"Fire" Waterfall at Yosemite National Park

[dnoblett]

Yosemite National Park, California

This park was gazetted as a national park in 1890. It is world famous for its rugged terrain, waterfall and century-old pine trees. It covers 1,200 sq km and the "fire" waterfall of El Capitan is one of the most spectacular of all scenery.

 

The spectacular view of the waterfall is created by the reflection of sunlight hitting the falling water at a specific angle.

 

This rare sight can only be seen at a 2-week period towards the end of February. To photograph this event, photographers would often have to wait and endure years of patience in order to capture them.

 

The reason is because its appearance depends on a few natural phenomenona occurring at the same time. 1st, is the formation of the waterfall - The

water is formed by the melting of snow and ice at the top of the mountain. It melts between December and January and by the end of February there might not have much snow left to melt 2nd, is the specific angle of the sun's ray hitting the falling water - The sun's position must be exactly at a particular spot in the sky. This occurs only in the month of February and at the short hours of dusk. If it is a cloudy day, you can only take pictures of your own sorry faces on the waterfall.

 

It coincides with the fact that the weather in the National Park at that time of the year is often unpredictable. It compounds the difficulty of getting these pictures.

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire01.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire02.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire03.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire04.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire05.jpg

[dnoblett]

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire06.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire07.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire08.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire09.jpg

 

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Fire%20Waterfall/Fire10.jpg

Edited September 10, 2010 by dnoblett (see edit history)

[Smitty]

That's most impressive!

 

When I read about a fire waterfall, I was thinking more along the lines of a water feature that I saw in downtown Los Angeles where where it would randomly light up on fire. Pretty nice display, and rather surprising.

[Randy W]

goofed up post

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/firewaterfall.asp

Edited September 10, 2010 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

I've heard of this before - they don't do it anymore

These hauntingly beautiful images of a "fire waterfall" in California's Yosemite National Park appear to be photographs of two similar but distinctly different phenomena, one natural and oneman-made.

the "Yosemite Firefall" effect is a man-made one created by pushing burning embers over the edge of a cliff (a practice which was discontinued at Yosemite several decades ago):

[Randy W]

At 9:00 each evening in Camp Curry, the crowd which had gathered for the nightly campfire program would fall silent. A man would call out to the top of Glacier Point "Let the fire fall!", and a faint reply could be heard from the top of the mountain. Then a great bonfire of red fir bark would be pushed evenly over the edge of the cliff, appearing to the onlookers below as a glowing waterfall of sparks and fire.

 

The spectacle was the Yosemite Firefall, a nightly tradition in Yosemite National Park for some 88 years.

 

 

 

 

[Stepbrow]

Regardless of the source, what spectacular pictures!