Akira watches in disbelief as the giant sequoias burn. To her, this is proof that the fire cycle is broken, and that her father is wrong about climate change. When the smoke clears for a moment, she realizes that all the fires are connected into one megafire, engulfing the entire mountain. To make things worse, Cal Fire seems to have stopped attempting to contain it, and her house is directly downwind.

The two large male polar bears face and circle each other, preparing for a face-off. Owen and George encourage Nanuq to beat up the other bear, who Owen calls Boomer. Although they want to stay and watch the fight, they realize the distracted bears mean they might be able to escape.

The boys continue their trek toward Churchill. When they see a giant dark shape ahead, they worry that it is another polar bear. They rejoice when they realize it is the inuksuk, the stones tourists take photos by, and that means they are close to home. Before long, they see another shape ahead.