I stand on muddy earth, the forest a thicket of lush green behind me; cedar and hemlock reach to the sky as salal, deer fern, and pink salmon berry flowers stretch across the forest floor. Gentle waves of the deep ocean channel before me hit the steep rocks that create the shore. A regal raven flies above, the wind whistling through his feathers as he soars to a nearby cedar hidden from view. The only hint to his whereabouts are his echoing calls; a mimicked sound of water droplets hitting the creek below. The water travels down the steep bank, weaving through the forest floor, sometimes it's barely a trickle. If I listen closely enough I may hear the whispered hum of a hummingbird, or the blow of a humpback in the distance as they return with the warming spring.