The Oldest Living Things On Earth – Ancient Bristlecone Forest, CA
They are the oldest single living organism on earth. Older than the birth of Christ, almost as old as the beginning of Egyptian Civilization. Many exceed centuries in age, the oldest a mind-boggling ~4,600 years old…still growing, still living, still biding her time. These are not just trees, they are living testaments of history, each decade etched into their ring structure, each climatic event curled into their gnarled branches. We are in the Ancient Bristlecone Forest, high above the valley floor and standing here in their presence is
…simply
…extraordinary!
Bristlecones only grow in very, very isolated areas, typically right below the tree-line in dry, arid, cold locations. They are incredibly resilient and incredibly slow-growing. Roots can extend over 50 feet, pine needles can stay on the tree for 40 years and pieces of dead wood have been dated back 11,000+ years! The very oldest living pines are the ones that have been exposed to the most difficult conditions (as they say “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”) and they sit right here in the mountains of Eastern California (the Great Basin Bristlecones = Pineas Longaeva). Methuselah, named after the longest-lived person in the bible, is the very oldest of the lot. She’s over 4,600 years young and no-one will tell you her exact location, but you can take a break right by her grove and meditate on the hugeness of life in her most awesome presence.
I was turned on to visit this place by blog reader Maryanne. Hidden away in the White Mountains on an ancient sea floor (now at ~10,000 feet), these trees are truly a unique experience. We waited for the perfect moment to see them, letting the weekend snow-storms pass so we could appreciate them in a serene blanket of white and blue. When conditions opened up all four of us raced over to take the 4-mile Methuselah hike so we could see the oldest of the lot.
And what a fabulous outing it was! Steep slopes of snow dotted with Bristlecone sculptures (they really are more art than tree), and sweeping valley views. Walking through this historic place is meditative and very almost spiritual. The hike was slippery and icy in spots, Lu (poor girl) was dizzy, and one of us (I won’t say whom) managed to fall on our ass, but we were ALL completely awed and overwhelmed by these amazing trees. The oldest living things on earth, right here in our presence, alive and thriving only ~1 hour from our campsite. It was an honor and a priviledge….and I thank Maryanne for the tip!
I actually get chills looking at these beauties. The details are just exquisite!
I got chills being there! Nina
They really are a awesome site. We visited about 15 years ago.
The beautiful thing is they are so never-changing. It’s great this place is preserved.
Nina
4000 year old trees…
4000 years ago Mastodons were going extinct, they were building the Great Pyramid & one of those trees was already old. That was before the peak of the Roman Empire…
Thanks….my history is not as good as it should be 🙂 Those details really put the age into perspective.
Nina
The Bristlecones are on my bucket list. A true must-see in nature. A real treat to have you share this experience with us, Thank you. The pictures are just awesome.
They’re definitely something special. Glad you enjoyed the shots.
Nina
Nina, your photos are just wonderful. We’ve only seen these trees in pictures, and yours are great! Thanks for sharing the experience. We’ll probably never make that hike, but sure happy to see how wonderful it looks through your eyes!
Glad I could give ya a glimpse! Wish I could go back and photograph these things at sunrise or sunset.
Nina
I’m in awe of Bristlecone pines too! Pineas Longeava not only occur in the mountains of Eastern California, but also in Eastern Nevada in the high country of Great Basin National Park, a place of unexpected beauty and surprises, but located far from just about everything (few visitors). Check it out someday for a unique adventure! Bye the way – I think your blog site is terrific! Thank you and Paul too!
We went to Great Basin YEARS ago (on a car-camping trip). I remember it being very scenic, but totally didn’t know about the Bristlecones in the area at that time. Gotta go back!
Nina
Fabulous pictures ! interestingly at our hike today Steve mentioned about Bristlecone but I have never been able to identify them. And Viola your post just came in time. It is very informative and thanks to your beautiful shots I can identify and point them out.
By the way, here is our story about our good experiences with your excellent referrals, Marty (Elite) and Rob (Hendersons) appreciates your shout out.
http://lowestravels.com/2012/10/13/health-checks-for-betsy-at-grants-pass-oregon/
How fun that you guys were talking about them the same day. Love those kinds of coincidences. So VERY happy you had a good experience w/ the guys at Elite & Hendersons. Great write-up!
Nina
Great photos and yet another wonderful post on something new for us…
Definitely worth adding to “the list”
Nina
Thank you for taking us back to a place we visited oh-so-many years ago! We were taking a photography class, and that was a field trip. We didn’t hike toward Methusalah, but we at least got up to the end of the road. Your pictures are superb, as always!
Yup, we didn’t take the drive to the largest tree (Patriach) up at the end of the dirt road, so that’s one more for a future list. LOVE the photography here, but need to go back and photograph these trees in late afternoon light…must be gorgeous at that time! I can just imagine how fun a photography trip would have been!
Nina
This was a wonderful hike, a little scary at times given the slope of the trail and the snow and ice, but would not have traded it for anything. And yes, for those who did not already guess, Lu, that dizzy broad, is the one who slipped and fell on her ass. Glad I had enough padding! No more vertigo so hopefully today no falling down! Thanks Nina for another great post. 🙂
Hehe…you did wonderfully, esp. considering your vertigo. Very glad we all made it.
Nina
You can also hike to a 3,000 year old Bristlecone right outside of Las Vegas in the Spring Mountains. Its a beautiful hike, only 7 miles round trip and enjoy your lunch under Raintree. It is my favorite Saturday morning hike. Better hurry though, we already have a little snow. There’s more to Vegas than the strip….
You know I read about the Bristlecones in other places and am interested to go and see them. We haven’t RV’d around Las Vegas, but it’s on our “list”. Lots of nature in that area we’d love to see!
Nina
Great memories. I was there about 37 years ago. I bet it hasn’t changed much…except back then we drove most of the way up there.
Yup, likely it’s exactly the same. This is a never-changing place, for which I am very grateful.
Nina
Wow – snow! We were there on September 27th ( http://roamingtogether.com/ancient-bristlecone-pine-forest/ ) and although it was extremely chilly in the morning it warmed up in the 60’s midday. The ranger mentioned as we were leaving that they just discovered an older tree but they haven’t finished dating it yet since they’re so gnarly it takes some time to fit all the pieces together. It’ll be interesting to hear the details, but of course they’ll keep the location of that one secret too to prevent vandalism.
Nice write-up & love those shots (esp. the black and white one!). Didn’t hear about the “new” old tree…how intriguing!! Gotta ask about that one next time we go back.
Nina
We were there last June after leaving June Lake. No snow, but absolutely mind-boggling. Awesome creatures and great photo ops!
It’s a very, very cool place! Nina