Ace, Anton, Bob, and others sometimes seem more interested in winning a point than getting the facts right or finding reasonable consensus. (BTW, is ace a reincarnation of Burchy?)
As I understand it, the USFS has closed all facilities except trailheads, and SEKI is closed, period. I’m sure the road to Whitney Portal is gaited at around 6,500’. If that is right, I can’t see why a local (or a tourist from L.A.) couldn’t legally park at 6,500’, hike up the road, and climb the East Face of Whitney to the summit. Getting back down without crossing into SEKI would be challenging, since the Final 400 is a few feet inside SEKI, but it’s possible. However, the chance of encountering a ranger on the summit, let alone one that would write you a ticket for downclimbing the Final 400, is zero.
I’m assuming that, since the trailheads are open, you can still get a self-issue permit. If not, I’m sure that there are young studs (both local and otherwise) that could do what I described in a day.
I understand the locals not wanting tourists spreading COVID-19 and overwhelming the tiny local hospitals or getting into trouble in the backcountry and overwhelming the SAR teams. The locals clearly want the tourists to stay home. What I don’t know is whether the locals are following the same rules and staying home themselves. Or are they playing outside as usual, now that the tourists are staying home. Remember, the rules apply to everybody, or they apply to nobody.
Legal or not, I think that traveling to Mammoth/Bishop/Lone Pine right now constitutes “being a dick”, and I won’t do it.
