Winter  planted a brief kiss on Chicken Ridge this morning. Black ice covered the asphalt and fine frost rimmed fallen maple leafs. Aki trots over the ice while I struggle to keep upright. We head up to Basin Road where the gravel surface offers firm footing. Last night storm left a cap of snow on Mt. Juneau that now reflects back the first morning light as we move onto the Flume Trail. Perhaps for the first time in her life, Aki has trouble gaining traction on the Flume. Warming temperatures melted rain droplets that had frozen to the thin branches of overhead alder trees. The reanimated rain formed quarter-sized disks of ice after splatting on trail boards supercooled by water moving through the flume. With both of us at risk of a fall, the little dog and I back track to a gravel trail and follow it home.