"This noble fall has far the richest, as well as the most powerful, voice of all the falls of the Valley, its tones varying from the sharp hiss and rustle of the wind in the glossy leaves of the live-oak and the soft, sifting, hushing tones of the pines, to the loudest rush and roar of storm winds and thunder among the crags of the summit peaks. "
John Muir, The Yosemite (1912), Chapter 1
There was a time when music bands and vocal performers experiencing a lull in creative production kept their audiences (and their record company) happy by putting out a “greatest hits” album. Fans could endure the long wait for new material by conveniently replaying old favorites—all on one disc.
Similarly, “fans” of Yosemite Falls who await its return during its “creative downtime” may find it difficult to endure as they anticipate its next performance in the grand performing hall of Yosemite Valley. This is especially true here in December 2020 since Yosemite Falls has exceeded its latest return date of December 11 (based on available records from the past nine years).
Yosemite Falls’ waters dried up in midsummer on August 6, 2020, after trickling down from its heights several weeks prior to that. As of December 21st, its return has surpassed 138 days, just shy of the 139 days recorded in 2013, the second year of a five-year-long drought.
With only two brief storms visiting Yosemite this fall, its comeback has placed doubt in the minds of its waiting admirers about its imminent return as part of Yosemite’s spectacular allure.
And so, to buoy the anticipation of its ardent followers, a look back at Yosemite Falls over the past nine years is provided below, not so much in the form of a “greatest hits” package, but more as a compendium of some of the more memorable moments. This can act as a brief diversion from the Falls’ absence and an opportunity to heighten one’s expectation of its ultimate return, which will surely occur before 2020 comes to a close (as spoken by one of its foremost fans!)!
The chart below shows a summary of Yosemite Fall’s disappearance dates and return dates for the past nine years. These dates may not reflect a long-term and more “normal” rate of absence when, in years past, autumn and winter weather has been wetter. According to Drought.gov, a five-year drought in California started in 2012 (the first year of available records on Yosemite Falls’ absence and return). The drought seemed to peak in 2015 with what some have called a 500-year historic low in the Sierra Nevada snowpack for that year.
The following present some of the memorable moments of Yosemite Falls over the past nine years:
LATEST DATE ABSENT
When does a waterfall become a water “fall”? The primary answer to that question must include the sense of a visible stream of water moving downward from some higher starting point. The fuller the stream of water, and the higher the starting point, the more spectacular the fall (e.g., see Angel Fall). Typically, an autumn rainstorm will kick-start Yosemite Falls, providing a visible stream of water falling from its granite heights. Occasionally, however, Yosemite Falls returns as a trickle. Referring to it as a “waterfall” when that occurs strains its very definition.
Consequently, in recording its return date, there might be some variation on whether one considers its return as a trickle or an actual waterfall. In the case of Yosemite Falls for 2020, I have tried to stay as true to the definition to “waterfall” as I can. Being conservative, Yosemite Falls barely returned on December 22nd, but not in a manner that would prompt one to shout, “Welcome back!”
The two storms that arrived in November and December left a fair amount of snow with little precipitation. The cold nights in the high country have left much of the snow still in an icy state or absorbed by a thirsty ground. One has to squint to see a barely visible stream of water “falling” from Yosemite Creek high upon the north face of the Valley wall. Much of it dries up by the afternoon, nixing the notion of “continuous” from the definition of a waterfall.
Nevertheless, if one counts December 22nd as its return date, it still exceeds the previous latest date of December 11th.
MOST DAYS ABSENT
The record for most days absent occurred in 2013, the second year of a five-year-long drought that prevailed over California. Yosemite Falls’ days in isolation during that year reached 139 before returning to public view. At present, that is about two months longer than the average of 89 days. The year 2020 acts as the second-longest time of absence at 138 days if the December 22nd date is used as its return.
LEAST DAYS ABSENT
In contrast to 2013, the winter of 2017 delivered a record snowpack for Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This means that visitors throughout the year could observe Yosemite Falls except for 15 days in November.
Laura and Bob Pelewski, the Tuolumne Winter Rangers in Yosemite National Park, shared in their April 26, 2017 report that the snowpack hit a record water content of 51 inches at Tuolumne Meadows with snow levels at 91 inches. Additionally, cooler weather in May and early June slowed the snow-melt. Consequently, the Falls rewarded Yosemite visitors throughout the summer months with a happy dance of song and music!
MOST SPECTACULAR RETURN
On a cloudy October 16, 2016, Yosemite experienced a healthy rainstorm. By the next day, amidst sunny skies, Yosemite Falls roared back after a two-month dry spell. One report called it a “red carpet return of sort, a big ‘splash’ which welcomed back its magic presence. It gushed forth with the watery wealth brought on by an early rain and high-country snowstorm that filled its coffers with its show-stopping enthusiasm. Dressed to the hilt with bling, glamour, and a bubbly personality, Yosemite Falls commanded the attention of most visitors in the Park."
It resembled runoff from a high-volume, spring snow-melt and provided visitors a show-stopping performance. See the picture below.
WELCOME BACK!
Those are just a few of the memorable events of the comings and goings of Yosemite Falls over the past nine years.
Before I close, however, let me add one more memorable event! On January 4th, 2021, a Pacific storm moved into Yosemite and delivered snow and rain upon the Yosemite Falls watershed.
The following sun-soaked day (January 5th), Yosemite Creek collected more water than it had during the past 150 days. That brought Yosemite Falls out of its creative doldrums. “This noble fall,” as John Muir referred to it, returned to its grand performing hall in Yosemite Valley, sharing with Yosemite’s visitors its “richest, as well as the most powerful voice of all the falls of the Valley.”
Finally, I can say, “Welcome back, Yosemite Falls!” Knowing that you and your "voice" have returned to perform for your adoring fans, none of us have any reason to “look back” any further! -- See photo to the right.
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