The First Snow. To reach it, we climb a steep gravel road that ends at the top of one of Douglas Island’s mountains. My hands cool almost to point of pain and I worry that it might be too cold to my middle-aged dog. But further up the mountain Aki reminds me about how much she loves the winter and the snow. We leave the road where cold weather had already frozen the muskeg enough to allow for easy walking. Aki sniffs and pees here and there, barks once, throws up her tail, and snaps off a series of large circles on the snowy surface. That snow dance done, she dashes up to me, bows with her tail pointing skyward, and barks once again.