Let me set the scene. A buddy of mine had gathered some of his friends to go hiking in some remote, but breathtaking location. As fate would have it, one member of this fellowship had dropped out, leaving a spot vacant for, yes, you’ve guessed it: me. Long story short, we had a whale of a time. But, as so often is the case, what could have been a near-perfect experience was cruelly disturbed by my innate lack of social sk...