6-03-18

Another specimen for my collection from California's Sierra Nevada, here rooted improbably in granite bedrock. Somewhere off the Charity Valley trail. The inset shows this tree with another farther up the ridge to the right.

Off the Charity Valley trail. Sierra Nevada, California.

In the old days, trails were often marked by chopping off a section of bark to show the light wood underneath, a "blaze." The practice dates back at least to pioneer times, and maybe even was used by Native Americans. Of course, the blaze injures the tree, and so blazing is considered Politically Incorrect these days. The US Forest Service quit doing it in 1960. You still often see blazes on old trees along trails, tho, as here. This is the Charity Valley trail in the Sierra Nevada, California.

Without an erratic in the view! And yes, there's a "Faith" and "Hope" valley in the vicinity, too. Sierra Nevada, California.