Skip to main content

Methuselah

“My husband . . . Some people are tree huggers, mine is a tree sniffer.”

“Try it. Right here,” as I touched the smooth bare russet wood of the ancient Bristlecone Pine. “This smells like Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey, it’s like no other tree I’ve ever smelled. It’s an aromatic blend of pine, sweet honey, and wood.” I said to Lori as we hiked the four mile Methuselah Walk of the ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

Lori laughed, “I doubt Jack Daniel's would advertise their Whisky with the slogan,” Try our special blend, smells like a Bristlecone Pine.

The Bristlecone Pine (species Pinus longaeva) is the longest-lived life form on Earth. According to our trail brochure, in 1957 Dr. Edward Schulman, searching for climate records in tree rings, increment bored a tree from this same grove. Upon counting the rings under a microscope back at camp, he nearly shouted at his colleague, “we’ve got a 4,000-plus tree.” It was later dated to be over 4,600 years old. Schulman named this tree Methuselah.

It was our third day hiking the Eastern Sierras. Our 27th anniversary. This year we decided to explore the Sierras with Bishop, CA as our home base.

To experience these ancient treasures, make your way to Big Pine, CA. on route 395. Turn onto route 168. Then wind your way slowly up-down, with hairpin switchbacks, and spectacular views from 3,980 feet to over 10,000 to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Visitors Center. When you read the map that says plan on at least a one hour drive once you leave 395 at Big Pine don’t doubt it, it’s slow going.

Plan ahead. The intrepid hiker will outfit themselves with a day-pack, layered clothing, gloves, a hat, hiking poles, water, and some snacks. When we arrived, in late October, the temperature was a chilly 36 degrees. Not including the wind chill.

Believe me when I say it’s worth the entire day to meet Methuselah. It’s a photographers paradise. The trail begins at the visitor center. The hike is a four mile loop trail. The travel time they post is 2-3 hours, it took us over four. The elevation change is between 800 - 1,000 feet. Not just once but two to three times. Be prepared to climb.

Sorry Motor Home Window Gawking Enthusiasts this is not a roadside tourist attraction.

The trail is very well maintained. Don’t slip, or drop your camera. Most of the hike you’re walking along a ridge with drops of 500-1,000 feet. However, once you reach identification post 16, (about two miles in) described in the brochure, you’ve surround yourself with hundreds, if not thousands of Ancient Bristlecone Pines. Oh, by the way, Methuselah is not identified. It is unmarked for its protection. Finding the oldest tree really didn't matter any more - they are all unique and spectacular.

So, photographers, hikers, and trail enthusiasts don't miss this unique opportunity to breath in (sniff) the fresh clean mountain air of the Ancient Bristlecone Pines.

A quote from John Muir provides the perfect ending, "Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks, trees, water, sky, or hearts."

 (I added the word trees. Seemed to fit.)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

We Need Awe More Than Ever

In this episode, Why We Need Awe More Than Ever Yesterday morning, I slipped into the cool stillness of my backyard before dawn. The air was crisp, the silence deep—broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the familiar calls of birds waking early. Then I looked up. A thin crescent moon hung low in the east, with Venus just above it like a shining jewel. The sky was clear and full of stars, and for a moment, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time: Awe! For thousands of years, the heavens have carried on their steady dance, untouched by human noise. No ruler, no election, no breaking news has ever changed their rhythm. And yet here I was, tempted to reach for my phone—to trade the eternal for the urgent. Instead, I stayed. I watched the moonrise, the sky slowly lighten, and the world around me stir. Ducks passed overhead in a loose V, hummingbirds zipped past to visit their feeder, pausing mid-air as if curious about me sitting so still. Little by little, the static in my mind f...
2 comments
Read more

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Pessimism Aversion Trap

In this episode, The Pessimism Aversion Trap Picture this: a room full of bright minds nodding in agreement as a bold new strategy is unveiled. The slides are polished, the vision is grand, and the future, we're told, has never looked brighter. Everyone beams—because who wants to be the one to say, "Um… this might not work"? Heaven forbid someone spoil the mood with a dose of reality. Better to smile, add a buzzword or two, and march confidently toward disaster. That's how the Pessimism Aversion Trap works. Even now, I can still hear the sound—a high-pitched shriek and a digital hum, followed by the slow, rhythmic clatter of data pouring from a 5¼-inch floppy disk. It was the late 1980s, and my makeshift home office (our living room) was dominated by what felt like a marvel of modern engineering: a used Tandy 1000 PC with not one, but two floppy drives. To top it off, we purchased a 'blisteringly fast' 300-baud modem—which, for the uninitiated, could downloa...
1 comment
Read more

Pushing the Pause Button

In this episode, Pushing the Pause Button: Stepping Off the Treadmill Hello, friends — If you're reading this, I'm already off the grid. Today begins a much-needed vacation, and for the next few weeks, On the Fly is taking a break right along with me. For a long time, my inner voice has said, 'Keep every commitment, no matter what.' That's meant early mornings, long days, and a calendar packed with posts, podcasts, and projects I couldn't seem to say no to. I've been trying to be the tireless workhorse—but that kind of grind doesn't end well. Lately, I've noticed I'm not quite myself—shorter fuse, louder sighs, and a few too many grumbles (Lori deserves a medal). That's when you know it's time to hit pause before the spark burns out. So, I'm stepping back to rest, recharge, and remember what it feels like to not live by the next deadline: no tech, no to-do lists, just some space to breathe. Thank you, truly, for all your support and ...
2 comments
Read more