July 2025
This tree is deep in the Tobacco Root mountains of Montana. We came across it while hiking a trail that was in the process of dissolving back into nature. Mosquitos buzzed in the deep, cold stillness. A few branches high in canopy had some green needles. I had listened to an interview with Susan Simard about her book, Finding The Mother Tree, a beautiful discovery of how trees communicate and care for each other and certain old, old trees function as a central source of knowledge and sustenance. This book and further information about the symbiosis of nature can help change the narrative of competition as the key to survival on our planet.
This tree stands deep in the Tobacco Root Mountains of Montana. We came across it while hiking a trail that was slowly dissolving back into the landscape. Mosquitoes buzzed in the deep, cold stillness. Only a few branches high in the canopy still held green needles.
Around that time, I had listened to an interview with Suzanne Simard about her book Finding the Mother Tree, a moving exploration of how trees communicate, support one another, and how certain ancient trees serve as central hubs of knowledge and nourishment. Her work, and the broader understanding of nature’s symbiosis, offers a powerful shift in perspective—challenging the dominant narrative of competition as the key to survival on our planet.