Chasing Aurora

A cold night in early February, Iceland just outside Reykjavik. Tonight is a clearer night, and thousands of little twinkles light up the otherwise pitch black firmament. There is Orion, with his diamond studded belt.  Here’s the Big Dipper, known to me as a child as the Great Bear, and not far from it, the North Star, the brightest of them all -- as constant as ever. Most of us are not into astronomy, nor are we stargazers in the literal sense. But for the second consecutive night, we are out there bundled up, braving the icy wind, our faces in a near-frozen state, our extremities at risk of frostbite. Heads upturned, eyes scanning the heavens for signs of activity, the slightest wisp of light in motion, we are looking for the ever evasive Aurora Borealis.

The attractions Iceland has to offer justify a trip to this otherwise barren island – hot springs and outdoor jacuzzis in the heart of winter, the deep gorges carved out of lava rocks, the waterfalls that rival Niagara, the abundance of geysers that easily match Yellowstone. Reykjavik is unique in the multi-coloured low houses that spread across town, the tallest landmark being the Lutheran cathedral whose imposing Nordic-styled steeple towers over all else in the capital. Icelandic cuisine is an indulgence, often an adventure, for the palate, the smoked whale and puffin, grilled swordfish, hot lamb soup….The glacier walk is a highlight and a challenge. Wearing crampons at my feet, with ice axe in hand, I thump my way step by step up a glacial slope so smooth and slippery that, when my hat falls off by accident, it slithers down the glacier and disappears over the edge of the slope, to be unexpectedly recovered by a guide further downhill. Reykjavik

But the main reason to be there is the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights. Vidoes have shown it a continuous blaze of green light flashing across the sky, like an emerald ribbon glowing in the dark setting of night.  Occasionally, it comes in orange and purple, but those colours are rare. “We don’t go look for it,” our guide tells us. “We just see it when it shows up.”  And here we are, foolish, indulging tourists, braving the extreme, debilitating cold in the dead of night, looking frantically for the Northern Lights. But the show never comes. She’s there on our second night out, like a shy bride behind a white veil. We are told the white streak against the starlit sky is the Aurora, but there is not enough activity in the elements to create a dramatic colour phenomenon.  

Aurora never puts on a spectacular show for us the nights we go looking for her in Iceland. But who knows, some day we may stumble upon her in her full glory when we least expect it, a chance meeting in some remote far north corner of the world.

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights): the phenomenon we could have seen