Thursday 23 July 2009

Aurora Boralis

Without a full moon we needed a torch to find the way to the privy. I always flashed the torch around, the shadows of the tree trunks were like wheel spokes around me. It was a fair chance to see reflections in the eyes of animals, especially foxes, which wasn’t uncommon among the cabins.

I must admit that I also kept a lookout for ghosts. Once I saw a strange light among the trees, a ghostly flickering that made me look upwards, through the branches. It was the northern light.

This particular night was really amazing during our stay in the Canadian wilderness, away from the light pollution of modern society. We didn’t have a tripod for the camera, but brought a bucket along and went out on the ice at Bistcho Lake. The northern lights kept changing above us. Serpents of silver, ribbons of yellowish green and red. It lasted for two hours, and then we needed the torch to find our way back to the cabin.