Tag Archives: water

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Flooded Forest

Image July 7, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A section of Yosemite Valley forest flooded by spring snow runoff.

There is often some degree of flooding in the Sierra during snow-melt season, and hiking can involve jumping streams, detouring around seasonal ponds, and occasional walking through some pretty muddy terrain. But this year is an extremely case. When I visited Yosemite Valley in late May there was flooding all over — trails that disappeared under water, meadows that had turned into lakes, and water flowing everywhere.

This particular spot is typically a sort of open forest with some grassy areas interspersed with the trees. But this time it looked more like a swamp, with water covering the perimeter trail and many trees standing in this temporary lake. The upside? Quite a few, including the beautiful reflections of the trees. Downsides? Mosquitos!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Yosemite Fall, Spring 2023

Image July 5, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Upper Yosemite Fall in full flow, Spring 2023.Yosemite Fall, Spring 2023

Yes, it is one of “those” photographs — a full daylight, straight-on photograph of one of the most iconic sights in Yosemite Valley. (One of the top three perhaps? With Half Dome and El Capitan being the other two?) I think it is a decent photograph, in not exactly a unique one, and it does capture Upper Yosemite Fall in its peak flow. It was really roaring on this late-May afternoon as the snow melt intensified.

It is easy to become so used to this valley that we forget how astonishing its features actually are. I often tell a story that reminded me some years ago. I was standing at one of the very popular overlooks, a place I’ve visited many times, thinking, ” Well, no pictures today. It is pretty ordinary looking in this light!” At about that moment a car arrived, a small group got our and walked over, looked at this “ordinary” view, apparently for the first time… and began to weep.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Meadow, Trees, and Cascade

Image June 25, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The view across a Yosemite Valley meadow toward a spring cascade below Glacier Point.

To some extent, this is arguably a “record shot” that documents this year’s extraordinary spring runoff in Yosemite Valley. This winter set records for total snowfall (and snow water content) thought the Sierra, and once spring warmth arrived it began to melt, sending torrents of water downstream. When I visited the Valley in late May, there was water everywhere: meadows had become lakes, trails were flooded, and water was cascading down cliff faces in locations that are usually dry.

This view looks across the Valley to a particularly interesting section of its walls. The main mass of rock is just to the west of the Glacier Point Apron, in an area of fractured rock that drains the watershed above. Typically you might see a small trickle of water here, but at this point there was a full-on stream winding back and forth down this face toward the Valley.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall

Image June 21, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Bridal Veil Fall, beyond the Merced River and silhouetted trees.

Something tells me that I am not the first person to photograph this waterfall between these trees — but it was there and I was there, so I made a photograph. I like the fact that the waterfall is almost an afterthought, a minor element in a scene that is mostly about other things — especially the silhouettes of these trees and the reflections on the high water in the Merced River.

Speaking of that water… near the end of spring the water levels in Yosemite Valley were nothing short of amazing. There have been past floods when the water levels were a bit higher, but I’m not aware of a recent season when sustained water flow was this powerful or high. Everywhere meadows are flooded, rivers are nearly out of their banks, and waterfalls are roaring.

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G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: water

Flooded Forest

Yosemite Fall, Spring 2023

Meadow, Trees, and Cascade

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.