Bristlecone Pine

What can be gleaned from a quick look at the world's oldest tree? The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) has been deemed the oldest tree in existence, reaching an astonishing age of over 5,000 years! 

These uniquely hardy, slow-growing trees can reach a height of 50 feet, with a trunk diameter of 154 inches. This tree endures in the harshest environment and toughest terrain. Super cold temperatures, petrifying winds, conditions that obliterate most life around them, these trees are also mythical in their ability to resist a horde of natural enemies and predators, elements, fires, or floods. These oldest species are found in California, Utah, and Nevada, in the White and Inyo Mountains.

The world's oldest tree has a brilliant root system. It's mostly composed of highly branched, shallow roots, while a few large, branching roots provide structural support.

If we humans, individually or collectively, could have such luck with longevity, I'd like to think the few large and supportive branch roots are faith, friends, and family. While the wise endurance of the shallower roots negates the long-term wear and tear of this mundane material world, its monotonous stresses and strife.