With permit in hand we drove to the Curry Village parking lot which is now the only place near the trailhead to park overnight. After dividing up some of the group gear, we left for the shuttle bus stop to take us the half mile or so to the Happy Isles Trailhead. We waited and waited for the bus and finally decided to walk.
We left Happy Isles at about 9am and started up the John Muir Trail (JMT). The JMT starts at Happy Isles and finishes 211 miles away at the top of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 at 14,497′.