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| Our humble yurt at the Flagstaff Nordic Center |
I can't believe how beautiful it is
outsi – oh, shit! That's a deer! Like in the trail, looking at me
and way fucking bigger than I imagined, deer. Or is it a moose? Wait,
no. I'm from NH – why am I suddenly unable to tell the difference
between a moose and a deer? Definitely a deer. He looks pissed, or
maybe he just takes his morning walks very seriously and I just
fucked it all up for him. Do I turn around? Or is that rude – I
don't want the deer to think I am avoiding him, but I also don't want
to be trampled to death. Do they even trample? Should I climb one of
these trees? What? No. I haven't climbed a tree since I was 10 – so
no, I should not climb one of these trees. Those antlers are freaking
me out and I'm pretty sure he knows it. I can see the headline now -
“Vegan Mountain Biker Gored by a Stern Deer”. How ironic. Or
maybe it's a she? No, a female deer probably would have ran. Not that
I think women can't hold their own, alright now I'm really an
asshole. Maybe if there was another deer here for comparison...
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| One of the super flowy trails in the Coconino National Forest |
I'll just turn around and pick another
trail. What if he follows me? No, his legs are so long. It would be a
very leisurely pace for him, and without small talk he'd probably get
bored. Can I look back? Or will that be seen as an invitation to hang
out or fight over something we both think we deserve – like the
rights to ride on his turf. No, don't look back. What was that noise
– perhaps an oncoming ambush? No, I just ran over a pile of wood
chips. Okay – what was THAT noise? More wood chips. What is with
all of fucking wood chips?
I can't wait to tell Jason about this
encounter once I get back to the yurt. How should I word it –
maybe, “I saw a beautiful, serene deer basking in the sunlight in
the forest”. Nah, he'll know it's bullshit.
