Hiking with Kids: Wheeler Cirque Bristlecone Grove

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've had bristlecones on my mind a lot this summer. One of my trips up to see these old, high-elevation trees was back in early July. There's a lovely bristlecone grove accessible via a 1.5-mile (one-way) hike in Great Basin National Park, along the aptly-named Bristlecone Trail. We decided it would be a great destination for six kids and four adults. But before we started, we had better stretch!

One of the keys to having kids enjoy the hike is to make it a game. Apparently balancing was a major part of the game, because as I looked back at the photos, I saw the kids were really enjoying it.

We had planned to eat lunch at the bristlecone grove, but based on the level of whininess (that's a word, right?), we adapted and changed our plans to eat lunch at Teresa Lake (0.7 miles from the trailhead, or about an hour away at our speed). Water is always appealing to kids, especially when we told them they could go swimming! They quickly figured out that it was very cold water for swimming, but that didn't stop them from hanging out at the edge.

Rested up and fed, we continued our hike to the bristlecones.

Meeting up with Ranger Carolyn provided a nice rest break and photo op.

The trail is stunning, with great views as you get closer and closer to the glacial moraine where the bristlecones live on the Prospect Mountain quartzite (most old bristlecone groves live on dolomite or limestone, so this grove is a bit different).

Heading up a switchback.

And then we were there! We saw cool bristlecones all around.

The kids weren't interested in the bristlecones, but instead the prize we had promised: doing their nails. Whatever it takes!

I left them to walk the short interpretive trail and visit some trees over 3,000 years old. One of the oldest trees in the world, Prometheus, at about 5,000 years old, was found near here, but many scientists think it was an outlier, as they haven't been able to find any others in the area over 4,000 years old. Nevertheless, living 3,000 years is still amazing. And once a tree dies, its wood can remain intact for thousands of years more.

The reason that bristlecones can live so long is that most of the tree dies after time. A narrow strip of bark supports just a small section of life on the tree. Meanwhile, wind and precipitation shape the remaining dead bark into fascinating forms.

Although the kids weren't interested in the interpretive trail, they still did think the bristlecones were pretty cool. They took time to touch the needles, which can remain on the tree up to an amazing 45 years.

After a big snack, it was time to head back. We had another motivator: ice cream at the Lehman Caves Cafe. But we had to move fast to make it in time.

Fortunately we got there about five minutes before closing and they were kind enough to smile and make something for all of us. That sure put smiles on our faces! What a great hike.

Ode to Wet Rocks

 Last night we had a humdinger of a rainstorm, with lots of lightning and intense downpours. We hardly know what rain is, since we usually only get about 6 inches a year! We probably got close to an inch of that last night. Afterwards Desert Girl was eager to get out and jump in puddles.

Today we went for a hike with visiting family up to the bristlecones in Great Basin National park along the bristlecone trail. When we set off from the valley floor at 5300 ft, the mountains were enshrouded with clouds and we didn't know what would we encounter. Fortunately the clouds lifted and we had beautiful hiking weather.

The recent rain really brought out colors in the Prospect Mountain Quartzite. I don't remember the rocks ever looking so beautiful! Here's a sampling:

(and some limber pine needles thrown in for good measure)

We had to take quite a few breaks for Desert Girl, but she hiked all the way up and back. The promise of lunch at the cafe made for a no-complaining trip.

Desert Girl spotted this cool mushroom:

Before too long we were getting close to the bristlecone grove.

The bristlecones are always magical, and it was neat seeing them with the clouds drifting nearby.

The trail even had a few puddles, which reflected the bristlecones nicely.

We were really glad we made the trek despite the threatening weather. We heard a few rumbles of thunder, but didn't get rained on at all.

Definitely recommend checking out the wet rocks near the Wheeler Peak Campground!

Artist-in-Residence Presentation of Bristlecone Pine Painting

Recently Great Basin National Park 2013 Artist-in-Residence Bain Butcher returned to the park to unveil his work of art inspired by his stay last fall in the park. He did a beautiful oil painting of old-growth bristlecone pines on a limestone terrain with storm clouds in the background.

As part of his presentation, he shared how he had come upon deciding what to paint based on his trip to the park. Previously he had done many portraits, so I was curious how he would make the transition to landscapes. 

Bain said that when he walked among the grove of bristlecones on the northeast flank of Mt. Washington (a place he backpacked to), he found that the grove was alive. Bain is also a medical doctor, and I liked how he found an analogy between a twisted bristlecone pine and a human heart.

His artwork was well received and is displayed at a park visitor center.

During his presentations, young artists worked on honing their skills. Maybe someday they can become the Darwin Lambert Artist/Writer in Residence at Great Basin National Park!

I Found It--the Bristlecone Quarter Tree

 I've been spending a lot of time with bristlecones lately, and it's been wonderful. There is something so magical about these jewels of the high country, and in fact they have inspired a new writing project (to be revealed at a future date).

When I saw the bristlecone in the photo above, I had to keep coming back to photograph it. I walked around it several times, took photos from many angles, slept under it for part of the night, and took night-time photos of it under the Milky Way. There was something just so special about it.

As I reflected on that particular tree, I felt like I knew it, in a famous sort of way, like when you see a person and you feel that you know them even though it's the first time you've ever seen them.

Slowly it came to me. This bristlecone was famous. I had seen it before. Many times before. This was the bristlecone featured on the Great Basin quarter!

What a brush with celebrity!

Dead Lake, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

This last weekend my husband and I continued our training to hike Mount Rainier this fall with a hike up Pyramid Peak. (Many thanks to family and friends who watched the kids at camp!) We decided to take the scenic route and check out Dead Lake on the way. Dead Lake is the lowest elevation of the six sub-alpine lakes in Great Basin National Park. It is formed in a moraine and lies about 9570 ft elevation.

An old road goes most of the way to the lake, and starting on the turnoff from the main Snake Creek Road (see map at bottom; near the Shoshone trail at the road junction), we began hiking at an elevation of about 8200 ft. The road is easy to follow, traversing mixed conifer, then meadow, and aspen stands.

Although the road is easy to follow, it is steep! I was happy to pause to take a photo of this majestic ponderosa pine surrounded by green leaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula). Photo stops = catching my breath!

As you progress along, it's easy to miss the turnoff to the lake, seen below. Look carefully for the rock cairns. (A better trail to Dead Lake is in the works and may happen as early as next summer.)

Following the rock cairns, you arrive at this luscious meadow. A small creek (South Fork of Snake Creek) meanders through the meadow. It's one of the prettiest spots in the park. If you'd like a detour, follow the creek up to its source--several scenic springs surrounded by conifers. If you want to get to Dead Lake, cross the meadow and keep heading north. We lost the rock cairns and wandered a bit.

Of course wandering can lead to some beautiful sights, like these pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea). they used to belong to the Monotrapaceae (Pinedrop) Family but have been reassigned to the Ericaceae (Heath) Family, the same family that manzanita belongs to.

What color are the pinedrops? Where's the green, the chlorophyll necessary to absorb energy from light? Well, they don't have any chlorophyll. The pinedrops are parasites that rely on mycorrhizal fungi that are themselves parasites on conifer roots. For more, see this Southwest Colorado Wildflowers page.  For parasites, they're quite pretty!

Eventually we spotted a bare spot among the dense trees and found a big opening. But we didn't see a lot of water. Or even a lake. We found a puddle.


Dead Lake frequently is very low like this in the summer and fall. Researchers from the Ohio State University have done a sediment core on the lake and found that the lake has gone dry in the past. One recent year it was only about 5 feet across, so the puddle we saw on this day was actually quite a bit larger.

I walked around the lake, checking it out. A PVC pipe on a post was sticking above the water. This is part of a National Park Service project to monitor lake water levels and temperatures. Right now the lake is about eight inches below the lowest hole in the PVC pipe. Despite the low water level, the reflections are gorgeous, and in the fall, when the surrounding aspens turn color, this is a beautiful spot to visit.

It was 1.8 miles to get to Dead Lake, and over 1300 ft elevation gain. With heavy backpacks, it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there. The UTMs for Dead Lake are 11 S 736259 4313177.

Next up: going up Pyramid Peak from Dead Lake and the sights along the way.