Bristlecone Pine Tree

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine trees, grown between 9800 to 11000 feet above sea level, can be found in the Ancient Pine Forest in the White Mountains in eastern California. Most significantly, the Methuselah, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that is more than 4750 years old, is located in the Methuselah Grove trail.

The Methuselah itself is unmarked for protection, but the scenery along the 4.5 miles trail is beautiful.
After driving for 4 hours, I arrived at the Schulman Grove vistor center just before sunrise. Originally I planned to hike one of the shorter trails until I was recommended the Methuselah Grove trail by another traveler. The trail itself is strenuous but the thin layer of snow and ice made the narrow path slippery and dangerous (I probably slipped 8-10 times but luckily I didn't fall off the mountains). The scent of air in the high altitude was surely refreshing and the view into the valley was nothing short of amazing; unfortunately I had to turn back 2 miles into the trail in the interest of time.

Camera: Fujifilm X-Pro1
Lens: Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R