BajaNomad

Ancient Life in the White Mountains

DianaT - 4-24-2012 at 10:18 PM

Looking forward to returning very soon. And if anyone has been to the Sierras and have not turned right up into the White Mountains, we highly recommend you do so.







woody with a view - 4-24-2012 at 10:37 PM

pretty cool!

Skipjack Joe - 4-24-2012 at 10:42 PM

Very expressive, Diane.

DianaT - 4-24-2012 at 10:48 PM

Many thanks to both of you!

To me, this is one of those special and very emotional places --- I find it very awe inspiring.

goldhuntress - 4-24-2012 at 10:52 PM

Nice photos Diana! Love the Bristlecone Pines. My Dad told me that many years ago when he was there some people he met had an old photo of Methuselah and they actually found it. It's the oldest living tree, more than 4,750 years old. It's not marked to ensure added protection from vandals.

BajaBruno - 4-24-2012 at 11:13 PM

Lovely, Diana. Those elevations above the treeline are inspiring, but the air is thin for hiking!

tripledigitken - 4-24-2012 at 11:16 PM

A favorite spot to spend time for sure. Thanks for posting the interesting shots.

Fernweh - 4-25-2012 at 03:19 AM

Stunning Pictures Diana!
One of my favorite camp spots just below the Bristle-cone trees at 10,400' elevation.

Cypress - 4-25-2012 at 04:41 AM

Diana T, Thanks.:yes:

Mexitron - 4-25-2012 at 08:07 AM

Nice! The White Mountains are on our to-do list this year...must have been pretty cold there still?

Bajalover - 4-25-2012 at 08:15 AM

Excellent photos. That's a great 1 mile walk. Lots of elevation change and scenery. Mathusala is on the long trail 5mile give or take with the tree being at around mile 3.5. By taking the trail backwards you get to the grove quicker than walking the correct direction. Amazingly this super old tree is very near the trail and you wouldn't even know it's the oldest tree. Most of the trees on the hill besides the trail are marked with numbers so you can get the ages of the trees. The oldest tree truely is the most unassuming tree on the trail. It's good people don't know because they might wish to take a piece and ruin it for all.
Great camping and exploring available in that whole area.
Would attach a photo but I forgot how. Sorry.

estebanis - 4-25-2012 at 08:27 AM

I have a job coming up automating the Substation that feeds the High Altitude Lab. Sure looking forward to it.
One of the local fellows tells me the deer population has been desimated by the mountain lions. That being said be sure to keep an eye out while hiking in the Whites!
Esteban

DianaT - 4-25-2012 at 08:54 AM

Fernweh----what a GREAT camping picture. It is so inviting!

Thanks to all for looking and for the comments. It is a steep drive up there, and yes, the breathing is not easy, but it is worth it to see ancient living trees --- they grow so slowly.

there was an older one I visited in 1962

durrelllrobert - 4-25-2012 at 09:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajalover
Excellent photos. That's a great 1 mile walk. Lots of elevation change and scenery. Mathusala is on the long trail 5mile give or take with the tree being at around mile 3.5. By taking the trail backwards you get to the grove quicker than walking the correct direction. Amazingly this super old tree is very near the trail and you wouldn't even know it's the oldest tree. Most of the trees on the hill besides the trail are marked with numbers so you can get the ages of the trees. The oldest tree truely is the most unassuming tree on the trail. It's good people don't know because they might wish to take a piece and ruin it for all.
Great camping and exploring available in that whole area.
Would attach a photo but I forgot how. Sorry.

An older tree called Prometheus was killed shortly after it was discovered in 1964. This happened when a geologist searching for evidence of Ice Age glaciers was taking some core samples from several bristlecones. Just as he realized he had found a tree over 4,000 years old, his coring tool broke. Amazingly the U.S. Forest Service gave him permission to cut down the tree. Prometheus turned out to be 4,950 years old. It was a 300 year old tree when the pyramids were being built in Egypt. After people heard about this incident, the U.S. Forest Service tightened security around the bristlecones.

Natalie Ann - 4-25-2012 at 09:23 AM

Nicely done, Diane.

Looking at your pix I again get that feeling of my own relative importance on earth, just as I did on my first visit to the White Mountains. We are all just babies. Those ancient trees are the old souls.

I've always thought the rarefied air added to the santuary-like feeling on top. Walking along in the quiet up there is for me quite an ethereal experience.

You took a really good vacation this time. I have enjoyed it very much. Many thanks.

nena

Barry A. - 4-25-2012 at 09:39 AM

Diane--------Has the USFS rebuilt the visitor center up there? A hyper-enviro-nut burned it down several years ago, just days after we had been there------it caused a lot of angst for a lot of people, me & Meredith included, and was a beautiful building with a lot of displays inside------total loss. It turned out this guy that burned it was really nuts, as I recall. The USFS was really worried about replacing it as it is so remote, and the cost of building up there is so prohibitive, but I think they were going ahead with it.

Barry

Ken Bondy - 4-25-2012 at 09:53 AM

Spectacular images Diane!!!

DianaT - 4-25-2012 at 10:02 AM

Barry, they have had a temporary center, but they are building a beautiful new one! (These pictures were not taken this year, so we need to head back up and check out the progress.)

But for information on the new center, check it out on the Forest Service web-site. Visitor Center

Yes Nena, they are definitely old souls and it does cause one to reflect. It really is one of those top of the world places that always makes me feel like a tiny part of a very interconnected world.

Neal Johns - 4-25-2012 at 10:34 AM

Nomad TacoFeliz usually leads a Desert Explorer 4wd trip through the Whites every year. Give him a U2U if interested.

Cypress - 4-25-2012 at 10:38 AM

DianaT, Old souls!:light:

Bajalover - 4-26-2012 at 07:29 AM

Barry, the visitor center may be finished by now. I visit Bristlecone every year either July or August (depending on my schedule). Last August they had already poured concrete floors/footings and were in the process of starting the building. Will visit again this August. Hopefully I'll have figured out how to upload photos of the center by then.
A great place.

Barry A. - 4-26-2012 at 10:05 AM

Thanks, Diane and BajaLover for that update. I will have to go up again this summer and have a look------always a rewarding side-trip from "the Valley".

Barry