Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion opinions and reviews on the guided hikes?

brh: The walkin permit process is explained in box 6 of the Wilderness Permit Options link above on the left. It's titled No-Fee options because walk-in permits are free.

Nobody else can get them for you, and you get them same day or day before the start of your hike.

The Unused Permits are numbers after ALL the walk-in requests have been processed. If you are there early in the window, your chances are far better than the numbers indicate. And do understand, the no-shows and cancellations sprinkle in through the day as reservation holders come in and pick up their permit, but drop off a slot or two because of members in their party cancelling. So checking for availability multiple times in the time window would ensure your success.