Photograph: Spring Torrent, Cascade Creek

Spring Torrent, Cascade Creek

Posted on 15 May 2011

Spring Torrent, Cascade Creek

A torrent of water from melting spring snow rushed through a rocky section of Cascade Creek, Yosemite National Park.

During the early part of the seasonal spring snowmelt runoff, Cascade Creek is transformed into a wild and raging torrent as the lower elevation snow in the upper portion of its drainage begins to melt quickly. Contributing to the spectacular effect is the very steep path the creek follows down the walls of the Merced Canyon before it makes one final leap over a waterfall and then joins with the main Merced River.

This bit of creek is another of those places in the Sierra that I have come to know very well. There are certain places where I like to say that I know individual rocks and trees, and this is one of them. I photograph here several times each year during all seasons and in all kinds of light. But my favorite is the early morning spring light, before the sun rises high enough to directly illuminate the creek bed, when the creek is flowing madly and twisting and turning around and over boulders.

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Category: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite
Tags: boulders, california, cascade, creek, curve, flow, foam, granite, landscape, melt, Mountain, national, nature, nevada, north america, park, photo, plant, raging, range, reflection, rushing, scenic, season, sierra, snow, spring, stock, torrent, travel, usa, water, white, yosemite

2 comments to Spring Torrent, Cascade Creek

Edward Mendes

says:

May 16, 2011 at 10:39 am

I was at Cascade yesterday, man is it flowing. Great place to hang out and really feel the power of mother nature. Nice new image Dan!

G Dan Mitchell says:

May 16, 2011 at 11:38 am

Edward, lucky you! :-)

It is an amazing bit of torrential water, especially at the peak of a big snow year like this one!

Dan

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