While looking over the photos that I took this morning on the False Outer Point trail, I ask Aki what it is about a curving line that draws attention. Every one of my trail shots curls into the forest. I framed each picture of the Chilkat Range with a “c” shaped raft of surf scoters in the foreground.

Is it the question they raise as they curl into the horizon? Aki looks at me like she would any other fool. But I persist and ask about the boardwalk photo. It features an elevated plank trail snaking in a compound curve above new ice. Since we don’t have snakes in Alaska, Aki has no reference point and refuses to answer. To placate the little poodle mix, I promise to include a picture she will like—of her looking fierce on a snow-covered beach.