On how many college campuses can you go out of earshot of all human activity, immerse yourself in nature, and see not only deer, skunks, and salamanders, but also coyotes? Yes, I mean -on campus-. There are some, I'm sure, but only a handful, I'd expect. Even colleges in remote areas tend to be either too developed or own too little private land. And even those in contact zones with larger fauna tend to have enough students and faculty to deter the activity of such animals except in the dead of night. I've asked a number of friends, and none of them have had such encounters on their campuses.

When I go running on my campus's cross country course, however, I routinely see deer springing and leaping away. I used to think it was just in fear of my own bumbling along the trail, but this is apparently not so. The entire course is thick in the woods save the start and finish, and the school owns all of the land and some more around it. The town's population is sparse, granted, but still, I'm surprised by the seclusion available on these trails. I can run for forty minutes to an hour around them and not meet another human being.

The other day, I turned a corner, and about 15 to 25 meters away was a coyote. It was about dusk, so I suppose it was a decent enough time for her to be out and about. Her eyes were almost gray and very startled. She tensed and bristled at the sudden sight of my panting form charging around the corner, a bundled runner decked with blue under armor and red headband and gloves (yes, I have ghastly color coordination). It took me a moment to recognize whether this was a coyote or somebody's dog, but as I slowed down and steadied my focus, I caught sight of the curvature of her mouth, the perking of her large ears, the texture of her coat, and the tell-tale dorsal stripe. She paused for the longest time, as if confused by this sudden encounter. Was this runner a threat?

Had she chosen to fight, then I'm sure she'd have won. Perhaps she would have if she hadn't been alone. But she didn't. I suppose my audacity startled her even further than the initial surprise of having a human charging toward her. Springing to retreat, she pranced down the trail and out of sight. Thinking better of my choice of direction, I then turned around and went back the way I came, but the image of her stays in my mind. She is the first coyote I have seen in months, and I never expected to see one here on a college campus, even if I am in the middle of nowhere.