Happy 20th, Yosemite Facelift: Volunteer to clean the well-loved national park

"MELLOW"... is the word we often use when we are standing at the doorway to fall. Mellow afternoons, mellow adventures, the mellow hues of changing leaves, and that mellow taste of a warm cup of coffee on a September morning. The world around us is softening, and going a bit golden, we're ready to put on our mellow pants and savor some mellow-velous adventures, those experiences that are both mellow and marvelous. But as summer becomes autumn in Yosemite National Park, things haven't quite moved into full-on mellow-a-tude just yet: There is some important work to complete, and it involves cleaning up the park after the go-go, snack-snack, hike-hike, do-it-all summer months.

THE WARM SEASON... is always Yosemite's hubbub-iest stretch of the year, and before the mellow days of fall can officially commence a sizable spiffy-up is in order. How to make this mondo and necessary effort a success? Volunteers shall gather, all dedicated Yosemite lovers, over five busy September days and nights. They'll be lending a hand during the annual Yosemite Facelift, a give-back happening that is marking 20 years in 2023. There's a lot to know before you go, like how to register, what will be provided — think trash bags, litter sticks, and such — and what all will be tackled. Oh yes, and what's on the schedule after the sun goes down, with book signings, screenings, and other community-cool pursuits enhancing the clean-up's good vibes.

REGISTER ASAP... for this kind-hearted, nature-nice volunteer effort, a bye-bye-summer celebration that preps the beloved park for the cooler, mellower days soon to come.