A much milder night at Silver Lake than Sunday, and a really decent night's sleep finally.
Got on the road in good time, heading south on Route 395 down the East Sierra. Stopped in at the Devils Postpile, a mad volcanic formation à la Giant's Causeway, down a winding valley road. Some of these things really don't look real.
Where some of the fallen pieces lay, seemingly abandoned, it reminded me of the kouros in Greece, left unfinished when a flaw in the stone was discovered.
Onwards, and more spectacular scenery than you could poke a stick at...
..and then it was time for the main item on the itinerary for the day - the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The 24-mile drive off 395 went up and up, one of the craziest roads I have ever driven. It was hot as hell at 4,000ft on the highway and the van's AC doesn't really work, gradually cooler as we ascended to the 10,000ft where these trees grow. Shortly before we got to the 'forest' we stopped to take in this view...
One runs out of words.
And so to the oldest trees on the planet, a day after the fattest.
The very oldest living specimen is about 4,700 years old, believe it or not. That one was too much of a hike away, but these ones are at least 4,000 years old.
Did an hour's walk on the Discovery Trail, where Dr Sherman first found some of the oldest ones. By comparing core samples from living and dead specimens, he built up a continuous record going back 10,000 years.
Time to descend back down into the inferno and head for camp - Grays Meadow, on the edge of Kings Canyon National Park. Unfortunately there's no access to it or the adjoining Sequoia National Park from this side...
..but as Tim (see a couple of days ago) of State Forests pointed out, "Just more trees." The campsite is beautiful anyway, and almost deserted, it seems.
Tomorrow we venture, with some trepidation, into Death Valley. The forecast is for about 43° - did I mention the lack of air con? Got to be done, though, although the heat already seems to be getting to Finley...
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