"It's quieter once you get past the tree line."
I went out for a walk after the argument. The air is getting really cold tonight—feels like heavier rain is coming in from the mountains.
I always feel stupid after yelling. I don't even remember what started it this time. Mom/Dad always worry when I stay out past sunset, but I've been walking these trails since I was twelve. Nothing out here has ever tried to bother me. It's safe.
I saw something I shouldn't have seen
People at school think I'm lonely because I don't hang around the bleachers after class. But there's a difference between being lonely because you're stuck, and being alone because you chose it.
"When nobody is around, you can say the things you're too embarrassed to say in a lighted room."
Out by the old radio tower, I can talk aloud about whatever I want. College, graduation, whether I'll ever actually leave Washington. The trees don't interrupt you. They just listen.
Hey. I'm Elias. I'm 18, and I live in a town where the forests are bigger than the roads.
I spend most of my free time exploring old places around Washington—forgotten cabins, overgrown logging paths, houses people left unfinished. I like finding things that were left behind. There's something peaceful about places after people stop paying attention to them.
If I'm not in my room, I'm probably out on the trail behind our house. Don't worry if I don't answer the phone right away—the reception out by the forest is terrible.
A lot of people get creeped out by the woods after dark because of how quiet it gets. But if you know the paths, it's the best time to think.
My Rules for Night Walks: