Winter's Magic: Horsetail Fall and El Capitan

I knew that the sun was setting at the perfect angle to create the phenomenon of Horsetail's Firefall like effect of fiery color on the dark shadowed cliff of El Capitan. But the effect requires not just the handful of days where the sun sets at the right angle this time of year, but also sufficient snow on the rim of the valley and warm enough temperatures and sunshine to melt the snow and create the ephemeral stream which drops off the eastern shoulder of the majestic cliff. The skies need to be clear for the 5 minute window of time at sunset to create the dramatic color effects. So it was a gamble but I knew the potential was great as I checked the weather forecast and booked a flight at 5 am in Portland, hoping to get to Yosemite that evening.

After flying into Sacramento, renting a car and driving to Yosemite and then snowshoeing several miles including a steep off trail climb up ice and waist deep snow, I finally found this perspective. Strong easterly winds swept snow banners and the falling water of Horsetail Fall out across El Capitan and extended down almost the entire length of the cliff unlike anytime I have seen before. I captured photos and painted a 9x12 plein air piece that night but the extreme cold and blowing ice kept getting into the painting and creating a paint texture about the consistency of playodough. However, I still managed to get the colors and values down as a reference for this larger studio piece that conveys the actual feeling of viewing the scene in person. I could have never painted a piece this large in such a precarious location with high winds blowing ice, extreme cold and an event that lasted mere minutes. Despite many efforts to paint and photograph Horsetail Fall since 1996 when I captured my first images and paintings of Horsetail's magical color and firefall-like qualities, this night was quite simply the most uniquely magical I have experienced to date.

---

---

Medium