Bristlecone Pine and Milky Way, from deep in the White Mountains, Inyo County, CA.

Clint and I made an epic trek through Owens Valley to discover some new treasures. This place requires a good bit of effort and a long monotonous drive, but was rewarding in the end.
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest features 2,000-5,000 year old trees growing at elevations of ~10,000 ft.

Lens is the tiny but sharp DA21mm limited on the Pentax K-3II, using the built-in Astrotracer. Light painting of the tree by Clint. Title borrowed from a "Star Trek" episode, again.
Thanks for looking!