See the Northern Lights Alaska

“Very amazing and very frigid. My toes were almost always cold, and my fingers burned within 20 seconds of being out of my gloves. Now, some of that was a personal error. I did a less-than-ideal job preparing as I brought my waterproof hiking boots, but I quickly learned that those were not insulated, and my toes got cold fast. By my third night chasing the aurora, I had double socks and foot warmers on both the top and bottom. This change made life so much more bearable.”

“At 4AM there wasn’t anything in the sky, but when I checked Aurora Notify at 4:20 right before I got back in bed, I noticed it was showing activity. So I ran back outside in my PJs, way underdressed for the sub-zero temperatures, and stared in wonder at the faint whisps that were suddenly showing halfway up the sky. I ran in to wake Tiffany up and put on A LOT more clothing and hurried outside where at this point almost half the sky was lit up. But not like you see in the pictures. The Northern Lights are still easily identifiable, but muted. Just hints of greens and purples compared to the vibrant streaks captured by cameras.”

“After dinner and a nap, I set out with another guide, Dan, around 1 a.m. on the first night. After arriving at Wiseman, Dan chopped some wood, and got a fire going to keep us warm. I was freezing in the meantime, so I ventured inside to explore the small cabin. [...] The real show was outside, though. It was simply breathtaking to watch. Bands of green, blue and pink swirled around the sky — the colors were very impressive in person, but some quick adjustments on my iPhone really made them pop.”