The Vernal Falls Rainbow
During my trip to Yosemite one of my goals was to hike to Nevada falls. It's a great short hike, but gets pretty steep with large stone steps that create an extra burn effect that even an experienced hiker can feel. This year to top it off, the falls are really producing a lot of mist, so by the time you are within an eighth of a mile, you are in a high wind rain blanket.
That later fact had me feeling discouraged, because of coarse my intent on making it to the falls was to photograph them. This could not happen with the amount of straight-line winds and spray coming off of the falls. As I passed Vernal falls on my way to Nevada, there was absolutely no way I was going to even attempt to take my camera out of it's gallon sized plastic baggie to brave the precipitation. I had seen the falls from Glacier point the previous evening and I knew Nevada was making twice the mist, and so I was wondering why I was even making the hike.
Both falls looked incredible, and the hike was invigorating. I was impressed that I was passing up people half my age. It felt great! While on my way back to the valley as I descended down the trail towards Vernal falls after having witnessed the immense power and grandeur of Nevada falls, I saw something very unusual. I saw a man standing at the cliff's edge beside Vernal falls shooting with his DSLR camera. My first thought was "what a marooon... he's going to trash his camera", but then as I looked closer I could see that the walls of rain were dividing to either side of him and that he was standing in a completely clear dry zone. I started running.
It was amazing, there was absolutely no spray right at the side of the waterfall, where a mere hour before was the drench zone. I shot a few dozen images there, and then this thought came into my head to place myself directly where the spray was currently going strong. I wanted to get a rainbow at the base of the falls, and somehow I had this sense that I would get one if I played the patience game and let myself get totally drenched... so I put the camera back in the plastic bag, got into position and kept my back to the falls.
After about five minutes, the spray suddenly stopped. I immediately turned around, and quick as a flash had my camera out of the bag and shot three times before the mist suddenly, and ferociously came back and drenched me all the more. I then quickly got back to shelter and dried my camera off, happy with what I had just accomplished. I always dig it when the second sense kicks in!
Lets just say that the walk back to the valley now had a skip to it.
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The Vernal Falls Rainbow
During my trip to Yosemite one of my goals was to hike to Nevada falls. It's a great short hike, but gets pretty steep with large stone steps that create an extra burn effect that even an experienced hiker can feel. This year to top it off, the falls are really producing a lot of mist, so by the time you are within an eighth of a mile, you are in a high wind rain blanket.
That later fact had me feeling discouraged, because of coarse my intent on making it to the falls was to photograph them. This could not happen with the amount of straight-line winds and spray coming off of the falls. As I passed Vernal falls on my way to Nevada, there was absolutely no way I was going to even attempt to take my camera out of it's gallon sized plastic baggie to brave the precipitation. I had seen the falls from Glacier point the previous evening and I knew Nevada was making twice the mist, and so I was wondering why I was even making the hike.
Both falls looked incredible, and the hike was invigorating. I was impressed that I was passing up people half my age. It felt great! While on my way back to the valley as I descended down the trail towards Vernal falls after having witnessed the immense power and grandeur of Nevada falls, I saw something very unusual. I saw a man standing at the cliff's edge beside Vernal falls shooting with his DSLR camera. My first thought was "what a marooon... he's going to trash his camera", but then as I looked closer I could see that the walls of rain were dividing to either side of him and that he was standing in a completely clear dry zone. I started running.
It was amazing, there was absolutely no spray right at the side of the waterfall, where a mere hour before was the drench zone. I shot a few dozen images there, and then this thought came into my head to place myself directly where the spray was currently going strong. I wanted to get a rainbow at the base of the falls, and somehow I had this sense that I would get one if I played the patience game and let myself get totally drenched... so I put the camera back in the plastic bag, got into position and kept my back to the falls.
After about five minutes, the spray suddenly stopped. I immediately turned around, and quick as a flash had my camera out of the bag and shot three times before the mist suddenly, and ferociously came back and drenched me all the more. I then quickly got back to shelter and dried my camera off, happy with what I had just accomplished. I always dig it when the second sense kicks in!
Lets just say that the walk back to the valley now had a skip to it.
Click on Image to View Large Size on Black