Solo Hiker Led to Waterfall by Wildlife—Convinced Sign From Mom in ‘Heaven’

A video of a woman’s “ethereal” encounter with a marmot during a hike has left the internet in tears.
The clip was posted by TikTok user Solo Outdoorsy Girl (@pnwrainier) and has amassed 2.9 million views since it was first shared on August 5. The footage was captured at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, according to a location shared with the post.
A message overlaid on the video reads: “I just know my mom was doing her thing from heaven when this marmot guided me to a waterfall.”
The footage shows a marmot—a giant ground squirrel typically found in North America as well as in Europe and Asia—walking ahead on a pathway against a mountain backdrop.
The rodent appears to stop in its tracks once it reaches the edge of a rock cliff. The camera then pans towards the right to reveal a waterfall in the distance, streaming down from the side of a rock face. The camera later pans down to show the marmot resting on the edge of the rock cliff.
A caption shared with the post says: “We sat for a while and soaked in the view together.”
The viral post comes as over 61 million people in the United States were reported to have engaged in hiking activities at least once in 2023. This was the highest number recorded in the country since 2010, marking a growth of around 89 percent from the figure reported that year, according to data compiled by Statista, the global data firm.
Outdoor activity saw a rise following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with new and returning outdoor participants having increased by 26 percent, according to a 2022 report from the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).
In 2021, 164.2 million (54 percent) of Americans aged six and over participated in outdoor recreation at least once, “the highest number of participants on record,” the OIA report found.
In later comments, the solo hiker said “the strange thing is that the marmot guided me for a good while prior to recording. I have 12 minutes’ worth of video towards the end. I just couldn’t, and still can’t believe it…”
The poster did this hike in honor of her mom on the two-year anniversary of her death, “so that’s why I was having such a difficult time this particular day” and she was crying when the marmot approached her.
She initially thought it wanted food and tried to scoot the rodent away. But when she later went back to the trailhead, she said “it would run in front of me and stop, blocking the trail” before it gradually started walking in front of her, stopping every now and again to look at her.
She recalled: “I literally said the words ‘I’m hallucinating right now’ because I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
The hiker said, “I silently sobbed while sitting with him for a while at the end…” noting that they were together for around 10 minutes. “Once the sun came over the ridge, he fell asleep in the warmth and I quietly said bye and let him rest, while also telling my mom thank you,” she said.
The magical moment captured in the viral clip has moved TikTok users to tears.
“This was the most beautiful thing I have ever watched thank you,” said haylee.
Tattooed Polerina ~ Courtney noted the marmot must have been saying, “Come on, I know a spot… someone told me you’d love it.”
The original poster replied, “Truly the best way to describe the experience.”
User @jojofaith said, “I’d have bawled my eyes out with Mr. Marmot” and your mom wrote: “Ummmm this is ethereal…”
Victory (VIBRACIONES) noted, “So beautiful! Marmots are usually timid and scream if they feel intimidated. This one really trusted you and wanted you to follow. How fascinating the lessons we learn through death and rebirth of energy.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via [email protected] and your story could be featured on Newsweek.