Aki bolts from the car for some wild circles through new snow followed by several face plants. Only after a blinding amount of snow adheres to her muzzle and face does she follow me down the trail along the Eagle River.

Thank you, the small group of folks that did such a wonderful job setting the ski track we follow. You turned a potential slog through wet deep snow into a glide.  The army of chanting birds that greeted us last time are absent from the old growth along the river. I look for the electric green blankets of tree moss and find it muted by caps of white snow.

Deeper into the forest we hear bird song that seems to express the muted joy of a community still intact following a storm. I find their emotion valid, after experiencing yesterday’s dumping. A card carrying member of the Audubon Society would quietly explain away their behavior by listing the species of my choir members and the purpose of each one’s song. Aki leaves me the magic and I thank her for that and the birds for the sharing.