It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

An old bristlecone pine at Great Basin National Park, where stars light up the sky at night. — National Forest Service Photo
A Walk Among the Trees
I was sitting on my third-floor balcony drinking my cream-laced coffee this morning, with my binoculars aimed at our resident great horned owl. We have a pair here, and since this was the largest of the two I assumed it was the female.
The owl was restless and flew off after a couple of minutes, but I continued to stare, this time at the magnificent Ponderosa pine in which the owl perched, and which graces my balcony view. I saw the tree as a living thing, and knowing that it is a tiny cog in the ecosystem that is necessary to my daily breath, I was awed and thankful,
And that thought took me back to the trip I made to Great Basin National Park, where I stood near the summit of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, and learned of the murder of what was thought to be the world’s oldest living tree.
I was with a small group of hikers led by a ranger at this time, and one of the men in the group asked: “Did they kill the murderer.” The ranger responded: “They should have.”
But the truth is that the murderer was given a permit to cut the bristlecone pine tree down for research purposes. It was found to be 5,200 years old, and the oldest known living tree.
The silver lining from this tragedy – and the Pollyanna side of me always looks for this ray of sunshine – is that the hue and cry from this 1964 murder eventually led to the creation of Great Basin National Park.
“If anything good can come from the cutting of the world’s oldest tree, then it was that,” the ranger said, as we walked among other bristlecones, some of which were thought to be as old as 3,000 years.
That recorded memory, recalled from my journals and a newspaper story I wrote when the park was celebrating its 10th birthday, dates back to 1996. I made the trip to the Nevada park after then Rep. Jim Hansen, protesting the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which, I note, has recently been reduced in size, suggested that parks like the Great Basin didn’t deserve national protection.
I disagree one thousand percent.
Bean Pat: Old Plaid Camper https://oldplaidcamper.com/2018/06/22/hazy-lazy-low-tide-mornings/#like-10237 Life’s a marathon not a sprint.
Pat Bean is a Lonely Planet Community Pathfinder. Her book, Travels with Maggie, is now up on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/y8z7553y Currently, she is writing a book, tentatively titled Bird Droppings, which is about her late-bloomer birding adventures. You can contact her patbean@msn.com
It’s a pity what our present administration is doing – destroying so much of our nature’s treasures.
I find it hard not to scream and yell and get on a soap box about the current state of affairs. But I want this blog to be positive, and in my own small way remind people that we all live in this world and we need to protect it and be kind to one another. I would like to start a me-too kindness campaign. Thank you for understanding Pit.
On our recent trip, we enjoyed and enjoyed and enjoyed the wonderful sights and the beauty of the nature, and were sad at the same time sometimes, when we suddnely realized what is done to this beauty.
But as you say: lat’e not give in to these negative thoughts. Let’s go on enjoying nature’s wonders, and do all we can to preserve them.
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Pit
The photos are amazing!
Thanks but the only credit I can take for that is posting them. Although I use a lot of my own photos in this blog, the credit this time goes to the Forest Service and Wikimedia.
These treasures need protection – and an expansion – more than ever.
And thank you for the Pat!
I agree one thousand percent plaidcamper.
I don’t understand peoples reasoning sometimes. Setting aside places to preserve the land as it has been for eons is one more way of making sure we do not forget the past. We are too far removed from our connection with nature.
Mother Nature keeps me sane in this insane world. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Thanks joHawk