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| Granite Mountain Juniper Tree, AZ | |
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| | Granite Mountain Juniper Tree, AZ | | | |
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Granite Mountain Juniper Tree, AZ
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| Hiking | 4.12 Miles |
558 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.12 Miles | 2 Hrs 1 Min | | 3.05 mph |
| 558 ft AEG | 40 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This tree is widely believed to be the oldest and largest alligator juniper tree in the world. It is estimated at almost 2000 years old! It was dramatically saved from the Doce Fire in 2013 by the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the elite group of firefighters from Prescott. One week later, 19 of the 20 Hotshots tragically died in the Yarnell Hill Fire.
Tomorrow (June 30) is the 7th anniversary of that tragedy, so we visited the Juniper to pay our respects. The day before, we had watched "Only the Brave", which recounts some of the details of the lives of these firefighters, including the preservation of this tree. Before visiting the Juniper, we hiked the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Trail, documented in a separate triplog.
It's an easy walk up an old jeep road to Trail #38 then Trail #39, with great views of Granite Mountain and Little Granite Mountain. A large arrow in the ground made of white rocks points toward the tree, which is very impressive. We arrived there right at sunset. There is a plaque, memorabilia, and rock art arranged around the tree to commemorate the Hotshots. We paid tribute to the Hotshots and took in the views before heading back. |
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