In the woods outside Arlington, Washington, there is a special place. Off the beaten track, it is known to but a few. Even in the age of Facebook, tweeting and GPS, it lies undisturbed and mostly undiscovered by the greater population. Welcome to Fern Heaven. You won't find it on any map. It is a forest where deer and bear share the world with big cats, owls and eagles. A certain harmony exists in these wet woods; a balance between humanity and wildlife.

Endangered salamanders watch bug-eyed from the shelter of fallen cedars. Rare tree frogs climb masterfully to treetops from which to call their mates. And all the while the forest silently looks on, the biggest character of all in this abundant, wooded wonderland.

Hot days draw bipeds to the river's edge where waterfalls cascade over rock and stone. It's a secret place, this forest of mystery, where trillium and fern grow among bleeding heart and salmonberry, beneath the chatter of chipmunks and drumming of woodpeckers in the canopy above.

Late Summer brings an abundant harvest to the woods. Blackberries are gathered by the gallon, huckleberries and blueberries too. Autumn gives rise to a burgeoning mushroom population, just in time for holiday savories. It is a world all but forgotten, these dark woods of the North, and to borrow a line from Robert Hunter - it is for your steps alone. Find me.



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