24. Inyo NationalForest-EsternSierra, CA

More trees 🥰🌲🌲🌲

That night, we fulfilled one of my dreams—sleeping in the Inyo National Forest, surrounded by the ancient bristlecone pines, some over 4,000 years old. I’ve always been fascinated by these trees, which Dr. Edmund P. Schulman studied to unlock the secrets of their long lifespans. He discovered the famous “Pine Alpha” in 1953, the first tree documented to be 4,000 years old, and Methuselah, the oldest living bristlecone in 1957. It’s ironic that these ancient survivors aren’t the tallest or most grandiose trees but rather the weather-beaten, twisted ones thriving in the harshest conditions.

Sleeping at 10,000 feet (3,000m) wasn’t our best idea—we didn’t sleep well—but waking up to the sunrise among these ancient dinasaurs was magical.

The next day was jam-packed with incredible sights. We started at Manzanar (Eastern Sierra), the WWII internment camp where Japanese immigrants and Japanese-American citizens were incarcerated. It’s a stark reminder of a dark chapter in U.S. history. Then, we visited the striking Alabama Hills, where Theo went biking while I explored the famous rock formations along Movie Road. The area’s surreal landscape has been a Hollywood favorite for nearly a century, featuring in films from Iron Man to Django Unchained.

In the evening we started our hike to
Mosaik Canyon, Death Valley, CA to avoid the heat (17:30). It was very impressive, see photos attached...more in the next chapter: Death Valley/NVEn savoir plus