As for the lonely tree in the middle....I was told by a supervisor out there that certain birds cannot make it all the way across the block so some trees need to remain to allow a rest station...I have zero experience with that but it made sense at the time.
Thanks Zal, I think we'll head for some deep meadows below the alpine, I'm nervous on a regular year let alone the crazy cycles we have been going through this year.
ride safe!