Seeking Methuselah
Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living things in the world, and the largest group of Bristlcone Pines are high in the White Mountains on the eastern side of Owens Valley. (View a map of the area towards the bottom of my first story in this series.)
These trees grow best in harsh conditions where it’s hard for other species to compete with them:
A hike around the Methuselah Grove, where the oldest of the old trees lives, is like a visit to God. If ever there were a real temple or church, this is it.
Methuselah itself is not identified by the Forest Service (the ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is part of Inyo National Forest). This lack of specific identification is intended to protect Methuselah, the oldest of all living things, from vandalism and souvenir hunters.
But hiking on the trail around the Methuselah Grove, I felt sentience — ancient, sleepy, wise — and that the eyes of the old ones were upon me:
October 28th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
[...] 170″ title=”Photo Sharing”> Beyond Westgard Pass Gateway to the desert and Nevada Seeking Methuselah The [...]
October 16th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
[...] e peaks of the Sierra crest in the distance of this photo. These trees are believed to be the oldest living things, preserved in part by high altitude and clean living (think clear, dry air whi [...]
December 30th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
[...] tgard Pass, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger. Westgard Pass lies below the Ancient Bristlecone Pine preserve in the White Mountains. It is the last stop between Owens Valley and [...]
January 11th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
[...] had a licensing request for images of bristlecone pines from the Methuselah Grove in California’s White Mountains. These trees are believed to be the world’s oldest [...]
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:27 pm
[...] story: Seeking Methuselah, a story about the ancient Bristlecone Pines when I visited on a roadtrip in 2005; my Bristlecone [...]