Sunshine, wind, and ice supply beauty but also risks. Looking for a walk out of the wind Aki and I start up the Upper Fish Creek Trail. A thin layer of drifting snow hides the icy spots on the trail. Even Aki slips when she steps on one. I slow to a creep. Even so, I push until we meet another dog walker returning to the trail head. He fell, hitting his head when he went down. 

            It’s too cold to risk continuing up the icy trail. But shafts of sunlight are backlighting the tree moss and illuminating normally dark parts of the streams. We push on for a half a kilometer until I slip and almost fall. Well little dog, it’s time to find a safer place to walk.

            We slip and slide back to the trailhead and walk towards salt water. Much of the trail is bare or covered with packed snow. If the wind wasn’t blowing hard, the little dog and I could loiter long enough to appreciate light sparkling the sheets of paper-thin sea ice left on the meadow grass by this morning’ retreating tide.