As dawn cracked the sky, I pushed open the lodge door to a world glazed in frost. The air smelled of pine and woodsmoke, drifting from chimneys still warm from the night’s fire. Dewdrops clung to spiderwebs strung between fir trees, each one a tiny prism catching the first rays of sun as it peeked over the snow-capped peaks. On the frozen lake, a family laced up ice skates, their laughter echoing across the glassy surface. I followed a trail dusted with powdery snow, crunching beneath my boots. At the water’s edge, a lone canoe rested upside-down, its red hull bright against the white landscape. A beaver slapped its tail on the ice, sending ripples through the silence, while chickadees chirped from the branches, their tiny bodies fluffed against the cold. I settled on a wooden dock, watching the sun climb higher. Its light turned the lake from gray to sapphire, melting the frost on nearby boulders. A hiker passed by, her backpack jingling with water bottles, waving at the lodge owner w...