Searching for the Oldest Trees in the World - Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2024
- The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located about 24 miles off Highway 395 in Inyo County, California, and is home to the oldest trees in the world. In July 2020 we visited the park and did the Methuselah Loop Trail, a little over 4 mile hike that takes you to the Methuselah Grove, where the world's oldest trees reside, including the Methuselah Tree, the oldest confirmed tree in the world at 4,851 years old.
In addition to seeing trees that were around before the pyramids, the hike offers great views of the surrounding area, including Death Valley National Park.
Getting to the park is fairly easy, it is a short side trip off Highway 395 and the road is paved the entire way to the visitor center. The hike is not too strenuous, but is at over 10,000 feet elevation for the majority of it, with and 800 foot elevation drop/gain. It is not wheelchair accessible. But we managed to do it with sea-level living city folk and a 7 year old, so not too bad.
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Your kid is the luckiest kid on the planet. This is the kind of thing my parents did with me back in the 60's. My love for nature and adventure just keeps growing. He will really appreciate this when he's 50. You never introduced them so I'm assuming that's your wife and son or some groupies one or the other.
Your son waving at the end is precious!❤
Thanks for taking us on your hike. Beautiful!
Our pleasure! Thank you for watching.
That was amazing, always enjoy your videos. It's incredible that the ancient trees were never affected by lightning and fires, to remain untouched for thousands of years is incredible. Beautiful scenery. Thank you.
There are some Bristlecone trees at higher altitudes in the High Sierra at 10,000 as well, but none as big as on the White Mountains where the park your at is located. White Mountain itself is 4.347m (14,261ft) above the sea level and is just about the highest place you can drive to in the Contiguous USA, but past the gate you have to get permission. Used to be able to, but not anymore I've heard. Guarantee the research scientists don't hike up to their research station on top, they drive.
HEALTH TIP for high altitudes. If you have a hard time breathing and start getting a headache purse your lips and create back pressure in your lungs. That is usually all most need, but if you feel fatigued, headache and nauseous get back down in altitude and keep doing pursed lipped breathing.
Thank you Steve and family for taking us along. I can’t hike anymore due to my knees are shot. I really enjoyed this.
Just came back from Methuselah trail. Here is something you should consider:
#1, it is 10,000+ feet, so don't underestimate 4.5 mile trail (only 300 feet elevation during the trail). Don't go if you have heart problem.
#2, get to the view point (about 2.5 miles before visiting center) before sunrise. It snowed the day before we went there, and the view was unbelievable.
#3, You are supposed to walk the trail counter-clockwise, but we made a wrong turn and went clockwise, the slope is much better but longer, and I think it is easier.
#4, it takes about 1.5 hours of driving from Bishop to the visitor center, from 4,000 feet to 10,000 feet, last 3 miles of driving is scary.
Good luck.
I'd like to personally visit the trees, but this isn't a trail for me. Breathing difficulties and no stamina anymore. Thanks for the heads up!
Hi, why is it scary? I’d like to be prepared
@@emilyjea Part of road doesn't have protection, and quite narrow for two cars.
When you are driving down from Methuselah (so you are on the side next to cliff), it is quite scary when there are cars coming towards you.
Another for the bucket list, one day.
I've just started watching your videos and enjoy them very much. I'm not for that area of California so this gives me an idea of what it's like in other parts of our state. I like how you take the time to notice and record the small things that many would pass over. Keep up the good work and thank you for making these presentations.
Love your videos. I watch every one from here in Kentucky. I grew up in SD and used to explore all over California with my Dad in the 1970s. Almost got to the Bristlecone Pines once but it was winter and the road was closed off 395. Your background music sounds like Brian Eno stuff which gets another thumbs up!!
I always forget your videos come out on Wednesdays. Such a fun weekly surprise.Thanks for taking us along.
Thank you for watching.
Absolutely love the Bristlecone Forest … So unique ❤️❤️❤️💯💯🙏🙏🌹
I just did this hike and you did a really nice job depicting what it is like. Wonderful job.
Thanks. Hope you had a great time on the hike. Was there much snow?
@@SidetrackAdventures Yes, it was packed in icy in places where you had to be careful. Most was bare however.
Keep up the good work ! Love these videos
Far away, far up & far out! Thanks to the Sidetrack clan for such vid's which bring us such pleasure, Keep safe, well & happy; people!! uk
I always wanted to see this area! Thanks for the trip...
Fantastic video! Beautiful vistas and the music is so relaxing!
I worked up at 11500 ft when I was in my early twenties. The first thing the boss told me was to take it easy, make sure I stop and take a breath! I'd never been on a job where the boss told me to take it easy! I had such good lungs in those years I never noticed the height!!
Excellent video. Amazing to think of what those trees would have looked like back in the day. Think of what they have seen through all those years. Truly incredible. Thanks so much for this video.
Thanks 👍
Thank you.
This was a wonderful trip! Thanks 😊 for taking us along!
Enjoy being guided on your trips and the glimpses of your charming little family.
Thank you so much!
Fantastic video, San Diego Steve! This is now on my bucket list, thanks to you and your family. I look forward to seeing the oldest trees in the world. And what an appropriate name! Methuselah had the longest lifespan of all those given in the Bible, having died at the age 969. According to the Book of Genesis, Methuselah was the son of Enoch, the father of Lamech, and the grandfather of Noah.
Definitely adding this to the bucket list. Great vids dude!
Discovery Trail shown at 0:27 in the video is also good. My wife and I did it 7/6/23, I'm 60 and she's 53, we're from Va. Beach, sea level, so the 10k elevation was just enough to handle the 1m trail.
Love your videos
That drop off is pretty scary!
Well done documenting your families hike.👍🎥🎞
Wonderful film. Thank you.
I used to love watching Huell Howser. Seeing all the awesome things I can explore with just a short drive.
You guys do a great job of filling in for him. I am addicted to your channel now. Thank you for doing this.
Awesome! Thank you!
I knew Huell, my brother did contracting work for him near Palm Springs. They had a friendly trying to cut each other in price kind of thing going. My brother made him 4 copper planters for $1200 and Huell paid my brother $1000 so he took one of the planters bank and told Huell he needed to cut it in half so he'd get his money's worth. Huell laughed and gave my brother the rest.
I used to watch him too. "Just doesn't get any better then this"!! 😆
very nice, thanks for the vid. Love the idea of these trees growing for a thousand years before any recorded human history. 10k is HIGH! I've been up about 7800 on the flanks of Mt Rainier and was definitely breathing hard.
Steve and his lovely wife are not exactly in the best shape for hiking 4 miles at such a high altitude!...Yet they seemed OK! BTW...those trees look like dead tree stumps to me...are they actually still "alive"?
Definitely a place my mother and I always wanted to go to but time ran out. And now I think I may never get there either Steve so I'll have to save this as the next best thing. I sure thought that the dried up lake bed seen below was in Death Valley but you said Death Valley was over the mountains. Thanks again.
it's right up to your right as you come to 17 from the direction you went. that is an amazing place!
Thanks
Breathtaking view!!!
amazing! you just hope no wildfires affect that special forest...
beautiful!!
We saw Bristlecone Pines at Great Basin Natl Park, memorable for sure☺️
Nice video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice hike
Another great video! I was up there last year and you really feel a part of the earth. We hiked a few miles and took pictures at the Whitney Portal a few weeks after a earthquake shook many huge boulder into the parking lot at Whitney. The boulders just sheared off the tops of some trees. Heading back up to Bristlecone forest in August. I want to hike that trail. Thank you.
Cool video. 👍
Want to thank you for these videos. I will never be able to see these sites bc I am on the east coast. Fascinating history. BTW I rode the Grand Canyon railroad too and saw a bunch of wildlife in April. Thanks again.
AWESOME Vid !! Thanks You !!
Glad you liked it! Thank you.
Actually at 10:40 you were looking past Deep Springs Lake and over the hills there is Fish Lake Valley. Then over the next range is Panamint valley and THEN over the next range is Death Valley.
I live in Nevada and want to see the bristlecones at Great Basin NP. Every time I go though it's already snowed in! One of these days!
Thanks!
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Fantastic video
Fantastic video!
Thank you some good instructions and directions and narration.. cheers mate
Excellent
I always the that the Redwoods are the oldest trees alive. Redwoods are truly amazing trees i lived up there for a lot of years and its breathtaking so many beautiful things to see and feel
beautiful
thank you so much for the video. you helped me do my geography home work
You're very welcome!
The reason these trees have survived so long is that they are so high up, the terrain is difficult for humans and/or machinery, they're sparsely distanced, and they're short and twisted - not board feet lumber. In other words, they're not commercially viable. I do agree about the views. Stunning! What is the soil? Looks gray/white.
Not sure about the soil. The weather gets pretty extreme up there where it bakes in the summer and freezes in the winter, so I can imagine it does a number on it.
Wood is an extremely sustainable resource. Better to build houses out of that than petroleum based products.
How does a tree go 5000 years without experiencing a forest fire? Lightning strikes?
Dolomite
Love the videos and especially love the shirt.
Thank you!
Cool,
Thanks 😅
Stunning video. I used to live in sunnymead, near riverside. Just wondering what camera you are using. I’m using a Leica v-lux, but the video is shaky and yours is not at all.
Haven't been to the bristlecone pine forest for years. Its not far from the charcoal kilns, which is another interesting site
Subscribed 😊
Very cool video Steve, but I think the "oldest" tree is the Bennett Juniper. It's located off Hwy 108 near the town of Strawberry in the Stanislaus Forest, California.. This tree has been core sampled and it is over 6000 years old. You can drive to it but it is NOT easy.... I've been to it several times. '----oldest thing God has wrought' ( a portion of a sign posted near)..........
A video about trees. What's not to like!🙂
Looks like a rather dangerous drop-off.
Bristlecones can be found at Great Basin NP and Bryce Canyon NP.
BTW. Bristlecones are one of Nevada's state trees.
The methusela tree is right on the main tral in the middle of the grove. It's not a big or special looking tree. That being said, there's many trees around the age of the methusela tree. There's a couple said to be older.
Are there animals in the area that might attack you and if so, do you take any type of weapon with you, maybe pepper spray, that would ward off any attack? A great vlog, thanks.
Because the hike is so high in elevation there isn't much in the way of large animals.
There's an old Chinese saying, "A straight tree becomes lumber, a crooked tree lives out its life." I think that applies here
Ditto to Dixie’s comment. I want to see those trees.
You’re Up in elevation. Take time to acclimatize in Elevation. Camp out high before departure.
The olive trees on Mount Olives outside Jerusalem are the same fruit bearing trees since long before the time of Jesus. Just saying.
It's good the oldest one isn't marked because, as you show vandalism in many of your treks, some idiot would come along and cut it down.
Didn't the indians use those trees to make their bows