In an Archaic feeling misty rainforest, I feel like I could be in a forest in Washington State. As I observe my surroundings I note the trees look dead apart from tallest ones, despite the deadness of the trees this is actually a healthy patch of land.
Deep calm emanates from the green amongst the pitter patter of rain as light gusts of wind whisper and whoosh through the cathedral canopy. Sticks mutedly crack underfoot as I advance slowly deeper into the lush unwalked forest floor. Dark fungal blooms jutt out of dead logs, brown preserved leaves lie undisturbed, no smell, just a fresh cool pure pre spring day.
Some of the trees are dead and consequently more light is entering through the canopy, allowing new sphagnum moss to grow everywhere, it is almost neon with green, even in February on a gray day. This would be the perfect environment for horsehair parachutes come Autumn. I emerged from the house today just ‘because’, it’s a wet day and there aren’t many people around, everything is dripping wet. The canopy is cathedral esque, a friend once told me that cathedrals are modeled after forest canopies, splaying out at the top, we partly evolved around forests so I can believe that.
What I notice the most today is the peacefulness. Dead branches hang with pure clear rainwater glistening in droplets, looking almost frozen in time. In another context I wouldn’t look twice at them, funny how such a beautiful place can lay undocumented for decades, just 20 feet off the beaten track. A perfect example of why you should just duck under a bush and yomp off into the undergrowth on a whim, you might find a place like this. It looks like no one has ever walked up this little area in decades. I could be in the middle of nowhere. If I were in a vast American or Russian forest I’d probably have to be on my guard, but there are no predatory animals here so I can relax and enjoy the stillness, the best of both worlds.