I know where you can play the most epic game of hide-and-seek; you just need to be prepared to lose.
What is this unseekable thing, you may ask? That would be Methuselah- an ancient bristle cone pine that also happens to be one of the oldest living things on Earth.
The Hide
Methuselah has a germination date of 2832 BCE; that makes it older than the Egyptian pyramids! When you've clocked as many years as this tree has, you tend to draw attention (good and bad). To protect the tree from vandalism, scientists have decided to keep the exact location a secret.
The Seek
The nearly 5,000-year-old Bristlecone Pine is tucked away in the Inyo National Forest where it lives out its days surrounded by other time-worn giants. While you can't meet Methuselah directly, you can take a trip down Patriarch Grove where other antiquated Bristlecone Pines dot the landscape. Who knows? Maybe Methuselah just so happens to be in the crowd.
The Secret
Every doctor wants to know the secret; how do Bristlecone Pines live for so long? The answer is shockingly simple- live in the most horrid, disparate environments on Earth and you'll come out pretty tough on the other side. Thin patches of soil, fierce winds, and high elevation force the trees to adapt to extreme conditions, enabling them to persist even in times of stress. Some of these adaptations include:
The End?
Despite the history these giants have endured, even bristlecones are not immune to our changing climate. Analysis of the wood reveals that in the last 50 years, bristlecones have started to produce wider rings- a result of rising CO2 levels in the air. This evidence reminds us that even the most resilient species have a breaking point and that it is up to us if Methuselah is to see many more years.
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