60 Nebraskaland • December 2024
Even if you don't buy into the scientific value of ponderosa
pine bark patterns, you can still enjoy them purely
recreationally. If nothing else, they make a great distraction
while hiking up steep hills in the Pine Ridge or along the
Niobrara River, especially if your companions are in better
aerobic shape than you. "Hey!" you might say, "Come back
down here and look at this. What do you think it looks like?"
By the time your friends stop arguing about whether it's a
giraffe or a scorpion, you'll have caught your breath and be
ready to keep climbing.
N
Chris Helzer is The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science
and Stewardship. He is a regular contributor to Nebraskaland
Magazine with his first story appearing in 1995.
The giraffe/scorpion conundrum.
