And I Was the Only One There

It was rough going to get out to the El Capitan picnic area last night. The recent storm dumped about 2 feet of snow in the valley, and as you know Northside Drive is closed at Camp 4 all the way out to Pohono Bridge. I parked on Southside Drive and walked with a visitor over the El Capitan Crossover bridge. I can’t really blame him for turning back because we were postholing into snow that came up to our knees in places.

I had a backpack for my stuff, my tripod, a box of tissues, my jetboil and a canister of fuel, a packet of theraflu, and my camera. I was also carrying my fold up chair and a cushion.

I took a break, had a cookie or three, a few swigs from my hot tea. My fellow photog disappeared from view on his way back to the bridge.

A shaft of light hit the North America wall, and I abandoned the chair and cushion and headed toward the picnic area. Luckily I found a snowshoe trail, which made the going easier.

But there was no trail into the picnic area. I wish I’d brought snow shoes. In some places I sank in past my thighs. It was not fun.

It was an act of pure faith because the sky was cloudy, and I could not see to the west to know if the clouds obscuring the sun would break or not. I had to crawl across the top of the snow at one point because it was so deep I had trouble pulling my legs free. Definitely snow shoes next time.

I made it to a spot where I had a relatively clear view of the falls, I hadn’t even made it to the bear boxes. I sat on the snow, tried to set up my tripod. Found myself sinking into the snow, emptied my backpack and manuevered it under my butt. I figured I’d heat up some snow, mix up my theraflu, drink it and wait. I had to rest because I was out of breath.

Occasionally I would glance up at the falls. Dull gray, with a hint of purple on the granite. Not very much contrast. Dark.

And then it happened. I could see light on the wall just beyond the ridge, a warm glow. The sun had slipped below the clouds to the west and was shining on the wall.

It was worth the trek. It was worth the wet clothes and the aches this morning. And I was the only one out there. Any wonder why?

To see more shots, click here.

Photo by Edie Howe-Byrne via Flickr.