Trees in the morning–a whitebark pine over my bedsite.

Trees at midday–a western white pine anchors my lunch site on a granite knob in otherwise volcanic terrain.

Trees at evening–high in the canyon of the E. Fork Carson on my birthday.

This little aspen is having a tough time going vertical with the heavy snow loads in the Tahoe area.

But this big lodgpole above Carson Pass hasn’t had it easy either. Near here I weathered an intense thunderstorm with flashfloods and big hail that churned a nearby lake into a froth and knocked unripe cones down by the gazillion.

I love junipers. One of the first big ones was just a couple miles up trail from the little aspen.

Many beatiful junipers grow in the crazy volcanic landscape between Carson and Ebbett’s passes, south of Raymond Peak.

They are nice up close too.