M_J_Helin
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After skiing an hour through a dark bog,
I found a perfect spot. The sky was filled with stars and eerie aurora arc was flickering above the northern horizon.
_stitch.jpg/_big.jpg "2026 © M_J_Helin")
Here's the full story (pardon my english...):
When I drove to the lake, my head filled with mixed thoughts. There were a half a dozen cars waiting. As I stepped out I checked the situation. Yes, other aurora photographers. The flashlights blinked and swept across the dark night, a dog barked and I heard people talking.
I was delighted that so many people have taken interest in observing the night sky and that there is a place near Turku, where there is minimal light pollution.
On the other hand, my thoughts were a bit bleak. In fact, when I go to take photos of the night sky, in addition to images, or above all, I want to relax and let my thoughts wander across the sky . Here, I could not get to that state of mind anymore.
But I didn't worry much about it, because of an idea that I had couple of days ago. I lifted from behind of my car a pair of skis and ski poles and walked to the shore. There I watched how the lights of the flashlights continued to sweep the lakeshore and trees. Soon I would be far away from these distractions. I clicked on the ties and the journey to the dark started.
On time, the sounds silenced. The lights were no longer visible, only a dim aurora arc alongside stars in the sky gave a dim light. After I had crossed the lake, the journey to the dark bog began.
Skiing in the bog is easy. Except in the dark. I don't use a flashlight whenever I walk in the dark so I don't disturb my night vision. Now, I should have used. I could not estimate the terrain patterns, so I often nearly tripped when suddenly a fall or small uphill came.
kept going. Despite the freezing weather, the trip was sweaty. I took a moment to catch my breath and let my gaze pass along the sky. Totally dark. And perfectly silent. Perfect. I continued skeeing and. . cracks and an eerie sound.
What was that?
I was just quiet for a moment. There were still a few silent voices coming from the forest. I plunged the primordial instincts; It was just a deer ... I hope.
It took almost an hour to travel. I opened and jacket. Ahhh, cold north wind cooled nicely. I crammed the tripod and started shooting. The scene was exactly what I had hoped for; Smooth belt over the bog. Beautiful. The foggy milky way glittered over it. Yes, this was all worth it. Be alone, only accompanied by the whole universe.
The aurora brightened and the belt grew. Soon on its eastern edge a few rays rose. Then ... It was like the arch would have given up. It almost vanished. And after a few moments, it brightened again, slightly. In turn, a few rays on the west side of the arc rose, which remained in place for several minutes. Then they disappeared, and something greyish grew over the greenish arch. I did not see exactly what it was, but the picture revealed a peculiar, reddish band, similar to a greenish belt. Beautiful purple shade.
The auroras started to vanish again and the north wind strengthened. I started feeling a bit cold and I quickly packed up the gears and started my journey back. The trip went smoothly. Suddenly I tripped. I leaned to the ski poles. Snap. I was on my back in the snow. I tried to get up and noticed that the other pole was broken. Great. I still had a couple of miles left. I was grateful that nothing vital was broken.
What should I do now? I took the tripod and opened one of the legs to its full length. Here's a spare pole. The rest of the journey was surprisingly comfortable and without further accidents. Upon reaching the lake I was tired but satisfied. I walked to the car and noticed the other people had already left. The aurora belt brightened again, but the idea of warm shower and soft pillow was far more tempting.
-2_stitch.jpg/_big.jpg "2026 © M_J_Helin")
Bonus;
What the scene looked like with naked eyes
.jpg/_big.jpg "2026 © M_J_Helin")
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