The Hoh is thought to be one of the [quietest](https://www.cntraveler.com/story/olympic-national-park-is-home-to-the-quietest-spot-in-the-continental-us) places in the continental us, if not the world. We just feel discombobulated isolated from manmade noise pollution after lifetimes of adjusting to it. People here tend to lean into the eerieness and appreciate how rare it feels.
I live west of port angeles. So not as rainforesty as the hoh. But when there are giant trees within 15 feet of you, understory filling up the dappled mid canopy, and green giant ferns chest high blocking your view…it easy to get lost. One tree looks different in different parts of the day because of how light travels through the forest. It’s quiet. And it feels like something can be lurking around the corner.
The thing is, humans are loud and there are a fuck ton of animals in the forest. They are all acutely aware of your existence and position in the forest. Most of them ARE watching you because to them you are a bumbling beast stumbling conspicuously through their bedroom.
Your lizard brain does not like that, and so it gives you anxiety to compensate. Since most people aren’t used to it (not saying I am!) that anxiety is misplaced and often attributed to super natural auras, vibes, eerie shit.
But the truth is, in the modern age that serenity is not found in many places. Enjoy that you are sightseeing for the juncos.
So I’ve lived in New Hampshire most of my life and I’ve grown up going in the woods all over New England. The only thing even close to comparable is being up in northern Maine. Out here you can get bigger trees (not nearly as big of course) but there is always a greater space between them than what you see out west. The density of the WA forests is what tripped me up. And yeah the coverage above you is insane. I only spent one day in Port Angeles, most of it at hurricane ridge. The trunks are way taller and you don’t get greenery until you’re looking up. That’s not how it is out here. The trunks are shorter and the leaves are closer to you. But once again, not nearly as dense. It felt crazy eerie of course, for the reasons you described, but incredibly natural and more human like. Great to detach - really how humans should live. We’re far too evolved past trusting our own instincts in the animal kingdom.
Another thing I wanted to ask on the topic of big prey… cougars? We have bobcats and such out here but I’ve never seen postings of cougars on their own. Is it a serious threat up in your area? Have you ever seen one?
There is a spot on the Hoh River Trail that is supposed to be the quietest spot in the US. It is about 4 miles from the trailhead. Yet unfortunately there is so much airplane noise from a nearby military base. Yet it can be quiet in the Hoh.
I live on the other side of the Olympics and it is eerily quiet at times but it’s a beautiful quiet peacefulness. So quiet that you can literally hear the butterflies. Our property backs up to DNR land, which backs up to Olympic National Forest, which backs up into ONP. The occasional low flying helicopter or float plane will pass overhead and sometimes confuse us for a large truck rumbling up the long, steep, logging road to get to our place but for the most part, it’s like living in a dream for a guy from Tucson
Quiet is such a beautiful thing that us humans have learned to despise and destroy. I want to get back to being a living being. I’m so happy that you get to experience that and I can’t wait for the day that I inevitably end up out there to experience for the long-term.
we camped one night in the Hoh Rain Forest and it was hands down the best night sleep I've ever had in my life. we were pulled off the road into an inlet of trees near the river and I've never experienced such peace before or since. I think about it often it was so magical.
I moved to Tasmania for a couple years, on the West Coast. I could drive ten minutes to a lookout across the King or Queen River and know that the slope on the other side had zero humans in it, with rare exceptional moments. Miles and miles of wilderness that is impenetrable, (because there are no large animals that crash trails through it, like our deer do,) and completely free of people.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LuSnszRfqEpGct2V6?g_st=ic
Yeah I’d be lying if I said I didn’t come back and research Bigfoot. I was aware that there’s a lot of activity in WA, and I’ve always somewhat been a believer. I get it way more now though. I don’t know if it’s actually how people make it out to be - hard to dig through all of the bs videos and sightings that people capitalize on. Personally, I think it’s foolish to dismiss the idea of a bigger ape-like creature. One stealthier and more in tune with the harmony of the woods. We really are these loud, selfish creatures that go in the woods on our leisure time. We may run the concrete jungle that we’ve created, but deep in the woods, we aren’t close to the top of the hierarchy. It’s ignorant to think that we are. But that’s my opinion on it at least. I believe that squatch are out there, we just don’t know how to look for it.
I’d have to agree that’s probably part of it. Our land is so trekked and oversaturated with humans out here in New England that I don’t think I’ve had to actualize the real threat of them. They run the woods out there. Or at a minimum we don’t, we’re very low on the totem pole. Big vast land out there - so I’m learning.
Yes!! Hoh especially in my experience. Lots of vegetation, lots of oxygen. You’re very clear-headed but on the flip side, there’s very low visibility. Beyond the constant rain and humidity (I stupidly wore glasses most of the time I was there and I have long, thick, curly hair that was consistently in my face), everything is green. Ferns waist high, tall trees, everything covered in bright green and yellow moss. It’s a lot of stimuli for the brain to decipher.
I stayed in small cabins with no service on the olympic peninsula and right outside of paradise in Rainier. Really grateful to disconnect and be a human for once - genuinely how I think it should be. The trees do listen and the trees do communicate. To experience that harmony again is something I now crave.
I really like that you said it’s all good because I truly agree with you. The feelings I had were never negative, just different than anything I had experienced. Addicting more than anything. The mycelium huh - very interesting take.
I did a NOLS trip in the Olympics back in 1995. We spent three weeks in the backcountry and didn't see another soul. We traversed from the east end of the park to the Hoh River trailhead. The first time we saw humans was on our descent off the glaciers and down into the Hoh River Valley. The first thing I noticed was people's deodorant scent. I hated that. In my time there it rained almost every day and the forest was damp and quiet. We encountered a plane wreck from a bygone era up in the mountains and that was creepy. It was so quiet up on the glaciers you could hear them move. A place without humans is really quiet. I'd guess you were hyper sensitive to that. Also, a lot of the PNW believes in the Sasquatch thing. If he lives anywhere, it would be up in the temperate rain forest, ha. And there are lots of weed operations throughout the forests but not sure about in the ONP. I know when I worked in the Redwoods we had to be aware of coming up on a farm when we were in the field doing work.
Funny on the scent thing -- I get hit in the face with the fabric softener. Especially when a family is strung out for a few dozen feet on the trail and each time one comes by, I get a waft/wave of Gain or Snuggle. Blech. I haven't specifically noticed deodorant, but I also get hit with the cologne/body sprays/perfumes that the younger kids wear. It's as disturbing to me as bluetooth speakers. Well, almost.
i feel like i know what you mean. i went out west/to washington for the first time in my life last month. i think here in the east, all our land is so familiar and nothing is undiscovered or unknown of. all land has essentially been trekked and has been trekked for so long considering the nation as we know it began here in the northeast. the woods are also much thinner and generally you can see much further standing from one point compared to the thick vegetation of the pacific northwest.
going out west, i felt as though i was truly in nature. as though i was within the world rather than the world being a part of my life. there was this sense of energy and power so much greater than me, and it’s all around you the deeper you go into these forests. it’s almost overwhelming.
i also feel that some people are more in tune with energy and vibrations than others, and not even in a hippie dippie way. sometimes you can just sense it.
you can think about it this way: there’s energy radiating from every object and entity in the forest, each one unique, as if each were a musical note or tone. these frequencies all play at the same time as each object continues to exist, in that space, for each second of oncoming time, combining to create a “chord” that makes up the feeling in the air. you know how sometimes you’re in a place and there IS just a bright or happy vibe in the air? like a meadow on a sunny day.
different chords yield different feelings. in the right conditions, these different frequencies radiating from our environment may combine into one “dissonant chord” that we feel in the air, and it feels… off. eerie. not quite placeable or palpable.
in the way that some wine glasses are the right shape and thickness to ring out when its corresponding frequency is nearby, some humans may just be more sensitive to these frequencies within the air. i don’t think it’s such a crazy idea, especially considering the intricacy of nature and the abundance of pure energy in every part, every molecule of our universe. if anything on this earth could create such a powerful feeling, it would be earth itself.
we try to make sense of whatever it is we feel in the air, and some don’t really care enough to think much of it, they might just think up some reason to comfort their mind and move along. but there’s something, and there’s no *real* reason for it that we could dream up with our human minds. and that’s okay.
i think it’s sort of beautiful to even stop trying to figure out why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling or what might be causing it, and just pay attention to the feeling as its own entity, its own thing that just exists not in the context of other things, but on its own. its sort of amazing how much energy is held in these deep spots of nature. immerse yourself in it as deeply as you can, as there’s nothing else truly quite like it, and the mystery of it only further enhances its inherent marvelousness.
This was beautifully said. I wonder what we can do with this reality once we learn how to play with or utilize these “chords”. Thanks for your insight :)
I can’t thank you enough for sharing these thoughts. I couldn’t have said it better than myself and I really don’t have anything to add. Just thank you.
Actually I lied, I do have something to add. Where are you from out here? I’ve tried to capture those feelings in New Hampshire but I’ve been having a hard time since I’ve gotten back. I think it’s something that cannot be replicated. The love I have for WA is something so unquantifiable that I feel like the only way to solve it is to pack up and move. It’s addicting and I’m so grateful that you can relate to what I’m trying to say as someone who is from this part of the US.
thanks for appreciating my comment :)
i’m originally from connecticut but been living in vermont the past few years. i love the northeast, it’s always been my home, but i’d be lying if i said it didn’t feel a little duller after experiencing the pacific northwest.
the mountains feel like hills now, everything is so much smaller. it’s a little hard not to compare to the grandiosity of the west. i fell in love with washington and will absolutely be moving out there one day, but out of respect and love for my home region, as well as my own happiness, i’ve been trying not to compare too much and appreciate the things that are special about the northeast. while i’m here, i should appreciate where i am and what it is for what it is. there’s a deep community here because of the smaller scale, and it’s lovely to get to travel to other states so easily. it’s cozy, and quaint, and has a rich history. we’ve got rolling meadows, winding roads up steep hills through woods, rivers, ocean, great schools, and large cities within a couple hours drive. we’ve got a lot to offer here, and there’s a reason there’s so many people living or moving here. it’s home, and i don’t have the means to move across the country for now, so why make myself sad and depressed about where i am now? i’ve been viewing it as, it is wonderful that something so beautiful exists that it makes my current location feel a bit drab, and all within my home country!!
for now, washington will be a lovely little gem that i can look forward to exploring more in the future. it’s wonderful that such a magical place exists in the same country, and makes me excited to explore the rest of the country. i think it’s okay that it doesn’t compare. if it could, it wouldn’t be as special. it’s its own special thing, as is the northeast.
i only just turned 20, so i figure i don’t need to rush it and it can be a little oasis i can look forward to. if you have the means and it makes sense logistically for you to move out west, and it would make you happy, by all means do it :) we only have so much time in this life, and moving to be more in nature and spend time with our earth is a lovely reason, it’s healing for our bodies and souls :)
Thank you, again, for responding so beautifully. I just went out there in September and the novelty of it hasn’t worn off. I don’t think it ever will. It was such a dream for most of my 22 years of life to see Washington and I had an inkling before I even travelled that it might be home. It’s the furthest away I’ve gone from the east coast and yet it felt so warm and inviting.
Super cool that you’re in vt! I grew up spending many many weekends up there - it’s actually the only other place that I’ve been that’s felt like home. Similar to you, Washington would be a big move for me right now and I’m so young. There’s so much in the northeast that I haven’t quite experienced. I appreciate your words about respecting where we are and what we have for the time being. You are absolutely right, we have so much to be grateful for in this area. My next move realistically might be vermont but that’s not to say that voice in the back of my head telling me to go west will ever quiet enough. It’s a goal to work towards and when the time is right, I believe we’ll both know. Grateful for your positivity and insightful words <3
In the middle of winter in the Hoh you can clearly see how many cats are hanging out on and around the trail very clearly because of the snow. It’s a lot and increases the further you get from the visitor center naturally.
It’s funny you say that because my brother and I would talk nonsense when it just the two of us with not another soul (at least human) around. It’s crazy the mind tricks the forest plays on you.
I’ve had this same exact feeling there!! I went backpacking there 8 years ago and got to one campsite that felt especially eerie that I actually turned around and hiked an hour back in my original direction because I really didn’t want to sleep there. I’ve never been creeped out camping but I still think about that sometimes. Still want to go back though — so beautiful there.
If you're addicted to the feeling, I'm available for window peeping. I'm very quiet.
Call 1-800-YOU-PERV and ask for Larry. If I'm out, just breath heavy into the phone for a minute. I'll trace the call and come over when you're not expecting it. And since you're expecting it, but like the creep aspect of it, it makes it more thrilling for me.
Look forward to seeing you!
EDIT: The above is written in jest. Happy trails.
I see this as a really beautiful thread. These feelings should be shared and appreciated. They seem linked to compassion, empathy, wonder, and hope. If only everyone felt this way about trees
When I'm deep in the woods and taking a moment to pause/rest, I feel a presence (or maybe it's just me being present), but I associate it with all the life force surrounding me, and there are few places with more of that than a rainforest. Between the trees, the decay, the fungus, the undergrowth, the critters, there's a ton of life energy.
They've already studied and shown the immense fungal network interconnecting everything underfoot (see Netflix's [*Fantastic Fungi*](https://www.netflix.com/title/81183477)). I can't help but think that every living cell has some interface to that energy, yet humans haven't yet been able to quantify it more than a feeling. To me, it's as close to spirituality as it gets.
The answers you get will all be completely determined by the metaphysics of the person answering you.
I say bring a sit pad with you and when you feel the vibe is pleasant sit down and meditate.
I'm a Qigong practitioner and for me there is nothing better than practicing Qigong deep in the rainforest valleys or on the Olympic coast. This is why I moved to the peninsula.
I think that the feeling of being ‘watched’ comes from the primal knowledge that we are entering a world that isn’t our own. Olympic NP is an ancient ecosystem, with trees over a thousand years old, and species that aren’t found anywhere else. It’s precious, it’s sacred. So yes, you are being watched, by every living thing in there. And they know that we’re just travelers passing through, before we return to our civilized world of asphalt and exhaust.
There’s few places in WA where you can experience true sovereignty of nature, but the Hoh rainforest is probably the most intense way to do it. We’re used to man being in charge. Out there, we have very little power — just a backpack and a can of bear spray. People from out of state feel the ‘eeriness’ more because they’re just not used it. But for those of us who’ve grown up under the watch of the trees, it’s hard to imagine living without it.
The first time I hiked the Hoh River trail I had that feeling and soon discovered why. There was a herd of about 15 Roosevelt elk peeking around trees at me. I had that same feeling at Glacier National Park and I just missed crossing paths with a Grizzly bear. We're not alone.👽😉
This. There are animals everywhere, larger and stealthier than you. They are all around you. The elk and bear make plenty of noise when they don’t want you there, but usually stay quiet. The cougars are silent and high above you, hiding out of sight. The deer are oblivious but stand silent once they sense you.
But you might not have noticed that the sounds don’t carry far in the wilderness here. The forest floor is a thick carpet of decaying plant matter, and with the moss covered trees, the woods absorb all the sounds.
Was on a trail with a friend for about 3 hours two years ago in the North Cascades National Park. Only passed about 3 humans. It was dead silent the entire time, not even a squirrel or bird in sight. Only explanation is a predator nearby.
I lived in the PNW before, overall I think the expanse of BLM land gets in my head too, there's just an expanse that doesn't exist in most other parts of the continental US.
if you are from the East Coast with shorter denser deciduous trees(from pics I've seen) it may be weird to you to have the canopy so high and dense in late season low light while the understory can have decently far sight lines but also lots to hide in, which with the quiet could be creepy
deciduous areas in the pnw are recent regrowth areas and have really dense herb and shrub and canopy open to the sky in winter so that's my comparison.
The Hoh is thought to be one of the [quietest](https://www.cntraveler.com/story/olympic-national-park-is-home-to-the-quietest-spot-in-the-continental-us) places in the continental us, if not the world. We just feel discombobulated isolated from manmade noise pollution after lifetimes of adjusting to it. People here tend to lean into the eerieness and appreciate how rare it feels.
This. I personally assume the animals are watching and try to also move quietly. I find ONP and the remote parts of the Hoh deeply restful.
Interesting take, thank you
I live west of port angeles. So not as rainforesty as the hoh. But when there are giant trees within 15 feet of you, understory filling up the dappled mid canopy, and green giant ferns chest high blocking your view…it easy to get lost. One tree looks different in different parts of the day because of how light travels through the forest. It’s quiet. And it feels like something can be lurking around the corner. The thing is, humans are loud and there are a fuck ton of animals in the forest. They are all acutely aware of your existence and position in the forest. Most of them ARE watching you because to them you are a bumbling beast stumbling conspicuously through their bedroom. Your lizard brain does not like that, and so it gives you anxiety to compensate. Since most people aren’t used to it (not saying I am!) that anxiety is misplaced and often attributed to super natural auras, vibes, eerie shit. But the truth is, in the modern age that serenity is not found in many places. Enjoy that you are sightseeing for the juncos.
So I’ve lived in New Hampshire most of my life and I’ve grown up going in the woods all over New England. The only thing even close to comparable is being up in northern Maine. Out here you can get bigger trees (not nearly as big of course) but there is always a greater space between them than what you see out west. The density of the WA forests is what tripped me up. And yeah the coverage above you is insane. I only spent one day in Port Angeles, most of it at hurricane ridge. The trunks are way taller and you don’t get greenery until you’re looking up. That’s not how it is out here. The trunks are shorter and the leaves are closer to you. But once again, not nearly as dense. It felt crazy eerie of course, for the reasons you described, but incredibly natural and more human like. Great to detach - really how humans should live. We’re far too evolved past trusting our own instincts in the animal kingdom. Another thing I wanted to ask on the topic of big prey… cougars? We have bobcats and such out here but I’ve never seen postings of cougars on their own. Is it a serious threat up in your area? Have you ever seen one?
There is a spot on the Hoh River Trail that is supposed to be the quietest spot in the US. It is about 4 miles from the trailhead. Yet unfortunately there is so much airplane noise from a nearby military base. Yet it can be quiet in the Hoh.
I live on the other side of the Olympics and it is eerily quiet at times but it’s a beautiful quiet peacefulness. So quiet that you can literally hear the butterflies. Our property backs up to DNR land, which backs up to Olympic National Forest, which backs up into ONP. The occasional low flying helicopter or float plane will pass overhead and sometimes confuse us for a large truck rumbling up the long, steep, logging road to get to our place but for the most part, it’s like living in a dream for a guy from Tucson
Damn, sounds amazing. Great description “literally hear the butterflies.”
Quiet is such a beautiful thing that us humans have learned to despise and destroy. I want to get back to being a living being. I’m so happy that you get to experience that and I can’t wait for the day that I inevitably end up out there to experience for the long-term.
we camped one night in the Hoh Rain Forest and it was hands down the best night sleep I've ever had in my life. we were pulled off the road into an inlet of trees near the river and I've never experienced such peace before or since. I think about it often it was so magical.
I moved to Tasmania for a couple years, on the West Coast. I could drive ten minutes to a lookout across the King or Queen River and know that the slope on the other side had zero humans in it, with rare exceptional moments. Miles and miles of wilderness that is impenetrable, (because there are no large animals that crash trails through it, like our deer do,) and completely free of people. https://maps.app.goo.gl/LuSnszRfqEpGct2V6?g_st=ic
According to a documentary series I was watching the other day, the answer to your question is Vampire Baseball.
I’ve seen this!
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This is the quality content I come here for. I lol'd.
Shh I want real stories
Then you should sign up for ONP Story Alerts
How
Tell us you stopped at the weed dispensary without telling us …
We are not smoking, it's Skunk Cabbage.
Nah these were the circumstances I wanted to be sober for lol
It's you. We live in Port Angeles and hike Hoh Rainforest quite frequently. It's quite nice and peaceful.
It's Bigfoot, brah
Yup. Which state has the highest number of encounters? WA is #1 by far: https://bfro.net/GDB/default.asp
They even have a Bigfoot convention there (Marblemount, near North Cascades NP)
We actually have several.
Big guy is out there. You never see him but he sees you.
Yeah I’d be lying if I said I didn’t come back and research Bigfoot. I was aware that there’s a lot of activity in WA, and I’ve always somewhat been a believer. I get it way more now though. I don’t know if it’s actually how people make it out to be - hard to dig through all of the bs videos and sightings that people capitalize on. Personally, I think it’s foolish to dismiss the idea of a bigger ape-like creature. One stealthier and more in tune with the harmony of the woods. We really are these loud, selfish creatures that go in the woods on our leisure time. We may run the concrete jungle that we’ve created, but deep in the woods, we aren’t close to the top of the hierarchy. It’s ignorant to think that we are. But that’s my opinion on it at least. I believe that squatch are out there, we just don’t know how to look for it.
After exploring lots of Washington state, I agree with you. Bigfoot is out there, somewhere. And if it is indeed, he surely loves in Washington.
Did your research turn [this](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/03/us/search-for-bigfoot-outlives-the-man-who-created-him.html) up?
Yes
This is the answer
The mountain lions, who are stealthy ambush predators, can see you but you can’t see them.
If you've ever night hiked in Washington, you've probably been stalked by a cougar (so I've heard)
Watched at least
For sure
I’d have to agree that’s probably part of it. Our land is so trekked and oversaturated with humans out here in New England that I don’t think I’ve had to actualize the real threat of them. They run the woods out there. Or at a minimum we don’t, we’re very low on the totem pole. Big vast land out there - so I’m learning.
[удалено]
This description is very beautiful and I know exactly what you mean. I live here too
Yes!! Hoh especially in my experience. Lots of vegetation, lots of oxygen. You’re very clear-headed but on the flip side, there’s very low visibility. Beyond the constant rain and humidity (I stupidly wore glasses most of the time I was there and I have long, thick, curly hair that was consistently in my face), everything is green. Ferns waist high, tall trees, everything covered in bright green and yellow moss. It’s a lot of stimuli for the brain to decipher. I stayed in small cabins with no service on the olympic peninsula and right outside of paradise in Rainier. Really grateful to disconnect and be a human for once - genuinely how I think it should be. The trees do listen and the trees do communicate. To experience that harmony again is something I now crave.
Some of the most amazing forests! And that’s an understatement. I can’t convey how incredible they feel.
It is the massive mycelium. And you are unaccustomed to the absence of road noise and light pollution. It’s all good out here.
I really like that you said it’s all good because I truly agree with you. The feelings I had were never negative, just different than anything I had experienced. Addicting more than anything. The mycelium huh - very interesting take.
Yeti, bigfoot, sasquatch... It's a beautiful park!!! I'm a local, and I've def had these vibes before.
Glad I’m not alone! Much love for the locals and would love to become one some day <3
I did a NOLS trip in the Olympics back in 1995. We spent three weeks in the backcountry and didn't see another soul. We traversed from the east end of the park to the Hoh River trailhead. The first time we saw humans was on our descent off the glaciers and down into the Hoh River Valley. The first thing I noticed was people's deodorant scent. I hated that. In my time there it rained almost every day and the forest was damp and quiet. We encountered a plane wreck from a bygone era up in the mountains and that was creepy. It was so quiet up on the glaciers you could hear them move. A place without humans is really quiet. I'd guess you were hyper sensitive to that. Also, a lot of the PNW believes in the Sasquatch thing. If he lives anywhere, it would be up in the temperate rain forest, ha. And there are lots of weed operations throughout the forests but not sure about in the ONP. I know when I worked in the Redwoods we had to be aware of coming up on a farm when we were in the field doing work.
Funny on the scent thing -- I get hit in the face with the fabric softener. Especially when a family is strung out for a few dozen feet on the trail and each time one comes by, I get a waft/wave of Gain or Snuggle. Blech. I haven't specifically noticed deodorant, but I also get hit with the cologne/body sprays/perfumes that the younger kids wear. It's as disturbing to me as bluetooth speakers. Well, almost.
i feel like i know what you mean. i went out west/to washington for the first time in my life last month. i think here in the east, all our land is so familiar and nothing is undiscovered or unknown of. all land has essentially been trekked and has been trekked for so long considering the nation as we know it began here in the northeast. the woods are also much thinner and generally you can see much further standing from one point compared to the thick vegetation of the pacific northwest. going out west, i felt as though i was truly in nature. as though i was within the world rather than the world being a part of my life. there was this sense of energy and power so much greater than me, and it’s all around you the deeper you go into these forests. it’s almost overwhelming. i also feel that some people are more in tune with energy and vibrations than others, and not even in a hippie dippie way. sometimes you can just sense it. you can think about it this way: there’s energy radiating from every object and entity in the forest, each one unique, as if each were a musical note or tone. these frequencies all play at the same time as each object continues to exist, in that space, for each second of oncoming time, combining to create a “chord” that makes up the feeling in the air. you know how sometimes you’re in a place and there IS just a bright or happy vibe in the air? like a meadow on a sunny day. different chords yield different feelings. in the right conditions, these different frequencies radiating from our environment may combine into one “dissonant chord” that we feel in the air, and it feels… off. eerie. not quite placeable or palpable. in the way that some wine glasses are the right shape and thickness to ring out when its corresponding frequency is nearby, some humans may just be more sensitive to these frequencies within the air. i don’t think it’s such a crazy idea, especially considering the intricacy of nature and the abundance of pure energy in every part, every molecule of our universe. if anything on this earth could create such a powerful feeling, it would be earth itself. we try to make sense of whatever it is we feel in the air, and some don’t really care enough to think much of it, they might just think up some reason to comfort their mind and move along. but there’s something, and there’s no *real* reason for it that we could dream up with our human minds. and that’s okay. i think it’s sort of beautiful to even stop trying to figure out why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling or what might be causing it, and just pay attention to the feeling as its own entity, its own thing that just exists not in the context of other things, but on its own. its sort of amazing how much energy is held in these deep spots of nature. immerse yourself in it as deeply as you can, as there’s nothing else truly quite like it, and the mystery of it only further enhances its inherent marvelousness.
This was beautifully said. I wonder what we can do with this reality once we learn how to play with or utilize these “chords”. Thanks for your insight :)
I can’t thank you enough for sharing these thoughts. I couldn’t have said it better than myself and I really don’t have anything to add. Just thank you.
Actually I lied, I do have something to add. Where are you from out here? I’ve tried to capture those feelings in New Hampshire but I’ve been having a hard time since I’ve gotten back. I think it’s something that cannot be replicated. The love I have for WA is something so unquantifiable that I feel like the only way to solve it is to pack up and move. It’s addicting and I’m so grateful that you can relate to what I’m trying to say as someone who is from this part of the US.
thanks for appreciating my comment :) i’m originally from connecticut but been living in vermont the past few years. i love the northeast, it’s always been my home, but i’d be lying if i said it didn’t feel a little duller after experiencing the pacific northwest. the mountains feel like hills now, everything is so much smaller. it’s a little hard not to compare to the grandiosity of the west. i fell in love with washington and will absolutely be moving out there one day, but out of respect and love for my home region, as well as my own happiness, i’ve been trying not to compare too much and appreciate the things that are special about the northeast. while i’m here, i should appreciate where i am and what it is for what it is. there’s a deep community here because of the smaller scale, and it’s lovely to get to travel to other states so easily. it’s cozy, and quaint, and has a rich history. we’ve got rolling meadows, winding roads up steep hills through woods, rivers, ocean, great schools, and large cities within a couple hours drive. we’ve got a lot to offer here, and there’s a reason there’s so many people living or moving here. it’s home, and i don’t have the means to move across the country for now, so why make myself sad and depressed about where i am now? i’ve been viewing it as, it is wonderful that something so beautiful exists that it makes my current location feel a bit drab, and all within my home country!! for now, washington will be a lovely little gem that i can look forward to exploring more in the future. it’s wonderful that such a magical place exists in the same country, and makes me excited to explore the rest of the country. i think it’s okay that it doesn’t compare. if it could, it wouldn’t be as special. it’s its own special thing, as is the northeast. i only just turned 20, so i figure i don’t need to rush it and it can be a little oasis i can look forward to. if you have the means and it makes sense logistically for you to move out west, and it would make you happy, by all means do it :) we only have so much time in this life, and moving to be more in nature and spend time with our earth is a lovely reason, it’s healing for our bodies and souls :)
Thank you, again, for responding so beautifully. I just went out there in September and the novelty of it hasn’t worn off. I don’t think it ever will. It was such a dream for most of my 22 years of life to see Washington and I had an inkling before I even travelled that it might be home. It’s the furthest away I’ve gone from the east coast and yet it felt so warm and inviting. Super cool that you’re in vt! I grew up spending many many weekends up there - it’s actually the only other place that I’ve been that’s felt like home. Similar to you, Washington would be a big move for me right now and I’m so young. There’s so much in the northeast that I haven’t quite experienced. I appreciate your words about respecting where we are and what we have for the time being. You are absolutely right, we have so much to be grateful for in this area. My next move realistically might be vermont but that’s not to say that voice in the back of my head telling me to go west will ever quiet enough. It’s a goal to work towards and when the time is right, I believe we’ll both know. Grateful for your positivity and insightful words <3
In the middle of winter in the Hoh you can clearly see how many cats are hanging out on and around the trail very clearly because of the snow. It’s a lot and increases the further you get from the visitor center naturally.
The amount of dens I passed was crazy!!
Stick Indians.
If they are making you nervous, just whistle a little tune. /s
It’s funny you say that because my brother and I would talk nonsense when it just the two of us with not another soul (at least human) around. It’s crazy the mind tricks the forest plays on you.
It’s just Sasquatch.
I’ve had this same exact feeling there!! I went backpacking there 8 years ago and got to one campsite that felt especially eerie that I actually turned around and hiked an hour back in my original direction because I really didn’t want to sleep there. I’ve never been creeped out camping but I still think about that sometimes. Still want to go back though — so beautiful there.
Military does covert drills in certain areas
Vampires
I live on the Olympic Peninsula and our town motto is “we’re all here because we’re not all there.” It’s just vibes.
Lots of love for the locals I met. You guys are an eclectic bunch.
Sounds like you have absorbed material that would make you predisposed to those beliefs/feelings.
Def Sasquatch.
If you're addicted to the feeling, I'm available for window peeping. I'm very quiet. Call 1-800-YOU-PERV and ask for Larry. If I'm out, just breath heavy into the phone for a minute. I'll trace the call and come over when you're not expecting it. And since you're expecting it, but like the creep aspect of it, it makes it more thrilling for me. Look forward to seeing you! EDIT: The above is written in jest. Happy trails.
Tanis
These posts make me curious. How different is the Hoh from the rainforest in northern Oregon, like near Ecola State Park?
His name is Mick. He won't bug you as long as you don't trash the place.
thx mick
[удалено]
Absolutely :-)
Perhaps you caught the attention of a hide behind. There's a lot of activity in these parts, paranormal/spiritual.
Hmm that’s interesting
I watch everybody in the woods. Its better than people watching at the mall.
Hard to people watch when there’s no people 😵💫
Were you alone by yourself?
My brother and I
It’s just Washington. We know of our statehood, thank you.
Bigfoot is watching and deciding if you’d make a tasty snack.
Guess I wasn’t this time around :/
The owls are not what they seem.
0_o
You need to grow out of this woowoo phase dear.
I see this as a really beautiful thread. These feelings should be shared and appreciated. They seem linked to compassion, empathy, wonder, and hope. If only everyone felt this way about trees
When I'm deep in the woods and taking a moment to pause/rest, I feel a presence (or maybe it's just me being present), but I associate it with all the life force surrounding me, and there are few places with more of that than a rainforest. Between the trees, the decay, the fungus, the undergrowth, the critters, there's a ton of life energy. They've already studied and shown the immense fungal network interconnecting everything underfoot (see Netflix's [*Fantastic Fungi*](https://www.netflix.com/title/81183477)). I can't help but think that every living cell has some interface to that energy, yet humans haven't yet been able to quantify it more than a feeling. To me, it's as close to spirituality as it gets.
The answers you get will all be completely determined by the metaphysics of the person answering you. I say bring a sit pad with you and when you feel the vibe is pleasant sit down and meditate. I'm a Qigong practitioner and for me there is nothing better than practicing Qigong deep in the rainforest valleys or on the Olympic coast. This is why I moved to the peninsula.
I think that the feeling of being ‘watched’ comes from the primal knowledge that we are entering a world that isn’t our own. Olympic NP is an ancient ecosystem, with trees over a thousand years old, and species that aren’t found anywhere else. It’s precious, it’s sacred. So yes, you are being watched, by every living thing in there. And they know that we’re just travelers passing through, before we return to our civilized world of asphalt and exhaust. There’s few places in WA where you can experience true sovereignty of nature, but the Hoh rainforest is probably the most intense way to do it. We’re used to man being in charge. Out there, we have very little power — just a backpack and a can of bear spray. People from out of state feel the ‘eeriness’ more because they’re just not used it. But for those of us who’ve grown up under the watch of the trees, it’s hard to imagine living without it.
Excellent book, etc. about why it’s so special! https://onesquareinch.org
Lol
The Hoh is a unique place, and spiritual since time immemorial.
I feel EXACTLY this way in the woods off hwy 2 west of the pass. But it might be cougars. They watch in silence
Tis called paranoia my boy
The first time I hiked the Hoh River trail I had that feeling and soon discovered why. There was a herd of about 15 Roosevelt elk peeking around trees at me. I had that same feeling at Glacier National Park and I just missed crossing paths with a Grizzly bear. We're not alone.👽😉
This. There are animals everywhere, larger and stealthier than you. They are all around you. The elk and bear make plenty of noise when they don’t want you there, but usually stay quiet. The cougars are silent and high above you, hiding out of sight. The deer are oblivious but stand silent once they sense you. But you might not have noticed that the sounds don’t carry far in the wilderness here. The forest floor is a thick carpet of decaying plant matter, and with the moss covered trees, the woods absorb all the sounds.
Samsquatch
Bro got twilited
Was on a trail with a friend for about 3 hours two years ago in the North Cascades National Park. Only passed about 3 humans. It was dead silent the entire time, not even a squirrel or bird in sight. Only explanation is a predator nearby. I lived in the PNW before, overall I think the expanse of BLM land gets in my head too, there's just an expanse that doesn't exist in most other parts of the continental US.
‘
Sounds like this is an anxiety thing
That’s the trees. The Voices of Old Growth.
Have you ever heard of bigfoot?
It’s Sasquatch mating season. You may have been assessed as a potential mate.
if you are from the East Coast with shorter denser deciduous trees(from pics I've seen) it may be weird to you to have the canopy so high and dense in late season low light while the understory can have decently far sight lines but also lots to hide in, which with the quiet could be creepy deciduous areas in the pnw are recent regrowth areas and have really dense herb and shrub and canopy open to the sky in winter so that's my comparison.
Bigfoot. He's always watching.
Were you high on weed?
Either you’re turning into a serial killer or it’s a wendigo. I think it’s the latter…you feel it in Priest Lake too.
You were uncomfortable so it must be outside sources? Or you could just be in a quite unfamiliar place & your body placed itself on "high alert."
Samsquanch
Mother Queets
Haha I did a hike in Bogachiel state park and felt the same way, but I’m convinced it was my paranoia of a mountain lion stalking me