Here I sit in Yosemite’s  Ahwhanee Lodge Great Room filing this report. It’s Mother’s Day and the lines are forming for the brunch. Best news coming out is that a Ranger told me that work to install the cables on Half Dome will begin this Wednesday, with a goal of having them up and the poles & boards ready for the 2008 crunch this week. Looks like this weekend is a GO. The falls are about the biggest I’ve seen them. The lower Mist Trail is a mandatory poncho experience. You will get soaked without one. Nevada Fall is bursting - shooting a huge white foam and spray. I took it easy on my hike and went out to Little Yosemite Valley and poked around. They are just now setting up the Ranger station there. I gave my Half Dome talk at the LeConte Lodge. Had 42 souls. What a nice quiet place to hang out. Many of you just blow by it on your way to Curry Village. It is near the Housekeeping area on the Curry access road. Its legacy is with the Sierra Club, but the calming environment can be enjoyed by anyone. A lot of John Muir history is archived there. Keep training. Remember, 2008 is the first year of the rest of your life. Carpe Diem!

Unrelated thought worth quoting: "Lets go surfin now, everybodys learning how. Come on and safari with me". - Beach Boys

*Carpe Diem Experience– Rick Deutsch–www.HikeHalfDome.com*