and allocation process were done by computer then we would all hear the results much sooner. This would sure help out in planning time off from work and coordinating other permit situations like the Grand Canyon. I also have a few friends that are hopelessly computer illiterate, but love to hike. A totally on-line system for permits puts these people at a disadvantage too. Keeping the same time window and allowing mailed applications that could be scanned in I think might be a good compromise. I'm sure most hikers will opt to apply on-line and this will help reduce the burden on the rangers and staff.
I missed getting a permit this year through the Whitney Lottery and congratulate all those who were successful. I also think the rangers and staff should be applauded for all the hard work they put into the lottery process. Obtaining two permits for Half Dome on April 1 certainly made my day. Now I am going to just show up at Inyo and cross my fingers on getting a permit to do Whitney.
Good luck to all
