December 27, 2025 | 15 minutes

When I Met the Hodag: A First-Hand North Woods Encounter

I went to Rhinelander for moss and quiet, and met the Hodag instead: horns, hooked tail, sawtooth spines, eyes wet as pebbles. Folklore breathed: tears like amber, laughter as insult, lemons as truce. I apologized, offered citrus,…