REGIONS: NORTHEAST It was late August, and I was camping with my family on a small lake deep in the Boundary Waters. We were miles from a cell signal and even farther from the closest flush toilet. swirling high up in the Earth’s atmosphere, I felt so wonderfully small. We watched the lights dance across the sky in silence for what could’ve been a few minutes or a few hours, soaking in the sight Early one chilly morning—around 3 a.m., with our mouths slightly agape. The show I think—my dad shook the whole family went on like this long after we zipped back awake to get us into our sleeping bags, to come outside. the bright green light NATURE HAS A His voice made playing off the walls of it sound urgent, our tent as we struggled WONDERFUL WAY so we reluctantly to get back to sleep. pulled on our A disruption most divine. OF REMINDING US warmest socks Nature has a wonderful and sweatshirts, WHERE WE STAND way of reminding us strapped on our where we stand in the IN THE GREATER headlamps, then greater scheme of things, stumbled out of SCHEME OF THINGS. and of all the earthly the tent to the wonders I’ve witnessed, lakeshore, where nothing felt quite as we were greeted grand as the aurora. Sure, there’s a perfectly by a most awesome sight. good scientific explanation for how it occurs, Across the northern side of the star-filled night sky, broad streaks of bright green were flaring and rippling into one another, reflecting gracefully off the glass surface of the water like figure skaters. Standing under thousands of stars with vibrant light but that’s not what inspires us to venture deep into the wilderness to witness the show, and it was miles from my mind as I stood in silent amazement, trying my best not to blink as the stellar lights whirled before my eyes. Northern lights over Gunflint Trail pine trees Photo by David Johnson Photo by Paul Vincent TIPS FOR SEEING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS Planning a trip around the aurora borealis is notoriously tricky, and no matter how much planning goes into your trip, there’s no guarantee you’ll see the northern lights. But you can still tip the odds in your favor. There isn’t a decisive consensus over the best time of year to view them, but given the longer, clearer skies of fall and winter, your odds of catching them get better from September through March. The sky also needs to be clear and dark enough for them to be visible, which requires getting far away from any traces of light pollution. Venture into the northernmost reaches of Minnesota for the best borealis-viewing spots, like the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park, Lake of the Woods and all of Cook County. # ONLYIN MN | 107
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2021 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 108
