First Outdoor Winter Night
The northern lights have been absent for almost a month due to both inactivity and cloudy weather. But last night they returned, if only very briefly.
![Northern Lights over a frozen lake surface](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ac299_20b5a9c3378f4850be8d5d71e3174cf4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_653,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/1ac299_20b5a9c3378f4850be8d5d71e3174cf4~mv2.jpg)
I went to a lake where I hoped the ice had created a mirror. And it had just that. It was minus 8 degrees Celsius (18°F) when I arrived at 10:05 PM. The ice was so thick I could even walk on it. But I didn't. Not more than testing it where the water was shallow a meter or two from the waterline. Firm as a concrete floor.
But you should never take any risks, especially when you're all alone which I was.
Now to the northern lights. They started dancing just as I walked from my car along the lake. I hurried to take some photos before I took time to find a better spot. I found my spot by a boat, or two actually. There were several boats on the shoreline and most of them were filled with water. And now a thick ice surface. But two of them were placed so I could have them in the foreground and the aurora in the background.
![Aurora Borealis, the northern lights, and a water filled boat](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ac299_400791c5b38a4e0ebb847d946ff57884~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_653,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/1ac299_400791c5b38a4e0ebb847d946ff57884~mv2.jpg)
![Northern lights and a boat filled with ice and a storm torch.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ac299_ecf5cb526ef9485ba90c8882b06f4793~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_654,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/1ac299_ecf5cb526ef9485ba90c8882b06f4793~mv2.jpg)
Unfortunately the aurora faded away pretty soon and never returned. I spent an hour waiting but the auroral activity was obviously over. I went to my car and drove 15 minutes back to my house around midnight.
I realized how much I love being outside when it's cold. Not too cold though, but this felt nice. Fresh cold air and absolute silence, apart from some birds that I scared when I explored the place. They scared me too!
The sky was amazing with thousands of stars shining bright over my head. And this was the first time this aurora season when I really felt like it was a winter night, although there was no snow.
Can't wait for the next aurora expedition.
![Northern lights, tree silhouettes and a up-side-down boat.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ac299_170f0cedef914adf97629d634298ad61~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_667,h_1000,al_c,q_85,enc_avif,quality_auto/1ac299_170f0cedef914adf97629d634298ad61~mv2.jpg)
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