Photographing Horsetail Fall has increasingly become “the thing to do” in Yosemite Valley for quite a few photographers this time of year. Horsetail is a seasonal waterfall that drops from near the eastern end of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, and for a few weeks each winter may catch the setting sun to produce quite a visual show when the conditions are just right. I’m not going to offer a how-to for photographing Horsetail – good ones are available elsewhere, and as beautiful as the sight can be, I have a sort of “been there, done that” attitude towards it at this point.
Which is not to say that I won’t point my camera that direction if I find myself in the area! I did so for a few minutes last weekend, even though it was well before the time when the sunset show begins, and even though it was the middle of the afternoon. I happened to be photographing something else below the fall and after I finished I looked up and noticed that the flow of water over Horsetail was as strong as I’ve seen it. I had a long lens on the camera, so I pointed it up and made a few photographs.
Here is the odd thing… In the photographs made with this telephoto lens I can clearly see that a long climbing rope ascends from the right to the first ledge that the water hits, crosses the ledge, and continues its ascent to the left of the fall. It appears to be a fixed rope that someone left in place, and I can only wonder about possible explanations. Did someone have to leave it behind earlier in the season? Did someone leave it with the intention of coming back and traversing through the fall?
If it does remain much longer, there may be some disappointed photographers who find a glowing rope draped across their photographs of the fall this season…
Fixed Rope Across Horsetail Fall. Yosemite Valley, California. January 16, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
Greg, that’s an interesting question, and one that I pondered a bit, too. I was wondering if the value of having an astonishing (perhaps?) film of someone rappelling behind Horsetail during one of those February sunsets might be great enough to outweigh the various concerns that this raises.
Oh, and not all climbers are necessarily the most “leave no traces” sorts of people. Many are, but not all.
Dan
Whatever happened to “leave no trace?”
Based on some rumors I’m hearing, the “disappointed photographers” may be so not just because there will be sunset illuminated ropes in their photographs of Horsetail Fall… but perhaps because there may be sunset illuminated photographers/videographers hanging from the ropes…
Dan
Thank goodness for photoshop.
Two thoughts, Rosemary…
First, I had the same idea immediately!
Second, it then occurred to me that it would be fun (well, not really, given the time it would take) to go the opposite way and use Photoshop to positive festoon the fall with colorful ropes…
Dan