Big Burl

[Chris Padilla]

I went backpacking over the last 4 days to the Chain Lakes located just inside the park boundry of Yosemite National Park.

This burl on a very large pine tree (not sure what kind...Ponderosa?) was very close to our campsite.

I've been scheming how to remove it ever since! hahaha

Other than the fact that it would be illegal as all heck, horses are the only way I could get it out.

What do you think it weighs? I'm 5-6 to use as a scale....

[Frank Chaffee]

Chris,
But after all, the most valuable things we bring back from forays into the wilderness are the refreshing changes in our own beings.

Glad to hear you got out of the Silly-cone for a bit!

Frank

[Dan Oliphant]

Easy 600# to 700#'s I would say. Think of it this way, it's only a fine jail time would be minimal.

[Jim Becker]

Looks like a big fist about to pummel you from above, Chris!!! Yup...that's a big-un!

[Chris Padilla]

Few more shots of the "Big-Un"....

[Frank Chaffee]

Yikes!!!

[Lloyd Frisbee]

A few weeks ago we drove up to Napa to sip some grape juice. On the way up we saw some trees in the median strip of the highway. My wife and I both simultaneously said "ooh burl". We were both coveting some nice burls and wondering what kind of trees they were. They weren't evergreen.

We settled for some excellant wine.

[Fred Voorhees]

Chris, you reminded me of this one a handful of miles from my home. I occasionally drive by it on a certain way to work in that direction. Haven't been past it in quite a while though.

[John Hemenway]

Looks like lodgepole pine to me. Last big trees before treeline in the Sierra.

Nothing like a little trivia to soak up all the burl drool.

[Chris Padilla]

Sounds good to me, John. We were camped at about 9300 feet. Gale Peak stood over us at 10,700 feet. Plenty of big Douglas Fir around, too.

Edit: just did some googling and I have to agree with John, definately looks like Lodgepole Pine!

[John Hemenway]

Ponderosa and Jeffery have deep furrowed bark and big cones the size of softballs plus some. The other common pine up there is the whitebark (really the last tree before treeline) but they are usually more like bushes with multi-trunks.

The small, flakey (look like puzzle pieces) bark of the lodgepole is a good indicator. Cones are about golfball sized. Oh, I almost forgot. LP is a two needle pine.

Perhaps more than you wanted to know... I've spent a LOT of time being a human mule in 'The Range of Light'.