I totally understand that. I grew up in the Oregon valley between the Cascades and the Coastal Range. Scenes like this were commonplace when I would fish in either of the ranges:
I just totally took it for granted. I'd be traipsing through heavy fern and moss underbrush in thick 100 year old forests and think nothing of it. Then I moved...
Oh well, here's Crater Lake. And yes, it really looks like that. Snowfall in virtually every month out of the year. When driving up the crater, there's usually about 20+ years worth of snow on either side since it never fully melts except in a string of exceptionally dry years. 25 feet of snow is common to drive though.
So now you know where to move to! Move to Washington. They have even BIGGER mountains and even AWESOMER forests. Then you can kick it with Jesse, Drew and Stephanie Amber.