Northern Lights: The hunt for the light in northernmost Norway is written by Winnie Sorensen.
Further north than Tromsø
At the airport we meet four women who are on their way to Tromsø. One has come all the way from Japan. The purpose of the visit to the northern Norwegian city is clear; they want to see the northern lights in Norway – also known as aurora borealis.
For three of the women, it is also the third time they have made the trip north in search of the promised dancing light. We know that two other Danes later in the day are also heading for Tromsø, Norway.
We are also going to Northern Norway. We just have to go much further north than Tromsø. Specifically to the town of Alta in Finmarken. I have been told that Alta is as far north from Oslo as Rome is south.
Aurora borealis, northern lights and moose
Of course, we also hope to see the northern lights - even if you would sometimes think that they exist nowhere else than in Tromsø. The city has really managed to market itself to the world as the location of the 'aurora borealis'. However, our purpose for the visit is primarily to visit friends, and we have quite a few other activities planned. It should turn out to be quite reasonable.
It's almost dark when we land in Alta. The time is 14.10. The days are short in January so far north.
The next morning we wake up and stare out at moose in the backyard. I am happy. This summer I spent a whole day in Lille Vildmose with the sole purpose of seeing a moose. Need I say we did not see a single one? Now there are two outside my window!
Alta's local museum
At 10.30:XNUMX the sky is blue and the darkness of the night has finally disappeared. The sun only creeps up over the mountains, and we only get a few rays on our faces as we walk towards the city's museum.
The visit to Alta's local museum is very interesting, even though the many UNESCO petroglyphs are covered in snow.
What strikes me most, though, is how different the snow is here. Although it has been lying here for months, it is fine and white - and not gray and yellow like old snow in Denmark. It is regularly shown "filled up", I think.
As we head back towards the city, it starts to get dark again. It's still early days, but it's clear that the days are increasing by 15 minutes a day.
The light in the north and the northern lights in Norway
It is generally brighter here in the north than I had expected. I thought it was dark 24/7, but apparently it's only a few weeks in December that it's dark XNUMX/XNUMX. Otherwise, my friends and colleagues thought I had gone mad when I told them I was going to Northern Norway in January.
I hate snow and am afraid of the dark. It honestly seemed a little silly.
We check weather forecasts and Northern Lights apps. It does not look promising. It must be completely cloudless before you can see the northern lights. Never mind. We've seen two moose. Everything is fine and we still have one night left.
Dog sledding and scenic surroundings
The next day, we won't be chasing the northern lights from the early hours of the morning. We must dog sledding. We expect that we will probably just be placed on a sled and dragged around the field. But no, no. First we need to be properly equipped.
In Alta, various tour organizers fortunately know well that for most people polar equipment is not part of the regular wardrobe, so everywhere you can borrow warm clothes and good boots.
We are equipped with boots that are better than our own and are shown in to the dogs. They waffle and howl and jump and can't wait to get going at all. Our friendly guide picks up a note and says, "yes, you two ladies should have Karsk and Binge and…"
We lean towards each other a little while he explains how to get the harnesses on the dogs. It doesn't look like he's going to help, so we find our dogs and get their heads and paws into the right holes. The dogs are very eager, and we have to put all our efforts into keeping them.
But they are happy and completely peaceful, and we get them dragged to our sled.
After a brief instruction in how to brake - and an admonition that no matter what happens, we must NEVER let go of the sled - there is departure.
We have our own sled and four dogs and we have to take turns driving. I drive first while my friend sits down on the seat. I drive straight into another sled. Bang! The dogs are completely indifferent. They only stop for one thing - the brake!
I brake frantically, remembering that I must never let go of the sled. The dogs finally stop - but it takes my entire body weight on the brake to hold them. As soon as I let go even a hint, they rush forward again. No damage has been done and soon we will be speeding away.
It is unbelievably beautiful. At this moment, one has forgotten all about the Northern Lights.
Icicles under the garden
We drive through the forest and out across the fields. The sun shines weakly behind the mountain tops and casts a pink glow over the mountain. The trees are heavy with snow, the sky is pale blue, and the only sound is the dogs panting and the sled's sled sliding across the snow.
I'm just rambling. I feel like the luckiest person in the whole world. There are outbursts from the sled that indicate that my friend feels the same way.
It's freezing cold! I learn that one's snot freezes to ice when the temperature hits about -15 degrees. You should not sniff in too much. Our hair freezes to ice - and after a while our toes and fingers do too. We switch halfway so we both try to drive. We drive for an hour.
The dogs apparently do not lose their breath at any point. Occasionally they stick their snout into a snowdrift, but they run on without a break.
When we get back to their kennel, we can see that they have icicles hanging under their chins. But they wag their tails while we take the harness off – and then throw themselves into a snowdrift. We also almost wag our tails – and gratefully accept the hot cup of coffee offered to us by the fire.
We tell our Norwegian friends, who have been waiting for us, that we have agreed on something out there on the dog sled between the mountains.
We have agreed that it is the same with the Northern Lights. We do not care. There is nothing that can sting our dog sledding experience!
Dog sled vs northern lights
I would like to end the story here, but it would not be fair to Alta. There is a lot to do. For example, in the winter you can stay at the ice hotel, Sorrisniva. You can also visit the Sami people and get a ride on a reindeer sleigh.
Wrapped well in reindeer skins on the sleigh, you drive through the countryside while you wait to see Santa around the next corner.
Oh yeah. And then there were the northern lights. We saw it. She danced for us. And it was nice. Really nice. But it wasn't a dog sled.
Good trip on the hunt for the northern lights in Norway.
Here you can experience the Northern Lights in Norway:
- Tromsø
- Lyngen Fjord
- Lofoten
- Svalbard
- Finnmark
- Senja
Did you know: Here are the 7 cities in Europe with the most hours of sunshine
7: Nice in France – 342 hours/month
6: Valencia in Spain – 343 hours/month
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