As readers of JBRish know, my wife and I enjoy hiking and one of the things we appreciate is the beauty of trees. Trees have always fascinated me. To think that there are trees alive today that have been on earth during some of the most historic periods such as the American Revolution, The Renaissance, etc. is awe inspiriing.

Beth Moon has created a wonderful book detailing a good number of these stoic trees in her book, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time.

(Above)“Avenue of the Baobabs. Elegant in shape and form, these strange and magnificent baobabs seem to rise effortlessly to heights of 98 feet, found only on the island of Madagascar. Beth Moon”

(Above)“Kapok Tree. Palm Beach, Florida, 2004. Kapoks of this size usually inhabitant the rain forest, but Moon found this one in Florida on a private estate, with roots that rise 12 feet above the ground. Beth Moon”

More modest appreciation, however, comes from the beauty and majesty we have witnessed on our walks and hikes. We often wonder how a few of the trees we saw managed to survive in some of the most unusual ways and perhaps in less than ideal conditions.

Even in death, trees have a majesty about them. The picture below was taken at Monument Valley, UT.

While hiking Point Reyes National Seashore, CA last summer, we came across this Bay Tree with a cluster of branches and roots at the base. I was interested in the unusual girth.

Another tree we found of special interest this past year was at the Grand Teton National Park. Trees will often gain a foothold and because of their “ill-chosen” location, the earth around their roots is washed away. These are sometimes called “walking trees” because it does appear as though the trees have legs.

This tree, as you can see, lost its foothold and will probably not survive too much longer although it is hanging in there.

Read More about the book and Beth Moon at the Huffington Post: The Most Ancient and Magnificent Trees From Around the World. More of Beth Moon’s pictures can be found at the above link.