A decade and a half ago, I lived on a mountain with my brother. We had a Malamute named Partner, and he loved to run, which he rarely got to do, since we usually had him penned up near our house.

Anyway, a blizzard hits, and we're stuck at home, thanks to several feet of implacable snow. I decided, in a fit of boredom, to take the dog out for a walk down the road.

I remember standing out in the middle of the snow-covered road, bundled up well against the cold, watching the dog bound through the drifts and hearing nothing. No wind, no cars, no wildlife, nothing. Perfect white silence.

It was the most beautiful thing I've never heard.

A ride to the top of a mountain, where a nice bar sits.