When you write about nature, you can’t avoid mentioning the weather. It opens and closes doors of opportunity in the rain forest. Since she has no access to the Internet (that I know of) and cannot read, Aki has no weather expectations while she waits at the door for me to pull on my boots. I know that the temperature is a little below freezing and the sun is alone in the blue sky. I know because I spent hours yesterday moving it with a shovel, that at least of six inches of new snow covers the ground. My little dog will be pleased.

We head out to the faint trail that rounds False Outer Point and continues along the beach to the trail we took yesterday. The tide is out when we reach the trailhead, which means we should have no trouble completing the circuit. Aki jumps out the car and immediately plants her head into a snow bank. All I can see of her face when she emerges are her two dark eyes. A bald eagle cruises over the trailhead and then soars out over Fritz Cove.

The trail is in shadow but the sun lights up the snow covered spruce trees across the cove. A small raft of fish ducks float up and over a series of two-foot high swells about to slam onto the beach. The last high tide washed the lower half of the beach clean of snow, leaving up a choice of walking on sand or snow. I choose sand but Aki lingers on the snow for a few rolls before she joins me on the easier trail.

Sun shine washes the beach on the other side of the point. It also softens the snow, frustrating Aki’s efforts to keep up with me. I can tell where this will go so I lead the little poodle-mix into the woods where we find a forest trail leading back to the car.