Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Quiet Rainforest Hike

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Starting point is 00:01:27 and sign up, follow the link for Get Sleepy Premium in the show notes, or you can subscribe directly with in Apple podcasts. Thanks so much for your support. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. I'm Tom, your host. I hope you're doing well and whatever the reason is that you came to listen to the show, whether it be because you have some difficulty with sleep, or perhaps you just simply enjoy our calming tales and having some background noises you drift off. Thank you so much for giving us your company. I hope we're helping you rest a little easier each night.

Starting point is 00:02:19 In tonight's story, we'll take a quiet stroll through a forest trail in Alaska, with Joe and her dog, Charlie. Let's take a moment to settle and transition into a state of sleepiness. Simply make sure you're comfortable, Simply make sure you're comfortable, feeling your body pressing down into the supportive mattress below. And let your eyes gently close if they aren't already. Allow your breathing to draw out a little longer, nourishing the body with each inhale, and enjoying the sense of letting go each time you breathe out.

Starting point is 00:03:22 Just watch the darkness enveloping behind your eyelids. Maybe you can see flickers of light and colour here and there. Perhaps your mind is already painting scenes across that blank canvas. Just observe whatever comes up without judgment. And if you don't notice anything at all, there's no need for judgment there either. This is simply your time to observe anything that comes and goes through your mind, accepting whatever it might be, and letting go bit by bit. There's nothing you need to do right now. So just follow the sound of my voice as we head far into the northern part of the world. Alaska to be exact on a quiet rainy day.

Starting point is 00:05:17 Imagine a small town built on the edge of a large island covered by acres and acres of evergreen trees. It's one of many islands in this temperate rainforest in the southeast Panhandle of Alaska. The town sees nearly 200 inches of rain every year, but the people who live here don't mind. They know the rain is why their home is so beautiful, lush and green. The rain is also the reason why they have abundant salmon and other wildlife. Joe loves walking the many forest trails around her home. It's nice to get out on the rare sunny day, but like others who live here, she doesn't let rain keep her indoors.

Starting point is 00:06:20 It's Saturday, which means she's going to take her dog, Charlie, for a walk among the trees. Rain or no rain? Charlie is a big, shaggy mixed breed and is about 8 years old. Joe adopted him from the local shelter when he was just a year old and they've been inseparable ever since. He's a sweet mellow dog who, like most dogs, appreciates the simple things. Those include, in order, his person, food, walks, interesting smells, and sometimes chasing squirrels. It's raining today, of course, but not too hard. Joe decides she doesn't need full rain gear for today's adventure. She can get away with her hooded rain jacket and rubber hiking boots. She has a pair of quick drier trousers that will repel most of the raindrops, especially

Starting point is 00:07:50 once they're on the trail, protected by the canopy of trees. She gets dressed, puts the lead on Charlie, and says goodbye to her cat, Mittens. Then, she walks out the door, with Charlie trotting happily beside her. They get into the car, and head toward the trail she's chosen for that day. It's not far, maybe a 20 minute drive. The road runs close to the coast with a clear view of the ocean most of the way. The body of water looks almost like a wide river because another tree covered island is less than a mile away. As Joe drives, she glances out't see any signs of whales today, but she's been lucky other times.

Starting point is 00:09:21 Whale sightings are among the many benefits of living along the coast in Alaska. The trail she's chosen for today is a couple of miles long and meanders through the forest ending at a rocky beach. It will be low tide by the time they get to the beach and Joe looks forward to exploring the tide pools. Joe pulls into the parking lot and is pleased to see no other cars. She and Charlie will have the trail to themselves this morning. She gets out of the car and Charlie pops out after her, eager to sniff all the smells. The path before them is framed by evergreen. They start along the trail, gravel crunching lightly under Joe's feet. The soft sound of Charlie's nose, busily snuffling the ground and bushes, blends with the quiet sounds of the forest.

Starting point is 00:10:52 The rain remains light and is even lighter under the trees. Joe doesn't even need her hood up now. There's a gentle sound of raindrops hitting the trees far above her head and the air smells fresh. A breeze ruffles her hair. It's early spring and Joe can see a few signals that the forest is getting ready for summer. Buts are just starting to form on the salmon berry bushes, a good sign for berry picking later in the year. And new leaves are starting on the many Huckleberry Shrubs. Just off the trail in a low wet area, Josie's the bright yellow flower of a skunk cabbage.

Starting point is 00:12:00 It's an odd prehistoric looking, lily-shaped bloom. And for now, it's still tiny. The huge leaves haven't formed yet. By summer, the bloom will be gone, and only the leaves will remain. She's happy to see it. Skunk cabbages are the first flowers to bloom in the forest. Warm weather reveal a musk egg. These boggy areas are beautiful and home to interesting vegetation such as Labrador tea and the Sunji which catches insects.

Starting point is 00:13:05 Bokloros also live in the muskake and will reveal beautiful glooms later in the year. Now though, the open landscape is a mix of green, brown and grey, shrouded in mist. A few small twisted pines grow in the muskag. They're stunted because the peat that makes up the bark doesn't have the nutrients needed for them to grow tall and straight, like the other ever-greens in the forest. These muskak trees are hundreds of years old, yet barely as tall as Joe. Joe stops to look out into the open musk egg.

Starting point is 00:14:09 She stands still, scans the landscape and takes a deep breath. It's quiet. There's no sound of people or civilization here on the trail. Only natural sounds reach her ears. Joe feels her mind relax as it lets go of tension from the past week. This is why she loves forest trails. Walking quietly in the trees, refreshes her song. Charlie nudges her hand, letting her know he's ready to move on. She smiles down at him and nods. They continue along the trail, soon leaving the open musk cake and re-entering the forest. Trees are older here and the forest floor is more open. Tall straight cedar trees flank both sides of the trail and the ground in between is covered

Starting point is 00:15:37 with bright green moss. Every now and then, Joe comes across a nurselock. When a tree falls due to disease or a really strong windstorm, it becomes a nursery for other plants while it slowly decomposes. The downed tree eventually becomes soil and provides the opportunity for a new tree to take root in its place. The trail has been fairly level so far, level so far, but now it starts to descend as they get closer to the beach. Joe can see ahead where the treeline ends and the rocky beach begins. Charlie sees it too and starts panting to show his enthusiasm. He knows they'll play fetch on the beach until get to go swimming. They emerge from the trees and the rain has slowed to a light mist. There's a slight breeze, and the tide is at its lowest point. There is a wide stretch of beach covered with lines of seaweed left by the receding

Starting point is 00:17:19 tide. tired. Joe can see some tide pools she wants to check out before the ocean starts to creep back up. First though, Charlie needs some attention. There's not much that can match the simple, honest joy There's not much that can match the simple, honest joy of a dog fetching a tennis ball on a beach. Joe has almost as much fun as Charlie while she throws the ball over and over, and Charlie zooms after it with unbridled enthusiasm each time. Joe throws it into the water a couple of times too, and Charlie plunges into the frigid ocean with no hesitation. When he finally stops bringing the ball back and instead lays down to chew on a piece of seaweed, Joe heads for the tide pours to see what interesting ocean creatures she can find.

Starting point is 00:18:54 As she walks over one sandy section of beach, tiny jets of water erupt around her. She smiles as she realizes she is strolling over a clam bed and the buried clams are squirting water up through the fine silti sound. Jo knows she won't hurt the clams by walking on their bed, so she keeps going towards the largest, most promising tide pool. The pool is surrounded by a circle of barnacle-covered rocks with seaweed liberally sprinkled on top. Joe climbs up onto the rocks and then carefully makes her way down to the shallow water, trapped by the ring when the tide is out. Right away she spots a cluster of purple starfish, clinging to one of the rocks and waiting for their ocean to return.

Starting point is 00:20:14 A tiny crab scuttles away, ducking under a small rocky overhang, hiding from shorebirds. Joe is pleased to find a clump of spiny sea urchins. She rarely sees them up close. There are delicacy overseas and a valuable commercial fishery. But Joe isn't here to take anything but a few photos on her phone's camera. She zooms in with the lens and tries to get a good shot of each ocean animal she finds. Jo continues examining the various tide pools and enjoys the quiet exploration. When she's finished looking into each one, Charlie is still happily chewing on seaweed. So Joe walks along the tide line searching for beach glass. Starting off as broken glass, beach glass is

Starting point is 00:21:29 tumbled by the ocean. Until over time the surface is etched by salt and sand into a gentle muted color and the sharp edges become rounded. It's a great example of nature turning trash into treasure. Joe walks slowly, eyes on the ground. eyes on the ground. Every now and then she spies a flash of color that's out of place and reaches down to pick up a small piece for her collection. Eventually she hopes to have enough to cover a lampshade or at least make a suncatcher to hang in her kitchen window. Her jacket pocket is now heavy with beach glass and Charlie has eaten more than enough seaweed for one day. It's time to head back.

Starting point is 00:22:53 for one day. It's time to head back. Before leaving, Joe looks out over the water. The ocean is relatively calm with only a slight chop to the waves. There's a gap between neighbouring islands and in the far distance, many nautical miles away. The mainland is just visible, revealing tall mountains topped with snow. Joe calls to Charlie and they start back up the trail. Both are more relaxed on the way home, taking their time. The edge of the energy has been burned off. And now they can really enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of their forest trail. As they pass through the muskake, Joe hears the unmistakable sound of a bald eagle. She looks up to find the source of the delicate, high-pitched peel. After a little searching and listens as it cries again. No matter how often Joe sees eagles, she always marvels at their majesty. When they reach the car, Joe takes out a soft towel from the boot and gives Charlie a good

Starting point is 00:24:52 rub down. Between the rain, the dew covered trees and bushes and swimming in the ocean, he is soaked to the skin. Once he's as dry as she can get him, Joe lets him jump into the backseat and gives him a treat. Before she gets into the car, Joe hears her other favourite bird. The sound that catches her attention is similar to water dripping, but she knows it's a raven mimicking a sound that's common in the rainforest. She looks up and there he is, perched on a light pole. The large, cold black bird doesn't have the majesty of the eagle, but Joe loves ras, nonetheless. Their ability to mimic sounds is remarkable. And they

Starting point is 00:26:11 are smart, resourceful creatures. They have big personalities too, and seem to understand what you're saying when you talk to them. This one was too far away for conversation though, so Joe simply smiles at the pleasure of seeing him and gets in the car. She starts it up and heads out, but not before making sure Charlie has an open window for the drive home. He loves to stick his head out the window, catching all the smells at high speed, ears flapping in the wind. Once their home, Joe gives Charlie

Starting point is 00:27:13 his breakfast and Mittens gets a special treat too. Joe is a little chilled from the adventure, so she takes a long hot shower to warm up and then gets into her softest fleece trousers and sweatshirt. She's more than ready for some cinnamon toast and a cup of peppermint tea. Jo turns on the kettle and puts some bread into the toaster. While everything is heating up, she chooses soft classical music and picks out one of her favorite regency romances from her collection of classics. She's read the book many times, but she finds something new to enjoy each time she opens the well-worn pages. When the tea and toast are ready, she puts it all on a tray and takes it and her book to

Starting point is 00:28:33 her favourite chair. It's a soft recliner, large and clump. It's perfect for curling up after a good walk. Joe puts the tray on the side table, turns on the reading lamp and settles into the chair. She puts the foot rest up and covers herself with a soft fleece throw that she keeps in a basket next to the chair. In the meantime, Charlie has found one of his chew bones and carries it to his cushioned bed on the other side of Joe's chair. His busy and satisfied, gnawing on the bone. Mittens the cat waits impatiently for Joe to finish covering herself with the fleece. impatiently for Joe to finish covering herself with the fleece. Once Joe is completely settled and ready to start reading, Mittens jumps up onto her lap, turns several times, and then curls into a tidy, perring ball.

Starting point is 00:30:08 Joe takes a sip of tea and picks up a piece of toast. She takes a bite, savoring the combination of butter, sugar, and spice spice and starts to read. The rain has picked up again and the quiet patter of rain drops on the roof is soothing. Inside, it's warm and quiet. Inside, it's warm and quiet. The only sounds are the soft music, Charlie chewing on his bone, and Mittens, purring. Occasionally, there's the rustling of Joe turning a page. That becomes less frequent though, as Joe's eyelids keep wanting to close.

Starting point is 00:31:16 Her breathing slows and her body starts to feel heavy. Charlie has finished chewing and has fallen asleep. Mittens' paws are twitching lightly as she dreams. It's time for Joe to join them in an afternoon nap. She marks her place in the book and puts it on the side table. She reclines the back of the chair until she's almost lying down. She scratches mittens on the forehead. Then Joe tucks her arms under the fleece throw and closes her eyes. Her breathing is slow and steady. Her mind She thinks about trees, the ocean and the whales. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Quiet Rainforest Hike

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