These trees, at 10,000 feet elevation, are the oldest living things, a few of which are over 4000 years old. They are found in the Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains, just east of Big Pine, California.

Traveling over Tioga Pass, from Yosemite National Park to Lee Vining, I photographed some equally tortured pines, living with precarious toeholds on apparently solid granite ridges. They grow here exposed to extreme weather conditions, hence their twisted, knarled appearance.