The 3 day trip was what I was planning on. I figured two days to Crabtree and then up to Whitney early in the morning on day three, exiting Trail Crest. I was going to line up a shuttle to pick us up at the Portal and take us to Horseshoe- thus leaving our car where we'd be in the end. Then, when I was on the phone with the permit office, and found out that we weren't getting the Trail Crest exit permit, I scrambled and added a day to our trip. But then I realized the hike in was much further than from Crabtree to the Portal, so that difference might put some of my friends off of this trip.
When we get to the VC I am definitely going to try to get permits as a walk up. Plan B is to get the permits for the MWT on the fourth day of our trip. We goof around for 3 days in the General vicinity of where we were already going (Rock Creek, etc.), and then we can come down and do the MWT early in the morning on the fourth day. Ahh, the best laid plans of...;-)
