Tunnel Breakthrough

Waking up wedged inside the decaying birch log, I immediately slammed both boots forward to test the dead end! Crumbled punkwood and damp lichen caved in around my knees. Instead of backing out into the weeds, I locked my fingers around the rusty iron staple I gripped all night and shoved my entire torso against the soft rotted barrier. Crunch! The back end blew wide open into morning light, revealing a steep slope of damp river pebbles and a cluster of slick, fat yellow bracket fungi. I clambered straight through the fresh hole, smacking my palms onto the spongy fungus caps to claim the whole ridge!