Wind Whisperer

An afternoon hike through the Olympic Peninsula rain forest turns into the adventure of a lifetime for two sixteen-year-old cousins, Hannah and Jonah. The splendor of Olympic National Park beckons, and the cousins are eager to explore. The trails take them deep into a primeval forest of gigantic Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and western red cedar. Like a scene out of Middle Earth, one particular behemoth stands as a monument to a time before time began. Jonah finds a small totem—a Native American artifact—wedged deep in the tree roots. Searching for more treasures, he climbs the gigantic roots and disappears into a hollowed spot on the massive trunk. Hannah, left alone in an eerie primordial solitude, calls for her cousin to return but only silence replies. When a strange mist begins swirling and ebbing around the lichen covered tree trunk, Hannah circles the tree, looking for Jonah, but he is gone. Convinced he is playing a practical joke on her, she heads back to camp. However, it isn’t long before she realizes she is lost. Nothing looks familiar. It is getting late, and she tries not to imagine what may be lurking around the next tree. Maybe Bigfoot himself. Night falls and so does a heavy rain. Hannah is forced to sleep in the shelter in a hollow log overnight. What Hannah discovers when she awakes the next morning is so unbelievable she is sure she is still dreaming.