The Northern Lights in Sjursnes, Norway
After resting from dog sledding I was off for my evening adventure of chasing the Northern Lights. Although most people think I’m very extroverted, I’m actually also quite introverted. That’s why when traveling, I will spend a little time exploring the major city and then the rest of the time adventuring where it’s less populated. So, when I was searching for a Northern Lights guide, I was looking for something in a smaller setting instead of a bus load of people. Although I paid a little more, in the end, it was totally worth it for me. I went with Total Adventure on the Best Kept Secrets of the Northern Lights tour. There were maybe 8 people signed up and the entire experience was indescribable. This is one where photos or a blog just don’t do it justice. I would strongly encourage you to add this natural wonder to your bucket list.
Tromsø is actually nicknamed, “The City of the Northern Lights,” but what I learned is that seeing the Northern Lights isn’t easy (hence, “chasing” the Northern Lights). It all depends on the visibility and weather. Remote places have a better chance of viewing it where there is less pollution. I ran into several travelers who had gone on tours and were unable to see anything.
My evening started by meeting Turid, our guide, in the hotel lobby. She is so full of life! She’s so passionate about the outdoors and you can just feel her positive energy. On her spare time she is a yoga and Zumba instructor, so we had a lot in common. She was so sweet and caring to me.
Turid drove us to Sjurnes which is about 40 minutes away to her campsite. Upon arrival there were teepees and inside a warm fire waiting for us with reindeer hides to sit on. We put on arctic suits and joined the festivities inside. They gave us large portions of hot Norwegian fish soup, bread, coffee/tea, and of course the yummy Lefse for dessert. The soup was like clam chowder, but with chunks of white fish instead. It definitely warmed my tummy so that I’d be ready for the evening’s adventures. We went around the room and met all of the travelers. To my surprise, most of the people were Norwegians, but from further south. Some were camping on Turid’s property and a couple were staying in her arctic glass igloo (something I want to do when I return).
After we were done eating, we went out of the teepee to look at the sky. Her campsite is surrounded by beautiful large mountains and below you can see the faint glow of the city. We watched the sky waiting in wonder as a light green mist would appear, but then it would dissipate. It would reappear elsewhere and again, it would fade away. It almost made you think you were seeing things because the glow was so dull. We would go back in and get warm by the fire and then go back out to hunt the night time sky. The moon was so bright and watching it reflect against the snowy mountains was calming. It was so quiet outside you could hear the slightest rustling of branches from the light breeze that would sweep through the mountains. There were times where the green would glow a little brighter, but it was nothing compared to what we would see soon after.
About 11PM we all put on snowshoes to take a hike though the area. We raced up and down a hill in laughter as most of us fell onto our knees into deep pockets of snow. Then all of a sudden, we noticed a green streak appear in the sky that was different from what we had seen before. We were all quiet as we watched what looked like magic. As the green grew brighter and expanded across the sky, blue streaks became entangled and then the sky started pulsating with purple and pink colors. I had never seen anything like this before and the photos I had seen online just didn’t do it justice. As it faded, everyone cheered. We laid down in the snow on our backs looking at the sky as it started to reappear everywhere. In front of us, behind us, it was a glorious light show. Mother Nature was sharing her beauty with us. We rushed to get out our cameras, but nothing will ever capture that moment and that feeling inside my heart. I don’t even know if I was breathing and I don’t even remember feeling cold. I just thought, if only I could share this with everyone at home. It was euphoric and I felt an overwhelming sensation of happiness. I knew that evening I was lucky to had seen this natural wonder.
As the late evening ended and we snowshoe hiked back to camp full of joy. Whatever cultures and languages that made us different, didn’t matter. We all shared this amazing moment and we couldn’t stop talking about how awesome it was. We dropped off the couple to their igloo and then Turid drove me to my hotel around 1AM. She gave me the leftover Lefse and we hugged goodbye. It was hard for me to fall asleep that night after such a magical experience, but I knew I had another adventure waiting for me in the morning, so I needed my rest. I’m sure I dreamed of dancing skies. 🌌
Photo of the arctic igloo that the couple were staying in. It was quite spacious with a bed of reindeer hide, area for sitting, and wood fire stove plus heaters. There was even a hot tub outside. Next time I have to stay in one of these!
