This summer, I'm hoping to hike Mt. Whitney (14,505'), the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. The U.S. Forest Service rations the number of people allowed onto the main Whitney trail during the summer to 60 overnighters and 100 dayhikers per day. This I don't mind. Part of the value of hiking is the solitude and without rationing Whitney would be overrun with hikers some of whom probably shouldn't be trying a serious hike like this anyway. Similarly I don't mind that concert organizers limit the number of people into the concert to the number of seats available.

What I object to is the rationing method the forest service uses.

Starting on February 15 they conduct a lottery. Here's what they say on their website right now.

As of March 10, processing of the more than 4,500 Mt Whitney applications received for the 2006 lottery is about half done! Every application in the lottery will be pulled out and we will attempt to make a reservation based on the remaining space available for the entry dates you requested. Letters are being mailed out daily, so people should be receiving their letter in the next few weeks.Please note we cannot search for, change, intercept or report on the status of your individual application at this time. All applications will be answered by mail. As soon as the last lottery application is pulled out and processed, this page will be updated to show what dates still have space left after the lottery. We appreciate people not interrupting so we can complete the work as quickly as possible.

My hiking partner writes "I bet we have a higher willingness to pay than most of the freakin' hippies winning the lottery! And I'm not surprized that our Govt is slow at even this simple task."