Hole in the Trunk Bristlecone Pine

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The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Inyo National Forest, Inyo County
late afternoon Wednesday June 25, 2003, slide 03P6-1
Pentax 67 AEII with 55-100mm, Gitzo G1325 Mk2
Drum scanned Fuji Provia 100F 220 film to 200mb RGB file
Adobe Photoshop 6.0 processed for accurate image fidelity
Lightjet5000 printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper
signature mid bottom right

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Friend Doug and I were on our first day of a five-day early summer Owens Valley road trip. After the long drive over the Sierra Nevada from the Bay Area, we had spent a cloudy sprinkling night at Big Alkali Lake near 6,800 feet. After some early reflection work we hiked up McGee Creek at 8,400 feet to shoot mule ears wildflowers in the morning. In the afternoon we drove to Bishop at 4,000 feet for a fine Mexican lunch then up the eastern flank of the valley to the ridge top of the White Mountains at just under 11,000 feet.

Our afternoon idea was for a long exploration hike beyond trails hopefully to find some magnificent rarely if ever seen bristlecone specimen. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a large remote area of several miles in width and breath likely to have many secrets yet to be discovered. Bristlecone pines, pinus longaeva, tend to grow on just dolomite outcrops. The ancient white dolomite rock is metamorphosized limestone from shallow seabed deposits in the Cambrian Period more than 500 million years in the past. I had brought along a California geological map for that area which showed areas of the reserve with dolomite. Comparing that with topographic maps gave me a plan. From long experience searching magnificent trees of many species I knew large tall trees tend to live in wind protected well-watered locations while gnarly trees are found on the windiest exposed ridgeline locales.

We wandered on a wobbly route passing some nice trees but for quite some time nothing to remove my heavy camera gear for. Along a spiny crumbling exposed outcrop of awkward dolomite we started to come across more interesting trees where we began work.

After shooting a nice snag I roamed ahead and then saw this incredibly aesthetic bristlecone ahead and let out a whoop. Doug also now moving along quickly caught up and we both had great excitement at finding this wonderful tree hidden within the immenseness of the large reserve. Like from a dream of an artist how could nature alone create such?

The tree had a peculiar hole in the center of the trunk with a nose like short remnant of a branch poking outward from below that spot. Just as though it was created for some bird or chipmunk to live in with a porch to walk out onto in order to enjoy watching over the surrounding forest. Ah...is anyone home in there? The naked face of the tree's trunk facing my camera had borne the blunt of winds to protect its living lee side. A strip of that cambium protecting bark can be seen along either left or right edge of the trunk and at right covering a large root. Dead roots at the front meet the dolomite as pieces of golden white and brown sculpture with some pieces lying about unattached. Against the deep blue sky, outer branches show many pine cones on this apparently quite healthy tree. Some fallen cones in various stages of disintegration can be seen among the foreground including one apparently just fallen rich brown cone lower center right. Along with cones a few slightly green tufts of grass find existence in the thin soil.

I put the near end of the left root at the frame's corner and the end of the stick at frame center. Back far enough to isolate against the sky another nice pine on the right. We will return some day likely with our 4x5's and knock knock near the hole to see who's home.

Crop at 100% print size:

   David Senesac
   email: sales@davidsenesac.com

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