Aki flies down the snowy trail blown along by a stiff wind. The same wind is chilling the back of my legs like it did my front when we walked into the Treadwell ruins. My nose and right cheek stiffen, heading towards frostbite. We will be back in the car before my skin on those exposed parts turns from pink to white.

This morning a high-pressure zone keeps storm clouds away but also delivers the strong winds. They started blowing when the rising sun lit up the glacial ice sheet. In response cold air roared down the mountain valleys and up Gastineau Channel when they whipped up waters in front of Sandy Beach.

The little dog and I keep to the shelter of the woods. But each time I slip down onto the beach for a photograph, we feel the bite of the wind.