So there I was in the middle of the night, in the rain, surrounded by the flighty, herbivorous denizens of the underworld. I make it to a road crossing and checked my book. My feet are soaking wet and there are still five more miles to the next shelter. My heart leaps as I spy an SUV parked nearby. Maybe some idiot left their car unlocked! But no such luck. After briefly considering crawling under the vehicle, I decide to push on. And then, suddenly- I freeze in my tracks. A whole host of deer, emerging from a fiery portal. I shout and bang my poles together, hoping to scare them off. But what's this? Laughter? It's a campfire, surrounded by college students. They have strung up a tarp, and there is a nice fire and a dry sitting area beneath it. They invite me to sit down, and for the next two hours I sit there trying to dry my socks and eating an embarrassing number of s'mores. Then
the rain lets up a bit, and I thank them and press on. To be continued...