Half Dome – Yosemite Musing

Today I want to talk about local outdoors stores as a source for your hiking needs. It’s best told by a story.  3 years ago I was on the road to Yosemite for another Half Dome hike. This time in my younger sister’s minivan with her daughter and a small gaggle of friends jammed in. The traffic on that Friday afternoon was slow  as is typical on I-580 east of Pleasanton. I was going over my gear list in my head and realized that I had forgotten my boots! (Expletive deleted)  How does Mr. Half Dome tell his sister that he messed up? It was way too late to drive back to San Jose to get them, so I told the guys that I needed to stop and buy a pair. We pulled into Sunrise Mountain Sports  in Livermore. I was hurried to buy my new boots. It was well after 1 and we hadn’t eaten lunch. While there I met Martha and Phil.  We joked about the need for a Half Dome book and when I told them I was writing one, they said they would sell it. A year later I sent them my manuscript and we became friends.  Although the store is a real distance for me, I enjoy stopping there. Kim, the owner,  is an expert Kayaker and the store gives kayak lessons and has rentals at Lake Del Valle. This is a great place to learn and for $20 you can rent various types of kayaks any Wednesday evening. The store will also match discount coupons for gear given by the “chain stores.”  This small, personal store has an “adult” staff who are very knowledgeable on the stuff you need to get for your hiking pleasure.  Click <here> for their website and check them out. Oh, I will be giving my Half Dome presentation at the store on June 2 at 8 pm. Stop by and say hi!

Unrelated thought worth quoting: “When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore.” – Dean Martin

*Mr. Half Dome -Rick Deutsch - www.HikeHalfDome.com*