snip....
Do I have to stay at the campsite I pick even if I'm say way ahead of schedule or obviously if I am behind? Or is it just a rough schedule so they know the route I am taking? Sorry for the Sierra noob questions. Really thankful for this forum.
You do not need to stay at the campsites you put on your permit. When I did my
Cottonwood Pass/ Whitney/ Crabtree Basin loop I spoke to a Ranger at the Visitor Center and asked that exact question as I didn't know exactly where I would be staying. He said it was not necessary to stay at the listed campsites, and that adding the campsites really just gives them a place to start looking if we're reported lost.
