Ascending Firefall

It was the evening of February 20th, 2021 and we had just arrived at Yosemite National Park in hopes of capturing this year’s Firefall event.

After an hour or so of hiking around trying to find a trail opening to climb, we decided to ascend up the side of a steep cliff. After the long and uncertain trek up, we found an opening that gave a clear line of sight of the valley, and we all rejoiced.

After setting up, we noticed the horizon was a bit cloudy — which meant Firefall could be a bust tonight and was definitely the last thing we wanted to see after hiking all the way up here.

Fortunately, as sunset quickly approached, the clouds started to thin out a bit. After a bit the sun disappeared behind the distant granite walls, and then moments later, a sliver of sunlight shined onto Horsetail Falls. Firefall has started.

At 5:33 PM that evening, I hit the shutter on my camera to capture a scene so beautiful that I hope I have done it justice, and forever, a memory in my life.