A rare sight - Yosemite National Park "fire" waterfall

personal forwarded email | July 12, 2010 | unknown

[B-Cause]

A rare sight - Yosemite National Park

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This park was gazetted as a national park in 1890. It is world famous for its rugged terrain, waterfalls, and century-old pine trees. It covers 1200 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 during a 2-week period towards the end of February. To photograph this rare 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 phenomenons occuring at the same time and lots of luck. 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 the months of December and January and by the end of February there might not have enough snow left to melt. 2nd, is the specific angle of the sunray 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 dusk. If it is a day full of clouds or something blocking the sun, you can only take pictures of your own sorry face on the waterfall. It coincides with the fact that the weather in the National Park at that time of the year is often volatile and unpredictable. It compounds the difficulty of getting these pictures. Someone did - and we all get to see it - enjoy Soli Deo gloria - to God alone be glory

[Proud_USA_Republican]

So is what was written in the post a partial hoax with the whole sun part of the effect description. That all those pics were taken before they stopped them from doing this every year via artificial means?
I’m not saying the poster perp’d the hoax themselves, I’m just trying to be clear if whoever authored the description in this email floating around the internet was saying something deliberately false.

[TMD]

I saw it more than a few times as a kid. It was spectacular!

[Mike Darancette]

They stopped what?

Dumping burning wood off of Glacier Point. There is no waterfall on Glacier Point.

[B-Cause]

Thanks much for that link Southack. I am such a sucker for stuff like that that comes through my emails. At least the photos are great.

Thanks again Southack.

[Southack]

The email is a hoax. You can’t see the “firefall” in February as the email claimed. Firefall has been banned since 1968.

The email even used the Wikipedia picture of the ember-burning firefall to claim that it was sunlight on a waterfall at Glacier Point.

In reality, water has to be trucked up to the top of Glacier Point. Without Man, there is no water there at all, much less enough water for a waterfall.

Instead, the reality is that “firefall” was glowing embers from a nightly fire (until 1968).

[TheBattman]

Wow! Thanks for sharing!

[Southack]

The pictures are cool, I agree!

[freeagle]

Two different things here. There is a “firefall” that is not the burning embers pushed off Glacier Point. It’s the setting sun light playing off Horsetail Falls in late February: http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2010/03/11/horsetail-firefall/

[iowamark]

I haven’t seen The Caine Mutiny in a long time. Young actor Robert Francis, who played Ensign Willie Keith, would die in a plane crash the next year.

[Trillian]

These pictures are amazing.

[preacher]

Video - Horsetail Falls at sunset, Yosemite National Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmuiQiQxdHQ&feature=related

[caver]

I saw the real firefall at Yosemite in 1967.

[JRios1968]

Bush’s Fault?

[Southack]

Horsetail Falls is a huge waterfall. The picture that you linked to, however, is of Glacier Point where there is no waterfall.

[Kevmo]

bflr

[Yosemitest]

You should send these photos to the weather channel.
They're award winning quality.

[freeagle]

Actually, the link was to a blog with a photo of the Horsetail Fall “firefall” phenomena. Since it occurs in February, the water in the real falls is not huge. My link: http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2010/03/11/horsetail-firefall/ is of El Capitan and the Horsetail firefall. Here are more:
http://littleredtent.net/LRTblog/how-to-photograph-horsetail-falls/
http://www.latogaphoto.com/2010/02/2-days-yosemite-horsetail-falls/
http://www.michaelfrye.com/articles/horsetail.html
El Capitan and Glacier Point have very different profiles. Comparison helps determine the “real” firefalls from Glacier Point and the sunset light on the mist of Horsetail falls in February on El Capitan.

I had the incredible privilege of spending 22 summers in Yosemite and Christmases in Yosemite Valley. I saw 100+ nightly Glacier Point firefalls. Tried to see the Horsetail “firefalls” this past winter, but due to weather, it didn’t show. Bummer.

[Captain Beyond]

Didn't know if your still into photography but thought you might like these photos.

[retrokitten]

I am still very much into photography! Thanks for the ping! These are incredible.

[justhadtoask]

I need to ask the obvious question...If most of the snow melts in December and January, and little is left by February, then when does it snow there...September, October and November??? Also, isn’t it still winter in December and January? Seems like those would be the months of snow accumulation and not snow melting.