PUTTING A GLASS DISH OF WATER... outside on a day filled with intense sunshine? We'll likely search to see the light patterns shimmering on the concrete below, and we'll look for any rainbows that might momentarily glimmer upon the water's surface. For even a shallow bowl of H2O, placed in the backyard on a bright day, has some surreal and beautiful qualities. So does a certain waterfall found within Yosemite Valley, but because waterfalls are rather difficult to move, and we wouldn't want to try, we must wait for the light from our nearest star to find this particular water feature and create something spectacular. And that wait revolves around anticipating a specific time of year, namely wintertime, when the sun is just so and the planet we're on is just so and Yosemite National Park is just so and Horsetail Fall is in the right place to be illuminated by the sun as it sets over a very few February nights. What happens then?
A GLOW SHOW, if everything weaves together in the ideal manner. This glow show takes on a bit of the look of the former Firefall show, a Yosemite staple years back, but that is not flame going over the side of El Capitan. It's still water, but water that's been bestowed with an incandescent quality by the sun as it bids us goodbye for the night. The dates of the Horsetail Fall event generally run around late-ish February, with the middle of February being the general start time. The weather plays a major role, too, for if there is cloud cover, there is no sunshine, and the glow of Horsetail Fall will have to wait for another night. As for people gathering for this once-a-year spectacle? Oh, they really do, so keep in mind that this is not a solitary journey you'll make. Find your need-to-knows here, fall fans, and stay excited: Spring is on the way, the waterfalliest stretch of the year.
