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Taken along the Merced River in Yosemite National Park on October 28th, 2013

In late October 2013, a decently-sized storm hit the Sierra, bringing cold, wet weather to the area. Where I live this manifested as an series of rain showers. But in Yosemite Valley, which is higher and colder, the precipitation came in the form of snow. The Yosemite Conservancy webcams showed a winter wonderland, with the Sierra high country covered in white. Even Yosemite Valley was getting dusted. With the weather forecast predicting the storm breaking up around sunset, I put my butt into high gear and drove to the park. Once I got inside Yosemite’s borders the rain I had been driving through turned to snow and my windshield was getting plastered with thick, fat flakes. Amazingly, despite the unequivocally wintry conditions, the park’s dogwood trees were still resplendently displaying their vibrant fall foliage. Everywhere I looked I saw bright pinks, reds, and oranges. One of my first stops once I hit Yosemite Valley was a bend in the Merced River which boasted this amazing view of El Capitan and a the clearing storm. And while the snow on the Valley floor had already melted off, the storm itself was still swirling around El Cap, creating a beautiful contrast between fall and winter.

View more beautiful Yosemite photos here.

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