The Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living things on earth. These old trees are approximately 3500 to 5000 years old. We drive to the visitor center and park the car. Although in this case the visitors center is no more than a mobile home. The Ranger referred us to second parking 4 km away, but this is a dirt road and not suitable for a 27 feet motor home.
We decide to walk the Discovery Trail, a small circle of 1.6 km long. This trail gives a good impression of the beauty of these trees.
The dating of the trees is largely performed by AE Douglass. He walked through the valley where he samples the growth rings of the trees by drilling. In the evening he counted the rings.
Later, through C-14 analysis the values Douglass were checked. These proved very accurate. The rings are also used for analysis of the climate during the life of the trees.
It is fun to see that the Bristlecone Pine are growing on the White Mountains, an ancient seabed. Because of the hard rocks of white stone the Bristlecone Pine is not deeply rooted. For water, they use moisture from the air.
Photo gallery Hiking through The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - United States
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