Yosemite in winter

20th February 2009

Kind of very last minute trip ... One of my photo-buddies asked me if I were interested and on Friday a carfull was leaving for Yosemite. Well, I felt good ... sitting in the back seat I was dreaming about the beautiful white snow falling from heaven. He he he ... it reminds something huh ? Some South-Indian movie song, that some female enjoying jasmine-shower ? ... Anyways, I was dreaming about how I would show off the picture of Horsetail Falls taken by me to every other photographer I know. I thought ... somebody took it yesterday (19th) so would I tomorrow :) When we neared the valley I moved to front seat, I get car-sick on winding roads when I am not driving. When we neared the National Park I could see the snow in the faint moonlight. It was quite a scene ... Earth was sleeping covered in the blanket of snow.

So, usual Yosemite thing ... take Hwy-120, use snow chains, curry village tent with heater blah blah ... and next day morning after a brief breakfast at Curry Village restaurant we were ready to shoot equipped with numerous lenses, sturdiest tripods. Our group organizer was familiar with every road in Yosemite National Park, the spots for great photos and hence didn't spend much time looking around. Valley view, tunnel view, river, waterfalls, El Capitan reflection and so on ... every place looked special ... and everywhere there were 3-holes, where I positioned my tripod too to check what was that previous photographer trying to hunt ... it was very good experience to know about some of the 'driving in the snow' tips. I am sure next time I can do it by myself :)

Everything was perfect but, some how Sun was behind the thick blanket of grey clouds. We kept hoping that Sun will eventually be coming out shining for us ... We went to Lower Yosemite Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. The snow on the trails here was solidified ice. The smallest uphill section too was slippery. Yaktrax were useful and I never felt that I was walking on melting ice. The waterfalls didn't have much water but, they had different kind of 'cold beauty'. I took a short walk along the road ... The faint music of the falling water was soothing ... and the cold breeze was carrying it further far away ... and it was interrupted by the loud sound of falling snow from the tree twigs ... like the trees were playing throwing snow at each other ... Once a small ball of snow fell on my back with the passing wind, which gave me a brief pain on the back ... it felt like the tree and the wind were playing with me.

But, walking on the ice itself is very tiring, we get hungry very fast. May be the body spends more energy to keep the body warm. I tried to take picture of river and I was walking over the rocks. I was wondering how deceiving the snow is. All rocks are covered with snow and we just can't know where are the rocks and where are the cracks between them. In one of such cracks my one leg sunk while another was in the knee deep snow. In the panic I tried to grip myself with my tripod. To my horror my tripod sunk too. I couldn't believe that I was going to loose my expensive tripod. With one leg up on the rock and another sinking to some bottomless crack I started digging to find my tripod. Even in that awkward position I was so happy to see my Gitzo back. After struggling for some time I could free my leg (importantly along with the shoe) from the clutches of the whatever inside there.

There were snow sculptures everywhere. One of them was my favorite, a bunny with a smoking pipe. Love it ...

The hot white bean soup and a roll at the restaurant tasted heavenly. We waited anxiously for the Sun to come out so that we could shoot the Horsetail falls. That never happened and we were back on our way to Bay Area. Some pictures here.