Last evening became a dire need to escape.
The day had been so hard, it really pointed out my inabilities.
I pointed the car toward Bennington lake, although dusk was already nearing.
After sitting on the hill near the parking lot on the dam, i walked on a trail dubbed Secret Trail by my husband and i. It's the place i found a huge half dooby on the ground and when I tried to show husband, he started walking ahead and ran into two fully bicycle-regalia-wearing gay guys locked in a passionate embrace & kiss.
LOL
Well i passed the bend in the trail and was talking to myself really loud about donald trump etc. The condition of the day.
I looked up and an enormous owl was perched impossibly on top of a skinny tree. Maybe a 20ft tree at most. She was so large and quiet that i wondered if it was just mistletoe. ...
I got the impression mrs owl came to hear the ranting and to make sure i knew it was time to go home. She has clearly come toward my voice and was unafraid.
I stupidly walked toward her instead of going back to the parking lot. She of course flew away
I walked a moment in the direction she had gone and stopped for some Gandalf time. Then i started panicking.
Because almost subliminally, i heard the quiet yelps of running coyotes. When they are on the move they do not howl. When they are running they make very quiet whines, yelps, squeaks.
I lost my cool and in the dark actually stepped off the trail. Unimpressed by the depth of panicmode, i found it again and finally a side trail up onto the access road.
At this point im telling myself What if you imagined all this. Then my gut says Fucking Idiot you need to Run.
I hear a coyote howl distinctly off to my left as i start running. It is answered about 5 or 10 seconds later by another howl from the opposite side of the dam.
I started running even faster, stopping only once for a few seconds and did not stop until I reached that parking lot.
.....
....
.....
Before i heard the first howls i could not stop thinking of the time my husband and i jogged out of there for the same reason, except that time one coyote howled right behind us and the whole pack answered.
They were triangulating us.
And last night somehow because i was alone seemed a lot scarier.
Ffs lol thank God for my owl friend.. she probably heard them coming into the park