"Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven." -Rabindranath Tagore

Just outside of Bend, Oregon is an amazing site of a volcanic eruption that occurred about 6,000 years ago.  To my surprise, the lava that flowed out is still very evident and all around this area is almost completely barren.  The lava is still very much just jagged rock and boulders with very little plant life.  But there are a few (and I mean very few) small pine trees that are taking a stand and attempting to reclaim the land.  This one is literally growing out of a crack in the lava.

Shot taken with IR-converted camera.