Got the OK on my reservation!

After standing by the fax machine this week, waiting till 5:01pm and hitting the send button, it appears I was one of the lucky (or speedy) ones and got a spot to leave Happy Isles and the OK on my permit. I leave Yosemite Valley on August 1 and hopefully arrive in Whitney Portal on August 19th or 20th.
From their website

Wilderness Permits

John Muir Trail
If you plan to hike the John Muir Trail as a continuous hike, you only need one wilderness permit for the entire trip (you do not need a "Whitney stamp"). Most people begin the hike at Happy Isles (its traditional start in Yosemite Valley), however many people begin at Lyell Canyon (Tuolumne Meadows) because permits for this trailhead are slightly easier to obtain. There is no special JMT permit.

Na-Nerd of the North

I've been thinking of buying a Ray Way bomber hat kit and pattern for a couple of years now and I finally did it. I started it this morning and now it's done! It wasn't a particularly fast project but never-the-less, I made it and it turned out fine! It's even reversible...

This kind of hat is not what anyone would call attractive but it will be warm and it only weighs...... 1oz. Pretty dang good. Still haven't started the shorts...