- Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:36 pm
#222229
This park was gazetted as a national park in 1890. It is world famous for its rugged terrain, waterfall and century-old pine trees It covers 1200 sq km and the "fire" waterfall of El Capitan is one of the most spectacular of all scenery.
The spectacular view of the waterfall is created by the reflection of sunlight hitting the falling water at a specific angle. This rare sight can only be seen at a 2-week period towards the end of February. To photograph this rare event, photographers would often have to wait and endure years of patience in order to capture them. The reason is because its appearance depend on a few natural phenomenons occurring at the same time and luck.
1st, Is the formation of the waterfall - The water is formed by the melting of snow and ice at the top of the mountain. It melts between the month of December and January and by the end of February there might not have much snow left to melt.
2nd, is the specific angle of the sun-ray hitting the falling water - The sun's position must be exactly at a particular spot in the sky. This occurs only in the month of February and at the short hours of dusk. If it is a day full of clouds or something blocking the sun, you can only take pictures of your own sorry faces on the waterfall. It coincides with the fact that the weather in the National Park at that time of the year is often volatile and unpredictable. It compounds the difficulty of getting these pictures.
Someone did, and we all get to see it !!!
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20276
The spectacular view of the waterfall is created by the reflection of sunlight hitting the falling water at a specific angle. This rare sight can only be seen at a 2-week period towards the end of February. To photograph this rare event, photographers would often have to wait and endure years of patience in order to capture them. The reason is because its appearance depend on a few natural phenomenons occurring at the same time and luck.
1st, Is the formation of the waterfall - The water is formed by the melting of snow and ice at the top of the mountain. It melts between the month of December and January and by the end of February there might not have much snow left to melt.
2nd, is the specific angle of the sun-ray hitting the falling water - The sun's position must be exactly at a particular spot in the sky. This occurs only in the month of February and at the short hours of dusk. If it is a day full of clouds or something blocking the sun, you can only take pictures of your own sorry faces on the waterfall. It coincides with the fact that the weather in the National Park at that time of the year is often volatile and unpredictable. It compounds the difficulty of getting these pictures.
Someone did, and we all get to see it !!!
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20276
Jason wrote:Came home for the holidays. Drove up to the 600 yesterday and didn't fly due to high winds/rain
Today I woke up to blue skies. Called the top of the Sled and was hearing sw at 12...sounds good. Load up the old senseless and drive up the the 300....the road up to the 600 is too wet. So I decide to huff it up.
Set up the glider and take a look at whats going on. we see some birds working but not doing too well. Up higher it looks great. Down low its going to require some good timing. I stand on launch hooked in for a while. and then I see a bird to my right turning (I was launching south off the 6). I take off and turn to go join the vulture. Its tight. and i'm not gaining much. I open up my turn. and try and ridge soar the south portion of the takeoff. get a bump. do another 360 that is loosing. I see two vultures south and above my turning and climbing good. I go for it. Aiming for the left side of their turn so I can do a right turn into it away from the hill.
As I apprach under the two vultures I haven't felt it yet... but know its off to my right and turn into it. THERE IT IS. I do a full climbing turn. and just keep on turning. I'm getting 300 up and scream with joy. IM OUTTA HERE
About 600 feet over takeoff I catch up to a hawk thats thermaling and being chased by a falcon....They dont seem to mind me flying right behind them as they do their dance right in front of me (unfortunately my gopro wasn't recording..I think it it a 2gb limit or something). Now I'm about 600ft over the 1200 and then above the top. At cloudbase. I make my way back to the 1750 launch. and start hopping ridges to mission.
I get a up a bit and but I'm not getting above takeoff anymore and head from about half way to mission back to takeoff at Ed Levin. I find two redtails turning and join them. I'm getting cold...no gloves...no barmitts. and just a t shirt and long sleeve shirt....I button up the neck on my shirt as I'm turning with the two red tails....Then I hear something barking/squelling at me....Im looking all over for these redtails thinking I might have invaded their turf....I can't see anything...Then I see it...a coyote a few hundred feet below me barking right at me....
I decide....screw it....I can make it to mission easy....even if Im only just above takeoff.....
So i go....I get to the point that I'm clear off all the ridges and have the LZ at mission on easy glide....and point back to the peak....find a thermal going up and it drifts me into the peak.....I get there and get into the ridge lift and its EASY now....I climb up over the peak to 2700+ feet. There are some folks on top looking at me....I buzz them and climb up again
Now I'm REALLY getting cold...and See a HG truck coming up the back road to mission. I decide to topland because I have barmitts in my harness (of course if I had put these on at the start I would have sunk out right?)
So 44 minutes after taking off at the 600 ft at the Sled I land on top at mission. put bar mits on and borrow Roys phone to call my parents house...tell them that I intend to fly back to ed levin....
Of course now i have barmits....I take off. get about 200 feet over takeoff and move back to the peak...I get drilled...I move out in front. not doing well there either. I fly back in front of takeoff to the slide. DOWN DOWN DOWN.....
18 minutes after takeing off I land into a south wind at Mission.....Thats what I get for flying with barmitts. Still 2 good flights on my old glider. at my home sites on a beautiful day with a low cloud base and raptors all over the sky and sunshine with puffy cus and getting to cloudbase. Not much to complain about when your first flight on your old bird ends with you landing cuz your cold after 44 minutes softly at another takeoff over 4 miles away and 750 feet higher
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVeCQh3mFDY[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh99UGK2mfI[/youtube]
Attachments
image.jpg (50.13 KiB) Viewed 15786 times
yosemite 2.jpg (41.36 KiB) Viewed 15786 times
yosemite 1.jpg (62.29 KiB) Viewed 15786 times