Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Permit Pickup - Inyo National Forest

Interesting bits of history on all this:

Booz Allen Hamilton (a $7 Billion company) is doing okay: No, Rec.gov Doesn't Fund Public Lands

The government's view: The Recreation One Stop (R1S) interagency partnership

And somewhat off-topic, but
Is backcountry "gate-keeping" racist? : 5 Reasons Why You Should Keep Geotagging