Horsetail Falls, Yosemite National Park, California
The annual Horsetail Falls "firefall" event in Yosemite National Park is a unique and somewhat rare natural phenomenon that occurs for about one week in mid-February. Near sunset the sun's alignment focuses on the thin wispy falls perfectly to create an orange and sometimes red glow that makes the waterfall appear to be like flowing lava.

What makes this a somewhat rare event is the conditions that have to align. In February, the waterfall is usually not flowing or only slightly since it's still cold. Also, there needs to be snow in the mountains feeding the waterfall, which has been scarce during the drought of the last few years. And, the sun must not be blocked by clouds, which happens frequently near sunset.

This year the Sierra Nevada mountains was enjoying the largest snowpack in recent history. The afternoon temperatures warmed up enough to melt enough of the snow to generate a robust waterfall, which was helped by some high winds. And, even though the El Nino weather patterns tended to generate a lot of afternoon clouds, during the week we had two sunsets where the clouds didn't obscure the light.

It was a magnificent natural spectacle to watch and a beautiful demonstration of Nature's ability to instill awe in people.


Field Notes: Canon 5DS-R, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L with 2x tele-extender, 240mm, f/16, 0.6 sec, ISO 100