There is a visual and emotion anticipation tied to the firefall event that is directly influenced by the weather conditions just east of Yosemite. It slowly builds and falls apart as clouds come and go right up until the brief crescendo of the climactic event. This particular day was a perfect example of that. My buddy Jay and I set out in the early afternoon to find a good viewing location above the tree line. The weather reports the day before had called for cloudy conditions, but the early afternoon provided us with a blue bird sky which in turn created a confusing feeling of hope. We felt good.
Due to the popularity of the event, it's not uncommon to have to walk mile(s) to get to a line of site of Horsetail Falls. In this instance, we were parked at Camp 4 and put in some mileage before getting to our perch hours before hand. In that brief time, while the sky was still dominated by blue, whispy clouds had started to flirt with the perimeter of our line of sight. Their mere existence played games with our psyche about whether or not sitting in our spot (that we would eventually find) for three hours would be a waste.
After sitting for an hour and fighting bouts of indecisiveness, we decided to spend our time productively and vet our options to see if our spot was best. Over the next hour, our search was fruitless, but adding insult to injury, the sky had become completely overcast. With the light blocked from the clouds, a shimmering Horsetail Falls had been reduced to a dull spot on El Cap. Our next mental game was deciding whether or not we should give up our quest completely and leave the park to salvage our Sunday or maintain hope. After some brief deliberation, the clouds had swayed our decision and we were now hiking down the south wall, towards the Merced and back to our van. Of course, by the time we reached the river, the sun had begun it's fight back against the clouds. Horsetail Falls was now gleaming once more.
Two PB & Js and a brief surrendering to FOMO, we were retracing our steps, both agreeing we wouldn't forgive ourselves if we metaphorically left before the game ended, our team down, only to find out that they came back and won. With every step, the sky seemingly grew brighter. We made it back to our spot in record time, dripping in sweat with about thirty minutes to spare. Things were looking good. The sun was nearing the horizon and the light on El Cap was zeroing in on Horsetail Falls and we had our spot.
And just like that, within ten minutes of sunset, a large cloud started moving from the north, inching it's way towards the sun and in the way of El Cap. It felt like watching a car racing to cross the tracks with a speeding train barreling towards it's path, but in slow motion. It was a helpless feeling. Nothing we could do, but hope. With moments to spare, the cloud swallowed the sunlight, destroying our hopes and eliminating any chance of the event happening.
This is why people come to see this. It's a free limited edition event. While it is not a given to see it and can be a huge dose of reality smack when you get your hopes up only to be let down, it is however, a magnificent reminder that every day in Mother Nature is unique. If you pay attention, every time you come back to a place, you are rewarded a different experience. Ask Monet.
In regards to the "firefall" event, when it does happen, it's 100% worth the gamble and I will be back.
