The Forest Service is so protective of its ancient, gnarled star that it will not even share its image. At 4,847 or so years old, Methuselah is the world's oldest known living tree, which makes it, in the service's mind, too old to be visited.
The tree did not survive several thousand years in what is now the Inyo National Forest, in California, only to be harassed by selfie-obsessed Instagrammers.
In the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, the part of the forest where Methuselah lives, there are many ancient trees; one of them may be even more elderly, about 5,065 years old. Bristlecone pines grow slowly, about one-hundredth of an inch in a good year, so it's difficult to determine their age.
Debra Schweitzer, a spokeswoman for the national forest, cautioned against fixating too much on wizened celebrities like Methuselah. "If you are so focused on seeing that tree, you are literally missing the forest for the tree," she said.
