Water, water everywhere -- and it's a spectacular sight. Record Sierra snowfall over the winter now means record snowmelt as temperatures rise, swelling Yosemite National Park's iconic waterfalls, streams and rivers to their most turbulent level in years.
Yosemite Falls, the nation's tallest, is spewing enough water to fill a gasoline tanker truck every two seconds. The force of water at Bridalveil Fall across the valley kicks up a mist that clouds the meadow below. It means that until the peak melt around mid-June, visitors will experience more treacherous beauty in Yosemite than even the travel brochures promise.
"Breathtaking, that's what it is," said Lynne Bousie of Scotland, who stopped to pose for a photograph at the spot where the paved trail to Yosemite Falls makes a turn and the first full view of its entire 2,425-foot drop comes into view.
Water cascading from the many signature falls that cut across Yosemite's granite walls (as well as countless unnamed ones that spout only in peak years like this) is swelling the Merced River. For the next few months, the roar of violently churning water will drown out all other background noise in the park. "Some falls that you can see now don't have names and aren't even on the map," said park spokeswoman Kari Cobb.
Already the frigid, 40-degree river that drains Yosemite Valley's snowmelt is flowing at more than 1,600 cubic feet per second, carrying people and objects away at more than 10 mph. "That's infinitely more powerful than anyone can imagine," said Moose Mutlow, coordinator of Yosemite's swift water rescue program. "You can't keep up with someone if the water is that fast and you're running and dodging trees."
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