The Lady Of The Waterfall - Horsetail Fall (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Image from flickr.com - Courtesy of: Jay Huang - License: CC BY 2.0

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They were running.

Holding hands and running towards the waterfall.

They had to hurry if they wanted to see the Lady dance.

She didn't show herself too often and she was said to be a blessing if you ever saw her dance.

For the lucky couples who got to witness her airy steps along the water running down the steep slope, the Lady was a long and happy life promised together.

And no, it was not another legend. 

It was true.

She would show herself only to the Chosen ones.

The pure hearts and souls.

They would be blessed to live happily ever after.

They would be blessed and burdened to bear the new lives into this world.

And with them slowly build a future of love.

They were running.

They were late; as always late, because her evening kisses always tasted sweeter and his hug was always warmer then and just like that they never knew how much time had passed.

They were holding hands and running to make it to the waterfall.

They thought they had missed it.

Tens of other couples had already been there, some had even spent the previous night at the site for fear of missing the Lady's dance.

The sun was setting. The evening chill was like a huge mother's embrace holding those lovers in her arms. The cold air would make them shiver and cool their beating hearts down. Were they the Chosen ones? Would they be allowed to bring life into the world?

So many anxious young people were waiting. Would this year be the lucky one? The Lady hadn't showed herself for three decades. Their people were getting old, no babies were born, their future was at stake. She had to show up! She had to give her blessings!

There was mist in the air and some clouds in the sky. This meant another year would be wasted. A wave of disappointment swept the field of hoping lovers. Eyes started looking down, women would hide into their men's arms, men would kiss their women's hair in an attempt to comfort them... and themselves.

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Hit play to continue ;)

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The two finally made it to the spot were everyone was gathered only to see a grievous image of a dying civilization. They were trying to catch their breaths, looking at the sad faces around. And as their eyes were wandering they saw a golden ribbon debouching from the Falls.

- Look! she screamed and everyone's face turned towards the waterfall.

There she was! The Lady was dancing! After so many years of misery, old age and death the Lady was finally there to bless this people.

Her golden dress was now flying in the air, her legs were floating on the falling water. She was twirling, one with the water she was. Her body, a red flaming mass of sparkles of life. Sparkles at first, blazes they became after a while. 

And her dress... Her dress was flying and dissolving into the air; tiny glowing drops of gold that levitated and spread and sat on the yearning lovers heads.

And the lovers... Their bliss was beyond words. They started kissing each other, touching faces, lips, necks, backs... Clothes were falling on the wet with morning dew ground, soon to be followed by naked bodies of the people who would become the forefathers of a new nation; a nation pure, blessed and innocent.

And as the Lady kept dancing, the bodies kept making love and when she made her final turn, her golden dress exploded in the air and like a lullaby put the tired lovers to sleep and covered them under a safe blanket.

What was left after her dance?

A field of sleeping people, all in the arms of their loved ones waiting for new life to come.

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*Original story by @ruth-girl - Steemit, 2018

PS: If you wish to read again, you can listen to the whole track by Yanni here.

And the true inspiration for this story?

Well, I was meant to write a post on the Horsetail Fall of Yosemite National Park, but then I came across the video above and oh well! my imagination went wild. After "feeding" you (pun intended) so many dark and twisted stories (that yesterday upset our sweet @abigail-dantes), I thought I should show my romantic side once again.

The Waterfall

The Horsetail Fall is a unique place within the Yosemite National Park (California, USA). The waterfall forms two streams, one at the east at a 470 meters height and another one at the west at 480 meters. The waters meet and travel another 150 meters further down to reach the ground, flowing on the eastern slopes of El Capitan. An amazing spectacle takes place at the seasonal waterfall that appears for a few days every February if conditions allow to, of course. The waterfall flows in winter and early spring, but it is during some February sunsets that you can see it... ablaze! [3]

Image from commons.wikimedia.org - Courtesy of: Wcwoolf - License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Is it really set on fire?

No! It is just the setting sun that sheds its beams and illuminates the falling water, making it appear orange, red and golden. To see it though, several conditions must apply at the same time:

1. Is there enough snow?
   If there is not enough snow to provide the fall with water, then the streams will be too weak.
2. Is it cold enough?
   The temperatures should be just right in order to keep the snow melting. If it is too cold, then the frozen snow won't allow water to flow.
3. Are the skies clear?
   If the sky in the west is cloudy, then the sunlight will be blocked. [1, 2]

Why in February?

Because it is the time when the sun meets with the water at the right angle. The sunlight also hits at the same angle in October, but there is no water runoff at that time. [1]

The park would also host artificial firefall events, when people would shovel burning embers down a cliff as a tourist attraction. For a century (1870s - 1970s) people would swarm in summers to watch the "show" from time to time (as there were periods when the show was paused). However, it was the realization that visitors would spoil the meadows they stepped on, along with the risk of a fire spreading, that put a definite end to this.  [1, 2, 3]

This "tradition" was nothing more than an attempt for the owners of a hotel in the Park's ground to make some extra profits. At nights, the remaining burning coals of the campfire, lit for the hotel guests, would be thrown down a cliff. People watching from the valley below were mesmerized by the view of those flaming lumps tearing the dark, night scenery. And just like that, a new tourist attraction was born. [3]

The place still attracts numerous tourists and photographers, all in their search for... the dancing Lady of the waterfall. Take a look at this video, how can you blame them?

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References

[1] yosemitefirefall.com
[2] atlasobscura.com
[3] wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsetail_Fall_(Yosemite)
[4]wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Firefall

Thank you so much for your time!

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!