The Forest Changes You: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Calling

         My name is Aron Simons, and I can't help but wonder if the thing I am searching for is even real. I find myself traversing through Redwood National Park. I don't consider myself very versed in hiking, but I have a purpose to visit one of the many national parks on the West Coast. There is said to be something within these woods that can change a person's life, and I intend to find it.

         As I make my way along the hiking trail, I stop momentarily to breathe in the clean air. It was a strange contrast to the toxic fumes emitted by cars and people.

         "Maybe things would have been better if I lived here" I sigh deeply thinking about what could have been. A life away from people, a life filled with exploration instead of the mundane. I reach into my pack for the map that would lead me toward my destination. Or at least a map that I hoped would lead to my destination. The map in question was covered in spots of yellow, frayed and torn at the edges, and covered with faded ink and writing. I squinted trying to make out the words.

         "Something as important as this should have been taken care of better" I groan going east off the path designed to keep hikers like myself safe from the unknowns of this wooded maze. The crunch of the leaves and branches beneath my boots is calming. I even dared to close my eyes for a brief moment as I walked. I wanted to take in all the sounds that could easily be missed. The sounds of the birds were hidden within the branches. The crickets chirp somewhere under the many colored leaves. And strangely a humming sound. I turn towards the direction of the humming sound and as I open my eyes the sound stops.

         "They didn't say anything about a humming sound. Maybe a ranger's vehicle?" I ponder for a moment trying to determine if the humming sound could have come from an ATV or one of the other vehicles the park rangers use. I try not to get too lost in my thoughts knowing this could lead to undesirable results. I trek forward reaching back for the map once again. I follow it closely not wanting to end up lost in the forest as many others had done before me. Unfortunately, as my eyes focused on the map they didn't focus on what was in front of me.

         "Shit" I yell as I feel myself trip. I fall face-first into the ground, my hands scraping up against the ground as I attempt to catch myself. I groan as I get up, the stinging sensation coming from my palms causes me to wince in pain. As I collect myself I look around to see my clothes spewed across the ground.

         "Seriously come on," I say in frustration realizing I forgot to zip my pack back up when I got out the map. I place the heavy backpack on the ground and begin to collect my belongings doing my best to remove the dirt from them before placing them back neatly in my pack. As the last shirt enters I realize—

         "The map!" I quickly get my pack back on and begin to scour the forest floor for it. It's all for not though. The wind must have taken it while I was busy getting my belongings back into my pack.

         "Okay, don't panic. That's the worst thing that I can do right now" I say to myself in an attempt to feel better about the situation. I can feel in the back of my mind that doubt and collective negativity start to build up. That needs to be a pessimist eating away at my attempt to remain calm.

         "Compass!" I say quickly reaching into my pocket. How I could almost forget about the little device was beyond me. It was made for this very situation. I could use it to either retrace my steps or to hopefully find a ranger station. I did have a map of the park, so how lost could I truly be? As I examine the compass, my eyes widen. The dial wasn't showing me north, in fact, the dial was spinning uncontrollably and showed no signs of stopping. I shake the compass violently like a child trying to fix a toy. The results did nothing, and I could only stare blankly at the compass. My mind started to race and spin trying to think of the next best solution.

         "Moss!" I yell running towards one of the trees. I was relieved I listened in elementary school. Or was it middle school? It didn't matter. All that mattered was moss grew on the north side of the tree. Once I found a tree with moss on it I could figure out which way to go. I was frantic as I searched each tree. None of them had what I was looking for. It was almost comical. I would find a tree and quickly circle it, only to go to the next one, not even remembering which direction I had come from in the first place. Time felt almost still as I searched, but that could be due to the sun slowly disappearing. Blocked out by the leaves and branches of the trees above. I stop after what I assume to be an hour to catch my breath. I grab a bottle of water and quickly chug it. The liquid poured down my face and onto my shirt. It was refreshing, but not enough to help calm me.

         "This can't be possible right, how can no tree have any moss on it" I said between deep breaths and chugs of water. I leaned up against a tree and slowly lowered myself to the ground. I looked up seeing a tinge of light trying to break through the vastness of the trees. I shivered slightly as the wind danced through the air. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone and a few hand warmers. After activating the warmers, I checked my phone to see the expected. No bars. I chuckled slightly knowing that it would be too convenient if my phone got a signal this far out. After placing the warmers and phone back into my pocket I used the tree to help myself to my feet. But I didn't feel the hard bark against my palm. I felt something soft and moist.

         "Moss!" I cheer getting up and examining the tree. "Okay so north is—" I turned towards the direction the moss was facing only to see that the tree in front of me had moss on it as well. The two moss-covered trees were facing each other. I slowly stepped forward and examined the tree in front, only to realize it wasn't just one side covered in moss but the entire tree was. I turned back around to the tree I was sitting up against and after examining it noticed that it was also completely covered in moss. I stagger slightly leaning up against the tree to keep myself balanced. My head darts in various directions, and my eyes try to focus on the surrounding trees. I could feel my heart sink into the pit of my stomach as I noticed that each tree had moss covering them in full.

         "Where—how—?" I shiver once again and reach for the hand warmers. I rub them together against the palms of my hands trying to starve off cool. I stepped forward slowly, the sound of leaves and branches crunching against my boots. I had to keep moving forward. I'm sure I would find a way back. Or at least maybe find what I was looking for.