Snow and Fog, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park

In mid January I had the good fortune to make a fairly last minute trip to Yosemite valley with my wife and daughter. There was potential for stormy and snowy weather, but for the most part we had pleasant days and comfortable weather. On our last evening there it began to rain and by morning, when I woke up and looked out the window, I was very happy to see Yosemite valley blanketed in deep snow. For as many trips as I've made to Yosemite, only been in winter a couple times, and I've really only seen fresh snow in the valley once. I got out of bed quickly with camera and tripod and just went out exploring. I really didn't travel far either - I was staying at the Yosemite Lodge right in the valley, and spent the next hour or so exploring an area only a few minutes walk from where I woke up.

Everything was absolutely beautiful and snowy and, just to make it even more photogenic, the valley was also very foggy. The mix of fog with cool shadows and warm sunrise mixing together was, well, beautiful. I run out of adjectives when describing Yosemite, but this was really a morning unlike any other I've seen. This particular photo was taken not far from the Merced River, looking back towards the north side of the valley. The foreground was still in shadow while the cliffs behind were beginning to light up in sunlight.

After spending an hour or so enjoying the scenery, my family joined me and we made a snowman right around the middle of this frame. The snow mostly melted away shortly thereafter, leaving the branches fairly bare. If we'd been staying outside of the valley we probably would have missed it all. It was a beautiful morning in Yosemite, and a great way to start what was, coincidentally, also my birthday. I hope to post more from this morning again relatively soon, but with my track record even I doubt I'll manage. Life is busy, and opportunities to edit webpages are few and far between. But, I'll see what I can do.

Nikon D610 | Nikon 70-200mm f/4 @ 70mm | f/8 | 1/100s | ISO 200

See more related images in my Yosemite National Park Gallery.

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