Seasons in the far north are on a different schedule from the temperate parts of the globe. Days are getting shorter at a rapid rate now and yellow leaves are already carpeting the ground. Anchorage had its first snowfall a week and a half ago, and though the ground wasn’t cold enough yet for it to stick, winter itself isn’t far away—regardless of what the calendar may say. So the annual surge is on, by both animals and humans, to do all the things needed to be done before the ground is hard and covered with white for another five or six months. It’s not at all unexpected, but the big change always seems to roll around more quickly than anticipated.