A bristlecone pine grows above the tree line, 11,000 feet, in the White Mountains of California. Perhaps 40 centuries of growth in a place where few living things exist, is a testament to the strategy of living where no one else can. For instance if the temperature increases, limber pines, similar to the bristlecone, could take over.
This a full moon exposure at one hour in September around midnight and it was cold with a complete lack of humidity with no other living things in sight.
I learned a lot from the trees. For instance, why i was there, and why i found them interesting on the reclusion/protection level. My first encounters with them were in the high elevation badlands like Cedar Bluffs or Bryce Canyon in Utah. They alays reminded me of the badlands by their seclusion, inaccesssability, and sculptural qualities. However a big distinction is that the badlands, because of the sofrtness of its rock and soils is one of the least stabile o geographies, shaped so boldly by the erosional forces of wind, rain, snow and ice.
Stability – they don’t move, growth in place, and its effects while seeking a home that few living things and no living compeititor can endure.