The highlight of an April 2018 road trip to S California was visiting the ancient bristlecone pine forest in the White Mountains (just north of Death Valley). The trees there include several of the oldest known trees on the planet. This tree is growing at over 10,000 feet.
The individual trees sited in the toughest environments grow the slowest and end up living the longest. Minimal annual growth creates dense, resin filled wood that is more resistant to insect attack.
Camera: Nikon D810 Lens: Nikon 28-300mm set at 135mm ISO: 140 1/160th sec f/10
wow! that’s an awesome tree!