“Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.”
~Ansel Adams
“It all happened on one late evening, where I received a call all of a sudden from my friend- an invite to Yosemite National Park and that turned out to tell my story of enchanting experience which will recede in my heart for life time.”
Before going to the story, let me give a brief introduction, where you can plot the nature’s show. It’s all forms of nature the Sun, Clouds, Snow, Wind, Water were all constituted to create blazing fire. May be that is the reason it’s called as Natural phenomenon.
Yosemite Firefall: Once in a Life time Experience
Every year during second or third week of February, the firefall event takes place during the sun set time on the Horse tail falls located on the eastern edge of El Capitan in the Yosemite Valley. The Horse tail fall is a very short fall of about 1500 feet. It is very hard to be seen through naked eyes. During this part of the season, on a perfect sunset, where the sun rays touches the water falls in such an angle where it gives the feel as it is a firefall or melting lava. In order to experience this natural phenomenon, mostly there are four factors which make or break the event to happen. There should be good amount of snow for the season, and there should be water in the Horsetail falls, good amount of warmness from sun to melt the snow and the most important factor it should be a clear sky. It’s like a hit or miss thing you never know, whether all this happens or not at all. Let’s see what happened:
Before starting my journey:
On a late evening, one of my friends called me and asked whether I am interested to join for the trip to visit Yosemite National park, California for a firefall event. He confidently said, this year there will be better chances of watching this firefall event.
At that time, I just recalled my utter disappointment, I faced last year due to the very minimal effect of firefall effect. I just said – I am sorry, I am not interested to join as just not to get another disappointment. Then somehow, I decided to take a chance as it will be like a now or never thing and although I am pretty much skeptical in my mind still to take a chance or not but scrolling through those Yosemite’s famous firefall photographs and breath taking time lapses made my heart palpate to take up the challenge and finally decide to give a try.
Experiencing those magnanimous moments:
We started on Friday 22, 2019 because we trusted some photographer’s guide who said that time of the year it has best possibility to watch this epic moment. So, we followed his instructions and took a day off and started our journey. It took about 4 and half hours to reach the Yosemite National Park from my place and as its Friday we managed to get the parking bit easily. Then we started hiking for about mile and half to view and capture this Horsetail falls from one of the famous spots near east of El Capitan. We waited for three hours in -7degree Centigrade temperature amidst the cold weather just praying not to get the clouds obstructs the view.
Most of the photographers were reserved their spots to capture this event and lot of travelers were so much excited and when clock tickling the half past five, all of sudden everyone’s eyes were staring at the mighty horse tail water falls. During this time, the waterfall from the Horsetail falls just turned to a melting lava and shedding the blaze of fire and the mist add the drama to give an exuberant feeling as just the fire is flowing unrestrainedly. While watching this natural phenomenon, I just turned out to be like a 10 year old kid who is just screaming of joy and that magnanimous moment lasted though for just few minutes but it brought a blazing fire in my heart where my soul get enriched, my eyes got enticed and after all watching this spectacular nature’s the best performance. Those moments made my heart exploded with joy and utter happiness.
Words just roll over from my heart not even suffice to praise this moments as a token of gratitude but I would like to give a try- “ It’s a joyous moment, where thousands of praising hearts were meticulously compiled to form a garland to adorn the mother nature”
One special moment, I experienced when I was just zoomed in my camera lens to observe more vibrant effect of falls, at one particular incident, the mist flew like a blazing fire and shedding the water droplets transforming into sparks of fire which literally gave me jubilant effect or some kinds off goose bumps.
Everyone who flew across the world to watch this show, where screaming and praising by cheering and getting merry to be fortunate to experience this lovely and lively moments in their life.
The Chase to view the Firefall continued….
On Day 2- After getting this huge celebration, as we become greedier to experience it one more time from other famous view point, we decided to give another try from south view near Cathedral beach. But this time, luck didn’t favor us as there was cloud formation caused a minimal effect as it obstructed the sun rays falling on the water fall and got little disappointed.
Overall, this experience makes me so lucky to take all the pain and going with hope that will fetch me luck and won an epic picture of the mighty Yosemite Firefall.
Why this event so special?
It’s a two years of chase to experience this event and we hiked for 4 miles in freezing cold and waited for 3 hours each time and just to get dwell in to watch those magnanimous moment which just lasts for not more than 10 minutes that required a lot of planning, commitment and a small ray of hope.
I have heard some stories saying some people chase for years to experience this event and I feel so lucky to get this experience in my second attempt.
What experience I have gone through in one word?
The words I express may seem to be metaphoric in nature but it’s my true feelings.
I would say it’s a Photographer’s daydream.
It’s like winning a jackpot which is more worth than a million dollars.
This is like one of the rarest combination of spices that makes a great recipe.
It’s once in a lifetime experience that gives sanctity to one’s soul.
A short stanza shot up in my mind after coming from this place- the saying goes like this-
“It is the natures that inspire me or conspire me
Caught me like a vampire and brought me to this wildfire!!
Not to scare me but to embrace me
To be get dwelled in the joy of ecstasy.”
~A tribute from a lost kid in search of Mother Nature~
