Stories from the Arctic: The Northern Lights

Overlooking Abisko and Torneträsk lake with no tripod, and numb & trembling fingers
For reference, the black figure in the middle is a person.

They say the best place to see the Northern Lights is at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, between 8pm and midnight. So, we bundled up like crazy and took the 20 minute, uncovered (!) wooden chair lift up the mountain to see them.

Unfortunately, the promisingly clear day turned into a foggy night, and our best bet was to climb up the mountain, past the sky station. Feeling like pioneers, we were guided by sheer will and the glow of the moon, making fresh tracks as our feet sunk well into the snow. No one had decided to hike up yet, so we were alone and it was amazing.

But as the Rolling Stones liked to say "You can't get what you want, but you get what you need."

We never did get to see the Northern lights this night, or any other night, but I like to think luck was still on our side.

Because on the peak of a snow covered mountain, we laid down and watched the moon and stars pierce through the darkness of the night. And in the stillness, we had only cookies, rum, and our thoughts for company. We ate, we drank, we dreamed.