Ancient Bristlecone

Bristlecone, Pine, White Mountains, California

Ancient Bristlecone : Prints Available

The last rays of sunset illuminate a bristlecone pine, the oldest living organism on the planet. These trees can be nearly 5,000 years old; their wood is extremely dense and resistant to insects and fungi, and rather than suffering rot, the wood erodes like stone due to wind, rain, and freezing.

For a little field trip from Bishop one evening in late October, we drove up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains, a high and dry mountain range on the east side of the Owens Valley. It’s a special feeling to walk amongst these statuesque trees, knowing that they have been standing there in this barren landscape longer than any living being on Earth!

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