There’s nothing I’d want to take a picture of in my neighborhood, but I can see this mountain clearly from my windows.  For this week’s Daily Post Challenge of Local, I present to you a place I know by heart.

I was out here last week on a trail I have taken several times before.  Back to the bristlecone pines, the ancient forest.  As another dry year passes, and more people venture into the area, I am thankful there have been no major fires here.  It seems there are no “helpful” fires any more – the kind that sustain a forest – just large devastating ones.  In a normal winter, there will be snow lingering on this trail into May.  I am hoping for a normal or above normal winter, but that doesn’t seem very likely….again.  In the meantime, I try to get out to my local hangouts whenever I can.