Crow Lake

Kate and Daniel drive to Crow Lake. Daniel says it’s his first experience in real wilderness, but Kate corrects him: This isn’t wilderness. They’re driving on a paved road. Kate gets out of the car to pee in the moss, overcome with her love for the landscape. 

The week before, after Kate had her moment of crisis in class, a student named Fiona deJong came to speak to her in her lab. Fiona had decided to leave university and wanted Kate to know because Fiona enjoyed her class. Fiona is from a small farm in Quebec, and she is the only one of five siblings pursuing higher education. She feels she is growing apart from her family and her boyfriend, who don’t understand why she’s still in school. 

Kate tried to tell Fiona that it would be sensible to stay in school, but Fiona began to cry. Kate realized that they didn’t really come from identical backgrounds—unlike Fiona, Kate has always been encouraged by her family. She confessed she could be wrong but made Fiona agree to speak to the counseling office before making a decision. 

The meeting with Fiona prompts Kate to realize that Daniel is right—she might not be the best professor, but she’s not the worst, either, and she has never once regretted her choices.