【明報專訊】Unintentional night hikes were a recurring motif of my university years. The Scottish ranges we used to hike regularly were a bit too hard to time, and the buses too early to finish. Or perhaps, we had yet to master map-reading. We always ended up missing the last bus, stranded on the main road and trying to hitch a car home. Failing that, a long homebound walk laid ahead. Exhausted, no one would speak. Nor would we blame each other for the dredge. This last part of the journey could take hours, and was often meditative, with a hint of heather, malt and vapour in the air — at least that was what I thought. I never verified the smells.