Questions... Do you think that I could submit multiple requests at 10 days a piece to span a month or two?
For clarification, you would need to submit that one lottery application with ten separate entry dates. (I assume they would be consecutive.) You would not submit an entry for a single ten-day trip.
Whatever date you "win" in the lottery, it is mandatory that you start your trip at the trail head on that date. Multi-day trips must start ON THE ENTRY date specified on the reservation. They cannot start on a later date that the trip covers.
And while I am writing, multi-day trips may be extended or shortened without any penalty or consequence. All you need to do is inform the staff when you pick up your actual permit. And even then, if you come out a day late, it does not matter (as long as friends or relatives don't start calling and reporting you missing.)
As for making changes to your reservation AFTER you have won a reservation in the lottery, if you want to switch from Day Hike to an Overnight (or the reverse), those changes would depend on quota space availability. Those changes would be treated as a cancellation (no refunds) and a new booking. And so beware!!! It would incur the $6 reservation fee
PLUS a new $15 per person fee. (I got that clarified... Inyo tried to prevent that but NRRS said no way.)
So make sure to get your entry dates AND the correct hike (Day hike or Overnight) right the first time when you make your lottery application.
I believe that you can only change the number of hikers on the permit without incurring an additional fee, and again it depends on space availability.
To stop hackers and scalpers, you will NOT be able to change trip leader or alternate leader name, and only those named people may pick up the permit.
