Touching the Past... Bristlecone Pines and White Mountain
Hi. Bonjour. Hallo. Hola! Espero que todos se encuentren bien.
Last weekend Java and I had the privilege of spending time in another one of California's many beautiful destinations. We visited the White-Inyo Mountain range and climbed White Mountain. However, before we summited White Mountain we had an opportunity to visit a very special place on this planet - We spent time in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest resides inside the White-Inyo Mountain range which parallels the Sierra Nevada along much of its length. The White-Inyo mountains are from the Sierras by the the Owens Valley, and although they lack the diverse flora and fauna that the Sierra's posses, they are nevertheless majestic; especially with respect to the Bristlecone Pines. Bristlecone Pine trees have a limited range, they are found only in the western United States, primarily in California, but also Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. We visited Schulman Grove, named after the research scientist given credit for discovering and publishing the special nature of these trees. There, at about 10,000 ft we took at short hike and came in direct contact with the world's oldest living known things. Many people are aware of California's impressive giant Sequoias, the largest living things on earth. They are often confused as also being the oldest, but this is not the case. The oldest Sequoia's are about 2,700 years old, in comparison to the eldest Bristlecone which is close to 4,800 years old, they seem young and immature. Many Britslecone's, found to have died about 5,000 years ago, have been found to exceed 5,000 years in age - That represents a historical record of roughly 10,000 years. These living trees which sprang from a small seed long ago, are today, older than much of humanities recorded history. Simply mind blowing!
It is difficult to express the emotion and sentiment of literally touching the past in such an direct, intimate and ultimately profound way. Almost every tree visible in the forest, including those that are shorter than I am tall, are hundreds of years old. For me, the experience of resting my hands on the roots, trunks, and branches of trees that in the future within their rings, will record our present (my lifetime) as an ephemerally brief period of its past, is humbling beyond description.
It may seem like hyperbole, but the Bristlecones have a presence that radiates the wisdom of nature through their collective history. Even felled trees, which died thousands of years ago, and lie silent on the hillsides, speak loudly as irrefutable testaments to they prior grandeur. They are all like sages of the natural world; sentinels of earths passage through time. I first learned of the Bristlecone Pines several years ago, and from the moment I did I vowed to see them in person - I am so very glad I kept that I kept that promise. I only wish I had done it sooner. Having stood in their presence will always be a unique and indelible privilege.
White Mountain -- Depending on your point of view climbing White Mountain is either an extremely strenuous Day hike or an super simple climb. As it turns out, it was both to various persons that attempted the summit last weekend, for some it was an insurmountable challenge. The hike started with an early rise at 4 AM, and after gathering our things, and an hour long, off-road drive, we arrived at the trail-head at an elevation of about 11500 ft. From there we followed the broad, mostly accessible, trail to the peak. The trail in fact as a road that leads to highest research laboratory in the US. The laboratory includes an astronomical observatory, and a weather research station at the peak.
The trail-head is above the treeline, and at first glance the landscape seemed barren and lifeless, but during the hike closer inspection revealed that this was not the case. Except for the peak itself, the plateaus, saddles and hillsides were teeming with life: On the approach to the peak we found numerous tiny blue butterflies the size of the nail on your pinky finger. Seen also, were various species of ants, many spiders, and large critters like chipmunks and marmots. In addition, the terrain was carpeted with tiny alpine flowers with shades of pink, lavender, canary-yellow, and sky-blue. The rocks themselves had an abundance of life in the form of decades-old growth of lichens and delicate mosses.
At about 200 ft elevation below the peak, the trail became impassable due to the snow-pack, this required scrambling up unstable talus and scree to the top. Once at the top we were rewarded with an impressive 360 degree panorama, with visibility in excess of 150 miles The Eastern face of the Sierra Nevada, almost in its entirety, was visible from the peak; all the way from past Lake Tahoe to the north, to the Mojave dessert to the south. The total hike/climb was 15 miles round trip with just under 3000 ft of elevation gain, and a maximum elevation of 14, 242 ft, the third highest peak in California, and 13th highest in the lower 48 United States.
Life is special - I love it, and hope you do too!
-Manuel
P.S. After having seen it myself I feel compelled to mention: If you have not yet seen An Inconvenient Truth, go see it Now. It is a powerful film, that will undoubtedly inspire you to be an activist for change. Educate yourself and take action --> http://climatecrisis.org/
P.P.S. Congratulations to the Newly Weds: Michael & Patricia Moreno - June 17, 2006. Thanks for allowing me to be part of your wedding party.
Last weekend Java and I had the privilege of spending time in another one of California's many beautiful destinations. We visited the White-Inyo Mountain range and climbed White Mountain. However, before we summited White Mountain we had an opportunity to visit a very special place on this planet - We spent time in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest resides inside the White-Inyo Mountain range which parallels the Sierra Nevada along much of its length. The White-Inyo mountains are from the Sierras by the the Owens Valley, and although they lack the diverse flora and fauna that the Sierra's posses, they are nevertheless majestic; especially with respect to the Bristlecone Pines. Bristlecone Pine trees have a limited range, they are found only in the western United States, primarily in California, but also Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. We visited Schulman Grove, named after the research scientist given credit for discovering and publishing the special nature of these trees. There, at about 10,000 ft we took at short hike and came in direct contact with the world's oldest living known things. Many people are aware of California's impressive giant Sequoias, the largest living things on earth. They are often confused as also being the oldest, but this is not the case. The oldest Sequoia's are about 2,700 years old, in comparison to the eldest Bristlecone which is close to 4,800 years old, they seem young and immature. Many Britslecone's, found to have died about 5,000 years ago, have been found to exceed 5,000 years in age - That represents a historical record of roughly 10,000 years. These living trees which sprang from a small seed long ago, are today, older than much of humanities recorded history. Simply mind blowing!
It is difficult to express the emotion and sentiment of literally touching the past in such an direct, intimate and ultimately profound way. Almost every tree visible in the forest, including those that are shorter than I am tall, are hundreds of years old. For me, the experience of resting my hands on the roots, trunks, and branches of trees that in the future within their rings, will record our present (my lifetime) as an ephemerally brief period of its past, is humbling beyond description.
It may seem like hyperbole, but the Bristlecones have a presence that radiates the wisdom of nature through their collective history. Even felled trees, which died thousands of years ago, and lie silent on the hillsides, speak loudly as irrefutable testaments to they prior grandeur. They are all like sages of the natural world; sentinels of earths passage through time. I first learned of the Bristlecone Pines several years ago, and from the moment I did I vowed to see them in person - I am so very glad I kept that I kept that promise. I only wish I had done it sooner. Having stood in their presence will always be a unique and indelible privilege.
White Mountain -- Depending on your point of view climbing White Mountain is either an extremely strenuous Day hike or an super simple climb. As it turns out, it was both to various persons that attempted the summit last weekend, for some it was an insurmountable challenge. The hike started with an early rise at 4 AM, and after gathering our things, and an hour long, off-road drive, we arrived at the trail-head at an elevation of about 11500 ft. From there we followed the broad, mostly accessible, trail to the peak. The trail in fact as a road that leads to highest research laboratory in the US. The laboratory includes an astronomical observatory, and a weather research station at the peak.
The trail-head is above the treeline, and at first glance the landscape seemed barren and lifeless, but during the hike closer inspection revealed that this was not the case. Except for the peak itself, the plateaus, saddles and hillsides were teeming with life: On the approach to the peak we found numerous tiny blue butterflies the size of the nail on your pinky finger. Seen also, were various species of ants, many spiders, and large critters like chipmunks and marmots. In addition, the terrain was carpeted with tiny alpine flowers with shades of pink, lavender, canary-yellow, and sky-blue. The rocks themselves had an abundance of life in the form of decades-old growth of lichens and delicate mosses.
At about 200 ft elevation below the peak, the trail became impassable due to the snow-pack, this required scrambling up unstable talus and scree to the top. Once at the top we were rewarded with an impressive 360 degree panorama, with visibility in excess of 150 miles The Eastern face of the Sierra Nevada, almost in its entirety, was visible from the peak; all the way from past Lake Tahoe to the north, to the Mojave dessert to the south. The total hike/climb was 15 miles round trip with just under 3000 ft of elevation gain, and a maximum elevation of 14, 242 ft, the third highest peak in California, and 13th highest in the lower 48 United States.
Life is special - I love it, and hope you do too!
-Manuel
P.S. After having seen it myself I feel compelled to mention: If you have not yet seen An Inconvenient Truth, go see it Now. It is a powerful film, that will undoubtedly inspire you to be an activist for change. Educate yourself and take action --> http://climatecrisis.org/
P.P.S. Congratulations to the Newly Weds: Michael & Patricia Moreno - June 17, 2006. Thanks for allowing me to be part of your wedding party.
posted by Manuel Ceja @ 4:59 AM
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