Michael is athletic, organized, and suspiciously enthusiastic before sunrise.
Michael has prepared an itinerary with departure times, trail distances and a weather contingency, printed in a folder. David calls the folder 'our vacation supervisor.' Michael has been skiing since high school; David learned to enjoy a winter walk only after someone explained that turning around early was allowed. They arrive in Marquette to a sky that looks scrubbed clean, and spend the first evening wandering downtown, looking into warm shop windows and arguing, in a booth at Donckers, over what constitutes a sensible amount of dessert. The next morning Michael appears dressed for the trail before David, still in his U.P. Is Colder sweatshirt, has finished making coffee in their room at the Landmark Inn. Their differences are affectionate, but real. Michael's idea of relaxation is doing something difficult efficiently. David's is doing something easy slowly. When they finally clip into skis on a groomed loop of the Noquemanon Trail Network, Michael glides forward like a person escaping a minor emergency. David immediately asks him to return.
David has always known that Michael's careful planning comes partly from worry. When life feels unpredictable, he reads trail descriptions, checks every possible route and packs the extra gloves. David loves him for that, even when it is maddening. Michael, in turn, knows that David's humor is often how he asks for space without making a confrontation out of it. On the trail they eventually come to a stretch of soft blue shadow where the snow has settled evenly between the trees. David calls it the sort of place where a person should stop and look around. Michael starts to mention their timing, then sees David's expression and decides to stay still. They hear a breeze moving through branches high overhead. When David sets off again, he is not moving very quickly, but he is moving without asking for permission. Michael follows at his pace. They don't talk about the compromise. They simply make it.
Half an hour later, they are speaking in the exaggerated politeness of people who love each other and are briefly annoyed. 'I'm only trying to help,' Michael says. 'You are providing an ongoing seminar,' David replies. The silence that follows is not quite peaceful. Then Michael asks how David would like the rest of the morning to go. David says he wants to reach the next bend without feeling graded. So they slow down. He begins to notice the blue shadows beneath the pines, the pleasant scrape of skis, and the way snow muffles the trail's edges. Michael notices things, too, when he isn't concentrating on the pace. They stop at a resting point for water and watch two other skiers move past, one fast and one slow. David says maybe the difference between them has always been that Michael sees the destination and he sees the route. Michael says that's annoyingly accurate. That evening at Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery, they order food for people who have been outside far longer than planned. Michael puts the folder away. David chooses the next day's breakfast spot. They are both pleased with the arrangement.
David announces that he might actually enjoy skiing.
Michael wisely refrains from celebrating.
Setting artwork is illustrative; it does not depict the story’s cast or document an event.