Haptic Rapport: more-than-human movement, sensing, and communion in US forest service trails

This research explores how belonging and communion emerge from the human body engaging directly with more-than-human (MtH) during nature-based recreation. It asks: how are nature-based recreators experiencing relationships with more-than-human via their movement and sensing in US Forest Service trails? This research presents the conceptual tool haptic rapport to better explore and represent the intimate, sensory-based, meaningful, and embodied relationships that come about through haptic contact occurring specifically between human and MtH natures. Contact-based and flow-based haptic rapport are explored here. This data serve to contradict structurally presumed separations between humans and MtHs; between recreational mobilities and belonging; and between cutaneous touch and internalisation of that touch experience. This research highlights USFS land spaces as essential sites for nature-based recreation, belonging and sensing place, mobility, and the human-MtH relationships they make possible. Haptic rapport can be applied in all contexts and fields to better understand the intimacies and meaning-making associated with MtH-human engagements.