" But nothing compared to Randy’s legendary “Conversation with a Coot.” A coot, all Sierra rangers know, is an inquisitive duck that makes the high mountain lakes its home for a brief period each summer. Randy had been “interviewed” by a coot, or so he reported. The curious duck had asked the same stereotypical questions Randy had fielded from backpackers over the years. “So, how’d you get this job?” “Is it lonely out here all alone?” “How do you get your food?” “Do you have to stay out here all summer?” To which Randy replied, “Duck, I get to stay out here all summer. "

― Eric Blehm , The Last Season