Grain and Flow
Every time I ascend a particular 2500-foot Ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains, I come across a particular group of gnarled old pine trees, which have become a friendly sign to me over the years. Right at the 9,000-foot level the ecosystem changes drastically, and only the heartiest plants survive, as these trees have, for hundreds of years, if not more.
Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, California, USA.