This past week Aubrey and I escaped the holiday crowds, the southern desert heat, and the Sierra rains, by exploring the White Mountains in eastern California. This is one of the only areas in California where you can drive to a high enough altitude that the summer temperatures are tolerable. Fortunately, the lengthy approach and lack of water keeps most people out.
This high alpine desert paradise is most famous for the bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva). At least one of these tough trees has eked out a living in this dry and wind and lightning battered landscape for over 5,000 years. The average trees range in age from 1,000 to 2,000 years old, making them the real “millennials” of the world. Over these nearly geological time scales, rocks shift, and even entire mountain sides can slide away. But, the toughest of the trees manage to find what little soil is available, clinging to life in the most unlikely places.
Click images for larger view!
Holding on to their rocky perches requires an immense amount of strength, and their exposed wood bodies reveal burly layers of cellulose muscle and sinew marred by scrapes, bruises, and fractures. These weathered souls have suffered for longer than all of mankind’s recorded history.
Between the solitary trees are acres upon acres of sage land. Afternoon thunderstorms pound the landscape with rain, releasing powerfully sweet and savory smells that waft through the valleys. Life isn’t easy for the sage, either, though. Scores of dead and dying shrubs litter the landscape, like an exhumed graveyard. They are not forgotten, however. Many of their bodies are adorned with summer flowers, breathing seasonal life into their forgotten souls.
Judging by the plentiful droppings we saw, I’m certain there is quite a bit of wildlife in the valleys; but the rabbits, deer, and predators made themselves scarce. We did, however, come upon a solitary member of the white mountain wild horse herd. The white mountains are home to 75 wild horses, whose origin likely dates back to escaped ranch horses from the 1870’s.
Tags: bristlecones, high desert, white mountains
And again I enjoyed very much your photos.
I wonder wether you use photoshop before you publish your photos.
It is my opinion that when you make a photo you have to do the utmost that photoshopping is not necessary. As it was in the time films were used.
Kind regards,
Haijo de Jong
Beautiful images as always, Floris! I particularly like “Jerky” and “Afterlife”. I’d love to visit here.
Hi Haijo – Glad you like the images. Nearly all of my images require some post-processing. The human eye and brain see the world very differently from a camera, so even just to match what I saw requires some careful adjustments, especially to exposure and contrast. Of course I also take some artistic liberties, but ultimately I want my images to be authentic and representative of the real thing. I don’t add or remove anything (except dust spots and such), and I make minimal adjustments to color.
Floris I am a new subscriber and a huge fan of your work!
Your photos and your excellent descriptive writing are a valuable source of inspiration for me, as I pursue my own career as a photographer and naturalist.
Thank you,
Riley @ rileyshiery.com
I have been photographing naturee for many years, I just love it. I always amazed by the colors you can get in your pictures. Sucess for you.