Thriving in Washington’s Coastal forest region, where the sunlight is rare and the dampness is abundant, requires some solid character—and at least a little weirdness. One of the few remaining temperate rainforests on Earth, this western edge of the peninsula is quite distinct from the Lowland, Mountain, and Eastside forest regions across the rest of the state. Cloud-cover is near constant, bringing over a dozen feet of rainfall each year. Heavy fog from the Pacific Ocean rolls among the trees, adding not only several more feet of moisture but shadow, mystery, and rumors of Bigfoot.

Western red cedar, Western hemlock, Douglas fir, and Sitka spruce all crowd the sky here, flourishing over the centuries with determination and patience. These ancient giants can reach heights of a couple hundred feet, and circumferences of up to 60 feet. We can only imagine what secrets are held in those rings. Even grander than their stature is their depth of presence, and all who walk among them ought to find themselves humbled in size but enlarged in spirit. High above, their dense canopy keeps temperatures mild, and in their shaded understory, a quirky jungle of ferns, lichens, and mosses blankets everything, including the trees themselves. Sometimes a sunbreak moves through the woods and illuminates countless shades of green upon green, in a forest with so much personality even its colors dance.