It was 2:30 a.m., and I was walking on a road in rural Pennsylvania — it began in a Walmart parking lot and ended 1.5 miles later in a desolate clearing. 50,000 other people were on a similar exodus. It was the wee hours of Sunday, Feb. 2 after all, and we were in Punxsutawney.

Last Sunday, I had the immense honor of celebrating Groundhog Day with Punxsutawney Phil himself. I’d like to share my experience and tips, as well as recommend it as a mandatory event for Cornell students in their time here.

Logistically and economically speaking, visiting Phil from Ithaca is easy. No need to get a hotel, or buy expensive tickets or parking passes. As a devoted Minnesotan follower of Phil, it was never practical to make that journey to see him, but it’s only a four-hour drive from Ithaca.

So Saturday night, my friend and I bundled up and left town, pulling into Punxsutawney at around 1:30 a.m. We felt a bit tired but were fueled by our mission. We stopped in town for a bit, visited a few of the 40 giant Phil statues scattered around and said good morning to Phil, his wife Phyllis and their two new children, Sunny and Shadow, in their burrow.

We suddenly realized that there was already an absurd amount of people around and hustled to the local Walmart, which, at 2 a.m., was almost completely full. Since there is no parking at Gobbler’s Knob — the bottom of a hill where Phil makes his annual proclamation — there are shuttles to deliver the guests from assorted large parking lots around the city. However, we saved our $5 and walked.

I enjoyed the 1.5-mile journey, as it both woke and warmed me up. The curvy, icy road with no sidewalk and minimal lighting made for an adventure, but there weren’t many........

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