Читать книгу Tahoe Rim Trail. The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers and Equestrians онлайн

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Western (Sierra) Juniper Often junipers are found in dry, rocky areas at higher elevations—particularly in the Desolation Wilderness. Junipers more than 1,000 years old have been found in the Tahoe area. They have an appearance similar to incense cedars with reddish, brown bark. They rarely exceed 50 feet in height. Those growing in windy, exposed areas may be twisted and gnarled. The best way to tell the difference between juniper and incense cedar is that juniper has blueberrylike berries and is usually found at higher elevations. Scratch and smell one of these blue berries, and you will quickly discover that they are used to make gin.

Western White Pine These trees grow at elevations of 7000 feet to 9000 feet and can reach 150 feet in height although they are usually much smaller because of the harsh conditions in which they live. Like the whitebark pine, the western white pine has needles that come in clusters of five. Its cone resembles that of the sugar pine though it is shorter (6 to 8 inches) and narrower. The upper branches of a western white pine, also known as silver pine, turn upward at their tips. Mature trees have a distinctive checkerboard pattern on their bark.