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The manner in which pine trees and quaken aspen trees age is different.
It has been rumored that quakies only live about 100 years at best.
This example, in a remote area of Currant Creek, shows that
that rumor has no basis in fact. The date on it is 1898.
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On October 1, 2008 we core dated this tree and found it to be about 150 years
old. (Its circumference is 70 inches.)
Therefore this carving must have been done when the tree was fairly young.
I also found a large quakie on the
same trip which had a 1910 date on it but because it was difficult to read,
since it stretched so far around the
tree, I decided not to take a picture of it. Dan Lowe told me there are two
ways that scars on quakies grow...
either they grow out from the tree's center or stretch side to side. The tree
above shows the scarring growing
outward while the tree below shows the scar stretching sideways.
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The rings on this tree have been counted and it is about 498 years old and
is dead.
Notice how the J has stretched sideways.
Food for thought...
While some symbols on rocks and trees have been determined
to be very old others are obviously much newer.
I have a theory and this is it: what if those of Spanish descent are coming
back to the Intermountain West to check on the mines their ancestors worked?
And as they do they leave symbols and writing which indicate their visits.
This theory would answer the question of some symbols dating
to the late 1800's and 1900's because that is when they were here.
As we learn more about dating trees, scars, and symbols we will be able
to more accurately piece together our rich history. Remember gaining
knowledge is one of the most important reasons we go exploring.