Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - September 27, 2008

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, White Mountains, California

To the east of a small California city called Big Pine, up high (at about 10,000 above sea level) is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. To reach the Forest, you must drive on a windy, constantly rising 2-lane road, California-168 to reach the southern White Mountains. After about 20-30 minutes of this, after which you have driven about 13 miles, you turn left at a road which will take you into the White Mountains/Inyo National Forest. This is another windy, constantly rising road on which you drive 10 more miles until you reach the Schulman Grove parking area. Of course, when you leave it is pretty much all down hill; controlling your car speed without over heating your brakes does become a bit of a challenge.

There used to be a visitor's center here (and there may still be again) but it burned a couple of weeks before my visit. That was the only thing that burned - the surrounding trees were not damaged.

At the parking area, you have the choice of hiking into either the Schulman Grove or Methuselah Grove. I chose the latter, a 4-mile jaunt that went up and down through the Inyo National and Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forests. In September at altitude it was a bit of a chilly day. I kept moving to keep warm. The trail contained a mixture of differing pine trees. The grove is named after an ancient tree, which has been given the name "Methuselah". The tree is about 5,000 years old. The forest service does not idenitfy which tree this is to protect it from vandals. Somewhere in the middle of the 4 miles a sign has been placed, however, that informs the hiker they are now entering the "ancient" part of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and that Methuselah is in here somewhere.

Think about this! Methuselah was around before the pyramids were built, before both Alexander the Great and the Romans built (and lost) their empires (Julius Ceasar had yet to conquer what is now France!), and even longer than the first documented civilizations were built in Mesopatamia in what is now Iraq. This is one seriously old tree!

Ancient Bristlecone Pine trees are not like the pine trees you envision when you hear the word "Pine Tree". Ancient Bristlecone Pines are much shorter, much squatter. They seem to go out sideways instead of upways. None of my pictures could do them justice. According to all the literature I have, the pines don't gain much mass due to a couple of factors - the elevation, the sunlight or lack depending on which slope of the mountains they reside on, the wind, and the availability of water.

I enjoyed my hike, although the altitude did get me on the hills - you gain and lose about 800 feet in elevation throughout the hike, and there are not nearly enough strategically placed benches to rest on when you need them.

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