Rings of time
A night under the stars with the world's oldest trees
Stuart Palley
The White Mountains lie just east of California’s Sierra Nevada. They're rugged and remote; topping out with White Mountain Peak rising to 14,252 feet. While its famous brethren mountains across the Owens Valley get much of the summer outdoors glory and photographic attention, the White Mountains contain the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest, and in it, the oldest tree in the world, at over 5,000 years old.
While the tree’s specific location in Schulman Grove is a secret, you can tell all the trees have centuries, if not millennia, of history behind them. Further along a dirt road lies Patriarch Grove, at over 11,000 feet.
Tangled in the gnarled roots of the specially adapted Bristlecone Pine are layers of annual tree ring growth so small that the trees become concrete like, allowing them to withstand heart rot and other afflictions that cause a shorter life span for lesser tress.
The Bristlecone Pine thrives at high altitudes above 10,000 feet and in nutrient poor soils. The altitude results in a short growing season, but it means little competition for the uniquely adapted tree. High winds and unpredictable weather give the trees a leaning form, and their branches look permanently windswept. The almost alien landscape gives the trees an otherworldly feel amongst the rocky alpine slope.
Come nightfall, the heavens open up on clear, moonless nights, affording some of the best stargazing conditions in California. The altitude allows for a clear view of the Milky Way, and there is virtually no light pollution, save for some light from Bishop down in the valley.
The angle of the Milky Way in the sky seems to mimic the ethereal forms of individual Bristlecone Pines throughout the night. Light painting the trees and using long exposures captures their magnificent forms against the night sky. The new Nikon D810a astro camera captures the Milky Way in incredible detail as well.Even though its summer and 90 degrees on the Owens Valley floor, temperatures drop to near freezing at 11,000 feet, and a light wind makes it even chillier.
There are only so many of days a year for ideal stargazing and photography conditions at the Ancient Bristle Cone Forest groves, so a clear summer night after thunderstorms all day is lucky. While the weather moves fast in the mountains, the Bristle Cones aren’t going anywhere, and stand ready to be seen once again on the next trip.