Awaiting “big water”, Waterwheel Falls, Yosemite, had been on my list for many years. Winter 2004, 2005 was the second biggest snow season at Mammoth Mountain, and I decided to make the 18 mile round trip. I knew the good photographs would be near sunset (8:30 to the west around the summer solstice), so I started hiking at 1:30 p.m. The mosquitoes were horrendous leaving Tuolumne Meadows, and the water was up to my knees. I loved the setting at Waterwheel falls: no railings, no crowds; and I could hike safely, on dry ground in many places, literally 3 feet away from a raging waterfall. I had underestimated the overall effort: the 18 miles round trip with a 45 lb camera pack at 50 years old, hiking the return 9 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing after 9 p.m., in the dark with a headlamp!
