Bristlecone Pines near the Schulman Grove
The first photograph I purchased was a photograph of a Bristlecone Pine by Cole Weston. When the opportunity to photograph these ancient trees arose, I jumped at the chance. We took off from the floor of the Owens Valley and headed up to the Schulman Grove of Bristlecone Pines. This is the forest that is shown on all the maps and is frequently visited by tourists. We photographed along a couple of trails. After lunch we asked the Ranger if there were other groves. She mentioned the Patriarch Grove a mere twelve miles further up the mountain had some more Bristlecone pines. A short video in the visitor center convinced me the Patriarch Grove was the best place to photograph. She said it would take us an hour to travel the twelve miles.
Root detail, Schulman Grove
It did. It was the longest and roughest stretch of "unimproved" road Brooks and I have travelled in a long time. But the reward was great. These ancient trees are growing out of rocks. We were alone at 11,300 feet above sea level among these "young” (1500 years old) trees. A cloud or two actually appeared to liven up a few compositions.
Patriarch Grove
The trip back from Patriarch Grove to Lone Pine was harrowing as we made the 7,500 vertical descent (remember those unimproved roads?) with rapidly fading light was quite lovely – at least until it got completely dark. Photography is never convenient.
Part of the road down from Patriarch Grove, almost straight and level.
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