An Ancient One
An Ancient One. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
An ancient bristelcone pine standing alone on a rocky ridge, White Mountains.
During my recent trip to photograph Eastern Sierra fall color I spent one day high in the White Mountains. For those who may not be familiar with this range (one of multiple “White Mountains” ranges in the USA!), it lies to the east of the central Sierra Nevada, running south from roughly Boundary Peak, the tallest in Nevada, to Westgard Pass, which separates the range, somewhat arbitrarily, from the Inyo Mountains. It is a high, remote, and largely unvisited range that is quite dry, being in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Likely in part for this reason it it also lacks the rugged, sculpted peaks of the Sierra, and much of its high country is more of a rounded moonscape. It is known as one of the prime locations for bristlecone pines.
These are, as some you you likely know already, remarkable trees. Some of them may be among the very oldest trees — some may be close to 5000 years old. Surprisingly perhaps, the oldest are those that grow in some of the most rugged and least hospitable places. It seems that the struggle strengthens them, and these “old ones” are usually characterized by resistance to exposure and the appearance of being more dead than alive — the trees sacrifice the majority of their structures in order to sustain a few remaining branches. Their remarkable character and great age always lead me to slow down and ponder…
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
An Ancient One
An Ancient One. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
An ancient bristelcone pine standing alone on a rocky ridge, White Mountains.
During my recent trip to photograph Eastern Sierra fall color I spent one day high in the White Mountains. For those who may not be familiar with this range (one of multiple “White Mountains” ranges in the USA!), it lies to the east of the central Sierra Nevada, running south from roughly Boundary Peak, the tallest in Nevada, to Westgard Pass, which separates the range, somewhat arbitrarily, from the Inyo Mountains. It is a high, remote, and largely unvisited range that is quite dry, being in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Likely in part for this reason it it also lacks the rugged, sculpted peaks of the Sierra, and much of its high country is more of a rounded moonscape. It is known as one of the prime locations for bristlecone pines.
These are, as some you you likely know already, remarkable trees. Some of them may be among the very oldest trees — some may be close to 5000 years old. Surprisingly perhaps, the oldest are those that grow in some of the most rugged and least hospitable places. It seems that the struggle strengthens them, and these “old ones” are usually characterized by resistance to exposure and the appearance of being more dead than alive — the trees sacrifice the majority of their structures in order to sustain a few remaining branches. Their remarkable character and great age always lead me to slow down and ponder…
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.