THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: The start of spring in the Sierra isn't always about the wearing of tank tops and the fluttering of butterflies and the opening of poppy petals and the basking in the warm sunshine. Very often there is snow, and a lot of it, when the vernal equinox rolls back around, and the staples of the blooming season seem to be standing off-stage as winter's coldest winds continue to blow through. And photographs from Yosemite National Park as the winter of 2017-2018 winds down do seem to tell that very tale: It is looking fantastically frosty around the valleys and meadows, and springtime, which begins on March 20, seems to be rather far in the distance. But hark! Is that the boom of billions of water droplets falling from some great distance above? Is that a moonbow created by a thunderous curtain of H2O seen by night? Is that one of Yosemite's famous waterfalls, over in the distance, looking amazing and powerful and eternal? Those are some of the...

SPRINGTIME SIGHTS... of the park, and early word is that the waterfalls are "booming" due to recent precipitation. A Curtlerner Photography photo of Bridalveil Fall posted by the Yosemite Conservancy in early March, a snapshot rife with snow, reveals that there's a beautiful winter-spring meet-up happening as we dance towards the equinox. But while frosty days linger, keep in mind that a wildflower day hike of Merced River Canyon is coming on March 25, and other springful gatherings shall follow. So when will you find your Yosemite wildflowers and your huge waterfall moments? Best plan your early spring outing, soon, for one of the waterfalliest windows of the year is here. And, yes, pack that parka, too, because you never know if a day'll be more wintry, more springlike, or that quintessential, oh-so-Yosemite combination of both.