The sun is shining, I’ve just had a great sleep and I’ve officially broken up for the half term holiday. I should be over the moon, yet I feel annoyed. It is true that I love a moan, but I reckon I’ve got good reason this time. Last night I planned to spend the night camping out in my local forest and instead bottled it as the sun set and headed for the safety of my car and eventually my flat. I’ve come to realise that no matter how much I try, I can’t bring myself to sleep in the woods.
What makes it worse is that this is now the second time I’ve done this. I swore on my last visit that the next time I came, I would sit it out no matter how scared I got. It seemed doable in practice, but the urge to flee last night was just too strong and I gave in to these fears. Now I feel like a right wimp.
How I should Have Felt
On the face of it I should have been excited about being there. You can’t beat the sights and sounds of nature and in a forest you’re surrounded by them. There was also no risk of hearing all of the usual noises I experience at home. Living next door to a hospital and in a flat, it’s amazing how easy it is to have your sleep broken. A car alarm going off at 2am or a couple having a row in the hospital car park is enough to drive anybody mad. In short, I should have felt much like this video depicts:
The Reality
Those relaxed vibes and a total enjoyment of my surroundings would have been far too easy though. In reality I found myself looking into myself more than I was enjoying the nature around me. I don’t think being there alone particularly helped as it gave me no distraction from my own thoughts, which were more than happy to completely take over my mind. I love writing and have an active imagination. This is great when you’re sitting at your desk trying to write a piece of fiction. In a darkening woodland though it is rather counterproductive! As the sun set, I found my thoughts starting to focus on the following:
Are We All A Little Scared Of The Woods At Night?
As annoyed as I am with failing to stay in the forest overnight, I am consoling myself with the thought that most people would have the same fear in the same environment. When I called my dad earlier in the evening and told him where I was, he wasn’t slow in telling me how mad I was. There was no way on Earth he’d ever do such a thing and I was crazy to even be attempting it. They were pretty much the words he said.
I think virtually everybody has a fear of the forest these days. It seems crazy really as in reality the very towns and cities we live in are probably more dangerous. Most of England was once covered in forest and our fore-fathers would have been comfortable living among them. I can’t help but feel that in our modern world today, we’ve become more detached from nature. Is it any surprise then that we all feel a little scared when all of the conveniences of our lives today are taken away? It isn’t just our change in lifestyles though that make forests scary. There are several other nagging thoughts, which plague our minds.
Children’s Fiction
I thought this was as good a place as any to start, seeing as it’s where we first often see forests depicted as places to fear and even avoid. There are so many choices, but stories such as Hansel and Gretel as well as Little Red Riding Hood certainly make the point well. These stories are designed for young children, yet they reveal unsavoury characters lurking in the woods with bad intentions. I reckon most of us were aware of trees that come to life at night before we even left primary school.
Even classic children’s animations depict forests as being spooky places, especially at night. It is amazing watching The Snowman each Christmas. Despite the little boy being in the company of his new friend, the music still takes on a very eerie tone as they creep though the dark wood en-route to visiting Santa Claus.
Work a little bit up the age-range and you discover stories like Harry Potter. We all know about The Forbidden Forest and who lurks there. Being exposed to these stories at such young ages, it’s hardly surprising that of many of us are destined to be frightened of the woods before we even leave school.
Horror/ Mystery Films
There are so many scary films, which feature dark forests, that it’s almost impossible to list them all. I’d put good money on the fact that most adults have seen The Blair Witch Project. It’s not a great film by any stretch, but it does a damn good job in making you want to stay out of a forest at night.
Forests are full of noises, especially at night, but in this film those noises belong to beings you really don’t want to be anywhere near. If you plan to camp in a forest any time soon and have not seen this film, then I suggest viewing it after your outdoor experience.
Some scary films even have forests in their name like ‘ Cabin In The Woods‘. Nothing is left is left to the imagination there. You know even before watching that staying at a cabin in the forest is likely to only end in horror.
Then there are atmospheric thrillers like the underrated film ‘ The Village’. In this great movie, a small community live an almost closed off existence from the outside world. Their village is completely surrounded by thick forest, which is home to creature they call ‘ Those We Don’t Speak Of.’ I don’t want to give too much away, but the forest scenes in this film are indeed scary and brilliantly done. It’s well worth the watch, but again it will do nothing in boosting your confidence if you’re planning to head into the woods alone.
The Noises
I’ve already mentioned that forests are noisy places. This is true even during the day. You’ve got the lovely sound of bird song, but also the sounds of the trees swaying and maybe even creaking in the wind. There are also the cracking branches and rustling leaves made by squirrels and other wildlife on the forest floor.
I can safely say I am not unnerved by these sounds during the day. You can see what is around you and know that nothing around can hurt you. I may not have spent the entire night in a forest, but I’ve been there long enough to know that this all changes when the sun sets.
The forest environment doesn’t change and the trees that were there in daylight are still in exactly the same place after dark. The only difference now is that they can’t be seen and this makes such a big difference. With your sense of sight being lost in the darkness, so your sense of hearing heightens. Just what you don’t need!
What makes it even worse is that noises start emerging in the dark that weren’t there during the day. The nocturnal animals finally get to come out to play. Some of these sounds are downright terrifying if you’re not used to them. Even an owl can sound eerie indeed when you can’t see where it is.
I am yet to hear a fox screaming in the forest, but I’ve heard that it sounds truly terrifying. Many say it can only really be compared to a woman being murdered. How they they are qualified to make this comparison though I don’t know!
The reality of course is that none of these animals can do us any harm. The most dangerous living thing in a British forest is us. If you’re reading this from America, Canada or any other country that has genuinely dangerous wildlife, then you’re fully justified to be concerned. The thought of a bear stumbling into my camp late at night fills me with absolute terror. A badger, fox or deer though will run a mile if we so much as shout. Perhaps I should reduce them from the giants I’ve made them in my mind to their actual sizes.
Claustrophobia
This might seem like an odd title. Forests after all cover large areas and you’re often free to roam all over it if you so desire. I get a very different feel though in a forest compared to being in open countryside.
I have wild camped in many places, which are far more isolated than the forest I attempted to sleep in last night. Despite this, I didn’t feel as afraid as I did sitting in the woods. Much of this can be attributed to the points I’ve made above, but I feel that some of it is because I feel more closed in with all the trees around me. They loom overhead and make me feel very small indeed. When you camp up high on a mountain top, you will frequently be the largest living thing around. This isn’t true in a forest.
Unfinished Business
Third time lucky. That’s a saying I use a lot and reckon I might well apply it to my fear of the forest at night. I will still be scared, but I have a huge urge to face this fear, which is largely irrational and pointless. I know I’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment from doing it. Challenging yourself is part of growing and you’re never too old to do that. I might decide to head off next time with another person. I think this might make all the difference and it would stop my mind wondering.