Bristlecone Pines - My World

On Windy Ridge, high above Alma, CO,
is an ancient grove of Bristlecone Pines.

The trees grow at 11, 714' in the Pike National Forest.

On the way to Windy Ridge,
we hike past ruins of the
Mineral Park Mine, now defunct.

We explore decaying cabins

their fallen timbers
littering the ground.

Finally, we continue up the ridge,
identifying wildflowers as we climb.

Orange Paintbrush

Death Camus

Pink Pussytoes

False Dandelion

Chiming Bells

Bistort
(also called Miner's Sock because of its smell)

But, we have come to see a wonder of Nature:
the ancient Bristlecone.

Many of the trees on the
ridge are over 1,000 years old.

Shaped by wind and weather,

they balance exquisitely,

their gnarled branches twisted to the sky.

Deadwood sculptures litter the ground.

Their fingers point toward the high peaks.

The trees lean

and bend.

Clinging to the ridge, they stand sentinel
over South Park Valley.

The sky changes rapidly above them,
but the trees are steadfast.

Hopefully, they'll survive another 1,000 years.

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