The Loss of a friend....

[Ken]

The iconic juniper at the Little Sluice box, succumbed to Mother Nature in the storm over the weekend.

You can read more about it here.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1057218


Personally...it's sad. The tree was iconic....Estimated to be possibly 1000 years old....it had obviously been there a long time.

As you can see in this photo from ~1920, the tree was nearly the same size 92 years ago.


A few months ago, I attempted to stand in the same spot from memory at the 1920 photo. I came pretty close.



Mother Nature giveth.....



Mother Nature taketh away.....




RIP old friend....

[Mr. Green]

Just a few days ago talking to my brother i mentioned running the little sluice with you guys and he kept getting mixed up with big sluice or so i think. So i said its the one with that big ass tree growing in the granite on the side. He instantly remembered what area i was talking about it was very iconic. Im glad i got out to see it this past year sad its gone but cycle of life and all. Im sure some one will core it or cut now to see how old it truly was id be interested to know if any one hears.

[Ken]

I'm sure I'll find out.

We (RTF) are working with the County, who has ownership of the tree. I'm sure it will be established how old it is.


I sent my Grandfather news of the tree...he's 90 years old...Wheeled the Rubicon since the mid-50's....was photographed in the Big Sluice by 4 Wheeler Magazine in the late 60's in his "new" Ford Bronco. His reply was classic....

What did you send me a pic of an old tree? Did you think I'm old enough that I planted it?? It is kind of sad to see an old friend pass on ,gotta make room for the next tree!

[Kodiak]

thats crazy ken i love the old pic and the one with the rzr. this wasn't even a tough winter.
RIP

[hemingray]

Sad to see such an icon fall. I always wonder how old some of those fallen trees in the high country are. They reached an incredible number of years when alive, and they also decay at a very slow rate as well so some of those old weathered and gray fallen trunks would have quite the story to tell. As your grandfather says - gotta make room for the next tree. The cycle of life is long in the forest.

[Ken]

thats crazy ken i love the old pic and the one with the rzr. this wasn't even a tough winter.
RIP

You know...the snow on Saturday was REALLY WET and heavy....combined with REALLY high winds. If you watched my video..we had gusts over 50mph easily. Take that...and, we're pretty sure it was leaning more. Look at the 1920 photo and the 2012 photo....it's clearly leaning more in 2012, than 1920. Did it lean more in the last 5 years? or last 50? I don't know...but Scott said he mentioned it to John this summer...that it appeared to be leaning more.

[EigerMike]

very sad that was a cool tree.just think what it has seen.i bet it knows who , or how all the big bolders got into the little sluice
how long till people start cutting it for fire wood? hope something good comes out of it ,it deserves somthing special!

[Ken]

This weekend, RTF took a lumberjack (Brian) to assess the tree and it's removal.

Upon seeing the tree for the first time in person, he estimated the tree was between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. Wrap your head around this.....if it does come in around 2,000....the tree seed started growing when Jesus was making furniture. The fall of rome, dark ages, columbus....birth of a nation....kind of crazy when you think about it.

[EigerMike]

thats is qrazy!

[hemingray]

Hopefully they can determine the age when they remove it. I'd like to visit the Bristlecone pines down south (or in Great Basin Nat'l Park) - some are 4,000 years old. And the dead wood can stand for thousands of years too - it doesn't decay, it erodes. Amazing things, trees.

[Ken]

Hopefully they can determine the age when they remove it. I'd like to visit the Bristlecone pines down south (or in Great Basin Nat'l Park) - some are 4,000 years old. And the dead wood can stand for thousands of years too - it doesn't decay, it erodes. Amazing things, trees.

That's the plan...we're going to make several plates from the main trunk. Brian (the tree guy) is going to clear coat the plates...he said Juniper's are fragile when dry and will crack.