RichardK, occasionally, the desk rangers in Lone Pine give people a different story than we get from other staff in Inyo National Forest. I think your experience is an example.
I've been told by the Wilderness Permit staff -- the ones who answer the phones in the Wilderness Permit office -- that it's ok to hike up to Lone Pine Lake, no matter what the time of day, without a permit. That "no-permit-required" rule would surely override what the desk rangers tell people.
