Augie and Iris prepare for their trip to Lake Hazen, gathering supplies and readying one of the snowmobiles. Augie briefly wonders if the trip is safe, realizing that for the first time in his life, he now has another person whose well-being he must consider. He cannot run from this responsibility as he has in the past.

On the journey, they encounter a brief moment of difficulty when Augie cannot restart the snowmobile after they stop for food. Eventually he sees a switch on the fuel valve turned to “Off,” and he assumes Iris kicked it. With this discovery, they can continue.

During the multiday trip, Augie observes the landscape around him closely, recognizing how his lifelong obsession with the skies has left him ignorant of landscapes, cultures, and people. He observes the snow, the animals, and the wind, which sounds like Iris’s low, consistent singing.

Partway through the mountains they must pass over, Augie drives the snowmobile into a hidden boulder, throwing himself and Iris out into the snow and wrecking the machine. Recognizing the impossibility of returning to the observatory, the two continue to Lake Hazen, the closer of the two locations, on foot.

As they reach Lake Hazen and its abandoned tents and buildings, the warm breeze around the lake hints at the arrival of spring.