Spring Flooding, Merced River. Yosemite Valley, California. May 7, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
The Merced River overflows its banks during the spring runoff and floods surrounding meadows and lowlands in Yosemite Valley.
I’m tempted to go on about how the spring runoff is my favorite time of year in Yosemite Valley – but I’ve probably already written about how autumn is my favorite time, or how much I love winter in the Valley, and… :-)
In any case, there is a lot to like about spring in Yosemite Valley. For example, seasonal waterfalls that many visitors never see come to life. I believe that the thin fall across the Valley in this photograph is Sentinel Fall. There is another small one to its right in the v-shaped gully, but I do not know its name. The meadows come back to life and the trees begin to get their leaves, and there is green everywhere. Especially in a heavy snowfall year like this one, the Merced River rises as the snow begins to melt, and riverbanks overflow and meadows flood – as is happening in this photograph of a section of the river near Leidig Meadow along the north side of the Valley.
I’m surprised that there are not more photographs produced in this part of the Valley. I suppose the explanation may include the fact that few of the main iconic sights are directly visible from here, the current prohibition against parking along the road in this area, and the fact that parts of the river trail were underwater. But in the right light – which here can occur at times other than the typical early/late hours – Leidig Meadow and this curving section of the river with its shoreline trees can be very appealing, especially when the far canyon wall is muted by shadows.
I shot this a bit later in the day, not during the typical “golden hour” times at all. To get here I drove past this section of the road and walked back, alternately walking along the roadway (and occasionally leaving the narrow road as cars approached) and following the trail where it was not submerged. To make this photograph I walked down to the very edge of the rising Merced River and managed to find one spot that wasn’t too muddy.
G Dan Mitchell Photography | Flickr | Twitter (follow me) | Facebook (“Like” my page) | LinkedIn | Email
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.
Melli, I have to admit that sometimes it does seem like the images find me, though I do have to expend some effort to be in the places where they can find me, and then listen for their call!
Pat, thanks for your comment, and for sharing your experience with spring in the Valley, and for articulating something I had thought about concerning the color and shape of that tree.
Patty is biased. But I’m OK with that. :-)
Dan
Love the fresh green in this image. Glad you found this image (or that this image found you). :)
Someone really loves this photo. That someone is me.
This is beautiful, Dan! I share your sentiments for spring being such a great time in the park. The first time I went was in a dry September a few years ago, and the few waterfalls that were flowing were just trickles. In contrast, being in the park earlier this week was amazing. Water was cascading down the granite practically everywhere I looked, and the major falls were seriously rolling.
I love your image for today as well. It has great colors, and the stark, dark shape of the tree on the left adds such great interest. In contrast to the eye typically being brought to the brightest parts of an image, I find that I can barely look away from that beautiful dark shape!
Patti, it is one of the most beautiful and delicate falls in the park, and its beauty is increased by the facts that it is an ephemeral, seasonal fall and that so few people seem to know about it.
Dan
Sentinel Falls… One of my all time favorites that never gets the attention it deserves. Thank you for another Yosemite moment.