Page 45 - Explore Magazine Spring 2016

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Visiting the Arctic Circle isn’t the most Chasing Lights also provides camera tripods We went out on three more chases and while the
conventional way to celebrate your wedding for each camera, as often the Aurora is much first night was by far the most spectacular show,
anniversary, but it is definitely a memorable one! more visible through a camera than the naked we saw the Lights again on two of the three
We spent an amazing week exploring Tromsø, eye. Each night they also provided plenty of hot other trips. Each trip was different and while the
in Northern Norway. Tromsø (pop. 72,000) is drinks and biscuits and set up camp somewhere weather was against us, with quite a bit of cloud
considered to be the northernmost city in the for dinner. Dinner consisted of rehydrated and wind on the second and third trips, we still
world and is located 350 kilometres above the tramping food but when you’ve been out in caught glimpses of the Lights.
Arctic Circle. We were there in the first week of minus-12 degrees for five hours it is incredibly On our last chase, despite brilliant clear skies,
March, which gave us plenty of snow as well as well received! All of the four guides we had were
enough daylight hours to fully enjoy the city. incredibly knowledgeable and helpful and their there was absolutely no Aurora activity. Even
passion for their job was evident. They were also so, we spent a pleasant evening around the
The main reason we travelled to Tromsø was to skilled photographers and as well as assisting campfire on the shores of a fjord framed by two
see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), and us with our own cameras, took plenty of photos perfect peaks. We roasted marshmallows and
to maximise our chances we chose a package of their own which they then shared with us via watched the constellations move across the sky.
offered by a company called Chasing Lights, Dropbox a few days later.
which included night-time Aurora chases, We were also lucky enough to experience the
daytime excursions and accommodation at On our first night we were lucky to have clear Aurora from Tromsø itself, from right outside
Clarion Hotel The Edge. Chasing Lights was skies and didn’t need to drive far before we our hotel. Despite having to contend with light
fantastic to deal with and we cannot speak spotted the first signs of Aurora activity. pollution from the city we were still able to make
out the swirling green lights with the naked eye
highly enough of its service. Excitement levels amongst our group of 12 were
high but our guide just laughed – this was only and snap some great pictures, complete with
First up was a snowmobile safari. We were given the beginning! Throughout the night our guide the city’s famous Arctic Cathedral below.
thermal suits, boots, gloves and helmets and, was in constant contact with the other guides On our last full day in Tromsø we went dog-
after a safety briefing, we were off! Luckily it was who were out that night, with everyone going to
a beautiful sunny, albeit cold day, and zipping slightly different locations to find the best skies. sledding. Arriving at the farm where the tours
start from we were greeted by 105 dogs, ready
across the snow between towering peaks gave We eventually made camp on the shore
us views that are hard to forget. We were very of a fjord with just a few houses scattered and waiting to run. One person sat in front
and the other stood behind the sled to steer,
lucky to be the first group out after a fresh around, and our guide quickly had a roaring
snowfall, so when we reached the turnaround campfire going. with each sled pulled by six dogs. Again, we
point, a frozen lake, it was covered by a couple were fortunate to have good weather and the
of feet of fresh, untouched powder. It didn’t take It didn’t take long until we were treated to experience of shooting through the snow,
much encouragement from the guides before what even our guide described as one of the shouting to the dogs and spotting reindeer and
moose, was great fun. Holding on tight was
we were all racing around the lake and seeing best and longest-lasting displays he had seen.
just what our snowmobiles could do. Green bands of light floated and swept across definitely necessary!
the sky for hours, strong enough to be visible Our time in Tromsø was over all too quickly. We
This first night was also the first of our four to the naked eye. Lying flat on my back on a had an amazing time and would recommend this
Northern Lights chases. For each trip, Chasing rocky snow-covered beach looking up at these
Lights provided thermal suits and boots and we magical green lights dancing across the sky in experience to everyone.
were picked up from our hotel around 6pm, to front of millions of stars, with only a crackling
return sometime between 1 to 4am, depending fire to be heard, is something I will never forget.
on how far we had to drive to find clear skies. It was truly breathtaking.

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