my trip to the inyo national park located in the white mountains in california for a photo and film documentary about the bristlecone pines certainly belongs definitely to one of the most beautiful travel experiences in my life. the ancient bristlecone pine forest is a protected area high in the white mountains in inyo county in eastern california and home to the oldest trees in the world, bristlecone pines.
the flight alone with my friends thea, linda and roland our pilot over the infinite beauty of california, its vast deserts, endless highways, unknown lakes and cities at sunrise was simply breathtaking.
upon arrival the unique landscape caught me in its entireness. some of these living trees exceed 4000 years of age and exhibit spectacular growth forms of twisted and beautifully colored wood. some are burned to black ash, some rotten and home to hundreds of unknown insects. the methuselah grove in the ancient bristlecone pine forest is the location of the „methuselah“, a great basin bristlecone pine that is 4,847 years old. for many years, it was the world’s oldest known living non-clonal organism, until superseded by the discovery in 2013 of another bristlecone pine in the same area with an age of 5,065 years.
facing these incredible silent beauties one feels simply inexistent and insignificant.