The Mt. Goliath Nature Center, half way up Mt. Evans, is located in a fabulous huge grove of Bristlecone Pines. These trees live for over 2000 years and are the longest living organism on earth. This hike is 2 miles roundtrip with a rise in elevation of about 500'. We did this hike on 9/2/2021.
The Mt. Goliath Nature Center at the trailhead.
The nature walk behind the Center Building.
The trailhead.
The entire hike has trees that have been dead for hundreds of years.
In the very dry cold climate the dead wood deteriorates extremely slow.
The trees grow extremely slow and are probably the hardest wood on earth.
The Bristlecone Trees exists on the treeline where other trees cannot.
The dead trees resemble a scene out of a horror movie.
The marbled wood really creates a picture of beauty.
The trail is littered with trees that probably have been dead hundreds of years.
Many of the live trees are huge.
Notice the beauty of the wood up close.
A tree dies and lays intack for hundreds of years.
New growth is almost choked off by dead trees lasting forever.
Very few pine cones on the Bristlecone Pine make it to maturity. The growing season is too short.
