Yosemite, in winter, is arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially during a clearing snow storm. We look forward to visiting the valley each winter and last October we reserved a suite at Yosemite View lodge for the third week of February, 2019. Yosemite is very popular this particular week in February due to the local, national, and yes, international news coverage of the Horsetail Falls (Fire fall) phenomena. Fortunately, for the most part, Yosemite is very quiet and a joy to photograph in February as long as you avoid the Horsetail Falls circus and don't mind below freezing temperatures. Don't get me wrong, everyone should have Horsetail Falls on their bucket list to experience at least once in their lifetime. If everything works perfectly, it is an incredible site to behold. but, with that said, you will also be sharing this spectacle, in close quarters with 500 other people. Not exactly a wilderness experience, but to be fair, everyone is respectful and courteous. Photographers are like that!
We had originally planned to arrive in the Valley on Monday February 18th. I had been diligently following all the weather data for a week before our planned arrival and saw something compelling on Sunday morning, February 17th. The west coast Satellite image was indicating that the major snowstorm that had dumped 2 feet of fresh snow on Yosemite Valley would be clearing just before sunset. We decided to go for it! We had received fresh snow at our Nevada City home and I had to chain up our 4x4 Ford F150 pickup just to get to the main plowed road.
We arrived at Yosemite Valley at 4:30pm. When first entering the Valley, visitors are immediately treated to a wonderful view of Bridalveil falls and El Capitan. As many times as we have visited Yosemite, this grand entrance never fails to takes my breath away. But, this time it was special, with fresh snow frosting every nook and cranny and branch of every tree.
The most difficult part about photographing Yosemite at sunset, as a snowstorm is clearing, is to quickly decide where to shoot. With so many possibilities, it can be daunting. Luckily, I had a specific shot in mind, and we settled on the Valley View location. To get to Valley View we had to drive a few more miles and then turn left towards the park exit. We proceeded a mile and suddenly came to an abrupt stop with several other cars. A tree, heavy with snow had fallen across the road. I suddenly had a sinking feeling that my once in a lifetime shot was lost. I got out of the truck and found several resourceful and very motivated photographers hacking at the trunk of the "offending tree" with small axes. After they got half way through the trunk, about six of us pulled the log in the opposite direction and it suddenly cracked and we were able to pull it to the roadside out of harms way.
About 10 minutes later we arrived at Valley View and I got set up. It was about 5:15pm and nature treated all in attendance to a dazzling light show that was nothing short of amazing. A beautiful ray of light in the mist "pointed" directly at El Capitan and the rising moon added a nice dimension to the unfolding drama. It was breathtaking!
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