Welcome, nlafonta5.
Look at last year's
Unused Permits page. Then, scroll down the page near the bottom, for a new set of numbers. That post has extra columns. Look at the second weekend in August, and see just how many No-Shows (the "NS" column) there were, especially day hikers. All you have to do is be at the permit office (the Visitor Center in Lone Pine) at 2 PM (day before the hike) when all those no-shows become available.
Please call ahead, and ask though: A year or two back, they were estimating no-shows and making them available at 11 AM (instead of 2 PM) the day before the hike day. The VC phone number is: 760-876-6222
Good luck, and I hope the smoke clears before you hike.
