Sometimes it’s worth going without sleep to have a chance to see nature at its finest and the opportunity to view a potentially high-level solar storm was too hard to pass up. As darkness fell the night of May 11, 2024, the aurora came in like a grizzly protecting a cub earning it the extreme G5 label.
I’ve featured this pond in other posts. It’s one of our favorite spots and home to beaver, moose, bear, and elk. The roadway to it had just reopened so it seemed like an excellent place to wait out the arrival of strong, overhead auroras. I’ve caught a glimpse of the northern lights here before but only low green glows toward the mountainous horizon.
Mild temperatures and little wind made the evening feel almost summerlike as my always-up-for-an-adventure husband and I spent hours gazing upward as swirling lights of green, pink, and red rained down upon us—color visible to the naked eye.
Some nights are perfection. This, was one of them.
Happy Mother’s Day to those celebrating the holiday. I’m lucky to have a mother who instilled a sense of adventure in me. She’s in her eighties and still loves to explore. I can only hope to emulate her in the years to come.