It had been cloudy for most of my trip; and the worry here was that the clouds would block the Northern Lights, and I would go home without seeing them and without capturing a picture of them.
On my second last night, the clouds were finally starting to clear. So I hiked out on Stave Lake around behind Jolliffe Island, where a local said she often watched the Northern Lights. According to her, the island was tall enough to block out the light pollution from Yellowknife that affected one’s ability to see the Northern Lights.
Being the middle of the night and really cold in the arctic, and after a bit of a hike around this island, my camera froze. I did get a bit of a view of the lights, but only managed to take a couple pictures before my camera froze and refused to take any more. This was a bit of a bust, because neither of the pictures were in focus either.
The next night, my final night in Yellowknife, I opted to join a tour that went out of town to their camp to view the Northern Lights. Again, it was cold, and were were in a poorly heated teepee trying to stay warm, hoping like crazy that the Northern Lights would make an appearance.
Sitting across from me, a girl with the same kind of camera as me struck up a conversation. She turned out to be one of the most incredible girls I’ve ever met! She was up there for a few weeks from Edmonton, and was also hoping to get some pictures of the Northern Lights.
Then, without any warning, they began to appear. Directly over top of us, in vivid colour - first green, and then later, a combination of red and green - the lights appeared! I was left with such a sense of awe standing under them: a magical, enchanting feeling as I marvelled at their sight and the shapes they made.
It was one of those nights I never wanted to end. I was hanging out with this amazing girl, having fun snapping pictures of these magnificent, majestic Northern Lights. I went from worrying that I would have to go home disappointed without really experiencing the Northern Lights to this moment that was so exquisite and sensational, I will always cherish and remember it fondly.
