Permit check and leaving time...I've had my permit checked most of the trips up or down the MMWT. There is some ambiguity about about when you are able to start you day hike. Some here have been told by forest service personnel you can enter Whitney Zone at 12:01, while I have been told you have to leave the trailhead at 12:01.
Parking...It gets tight in Whitney Prime Time but we have always have found parking near the trailhead, usually in the overflow lot.
Rattlesnakes...In a dozen years of hiking I have seen more bears and bighorn Sheep than rattlers...the highest I've ever seen one is about 7,200'.
Camp Inside/Lone Pine...It depends on how you handle elevation. If you need to acclimatize it makes sense to spend a few days get used to it. At last check, that mean Whitney Portal or higher.
