Dog Sledding Under the Northern Lights

In August, I determined I needed to do something exceptional for my 40th birthday. On my 21st, I went skydiving outside of Sydney, Australia. I had a precedent for token birthdays. The first idea that popped into my head was to see the northern lights. A bit of research confirmed that Alaska was the obvious destination! It was really that simple.

A few days before I arrived in Fairbanks while perusing things to do I saw a link for dog sledding under the northern lights, complete with a salmon dinner. I could not pass up b ooking that birthday e vent!

After three days of searching for the northern lights with no luck, I was hopeful that they were just waiting for my actual birthday to appear!

At 9:00pm, I was picked up and brought about 20 miles outside of Fairbanks where we met the Alaskan Huskies, went for nearly a one-hour dog sled ride, and then enjoyed dinner. As if on cue, just as the plates were cleared, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was one of the hosts. She had decided to notify me first. She just looked at me and smiled. She did not have to say anything. I jumped up and ran outside.

But outside all I saw were grey wisps high in the sky. Aren’t those just clouds? She told me to just watch. And I did. And that grey color slowly, as if by magic or some invisible force, morphed into magnificent shades of green.

The yurt where we had dinner and warmed up.

They were in constant flow, they swirled and danced. They were always changing, always moving. They got bright and then became dim. They resorted all the way back to grey but were flooded with color just as quickly.

I am not sure what I did to deserve such a magnificent birthday gift but I was almost high on gratitude. This would be the one and only night I would see the northern lights in Fairbanks.

Lessons from: Fairbanks in December

Many companies offer dog sledding + northern light viewing near Fairbanks. I booked with 1st Alaska Tours o n this websi te. They had great reviews and I was very happy with the experience.
I was surprised that the dogs were not larger! I was picturing big huskies but of course, I knew nothing about dog sledding going into this evening. Alaskan Huskies are a mixed-breed bred for this very purpose.
Interestingly, the huskies have learned to poo while running! If one were to stop they would literally be dragged by the other dogs so they efficiently have learned to arch their back a bit and just let it go! It makes for a bit of a smelly experience but it is all part of the journey.
I mistakenly had assumed that if you go to Fairbanks you are sure to see the northern lights. I quickly learned that was not the case. It takes quite a bit of effort and luck as you must be in the right place at the right time to view them. This of course makes it even more special when you do!

Something interesting: What are the northern lights?

The aurora borealis and the aurora australis (southern lights!!) are caused by electrons from the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. The solar wind electrons excite molecules, and as they return to their normal state, these gases emit small bursts of energy in the form of light (photons).

The different shapes of the aurora are called bands, rays, coronas, and patches.

The auroras appear in ring-shaped ovals (aurora ovals) around the magnetic poles of the Earth. The auroras are near mirror reflections of each other.

The reason the aurora is easier to see during the winter months is that there are more hours of darkness.

The color depends on the speed and altitude of the O2 and N atoms being struck:
Green= Oxygen up to 150 miles in altitude.
Red= Oxygen above 150 miles in altitude.
Blue= Nitrogen up to 60 miles in altitude.
Purple/Violet= Nitrogen above 60 miles in altitude.

I was told that the northern lights are always present; we just cannot generally see them.

*This info is taken directly from Aurora Fast Fact! A pamphlet provided by 1st Alaska Tours.

A look behind the curtain.

On Tuesday evening I sat down to write this blog post very much on the high of Antarctica. I have just returned. I did not want to leave. The magnetic pull of the South Pole turned out to be quite a force for me! I knew I was eager to experience Antarctica but had no idea it would capture me the way it did. Because of that, I will admit that mentally turning to Alaska seemed like a hard pivot. However, only minutes after beginning to write I was thrust back into the splendor of this birthday evening. It was magical, just as Antarctica was magical.

I feel so thankful that I have begun this blog journey documenting this period in my life because not only do I get to experience these wonderful adventures, ones that few people will experience in their lifetime, but I get to experience them again when I sit down to share them with you. And that second round is when the gratitude really takes hold.

As I was writing this post I put together that Fairbanks is at the latitude of 65°North. The farthest southern point we made it to in Antarctica, on January 18th, was 65°South. In just a few weeks, I experienced the northern lights in AK, then traveled all the way south where I engulfed myself in the serene, quiet solitude of the white continent.

I will be forever grateful for this period in my life when all the attachments that anchored me released their hold and it was clear it was time to go.