Dancing lights captivate Alaskans

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

The thermometer read 15 degrees below zero, and the wind was starting to pick up. It was around 1 a.m., and there we stood, essentially in our pajamas, staring out into space, amazed at what we saw.

In what has become a tradition, "cabin weekend" as we've started calling it, a handful of the guys rent a public use cabin, usually on Nancy Lake. Last weekend four of us -- me, Aaron, Travis and Jaden -- packed our gear into the cabin and enjoyed the clear, crisp day ice fishing and spending time outside.

Late that night, we built a campfire outside, settling into campchairs as the fire warmed us, despite the subzero temperatures. It only took about a half hour until the fire couldn't cut the cold enough, so we headed back inside, where the 16-by-16-foot cabin was toasty.

About an hour later, Aaron made a trip to the freezing outhouse. Upon his return, he told us about what was going on in the sky outside the cabin.

We all trudged out, and what met us was impressive -- one of the most vibrant displays of the northern lights in recent memory. From the north to the south, it was 180 degrees of dancing lights. At times, the entire sky seemed to just explode with green waves of light.

As the cold nipped at our ears, we all went back inside to put our winter clothes back on, and we ended up standing outside, just watching the northern lights, for another half hour.

There was not a sound to be heard, and the only other light was a blinking red beacon far in the distance. It was a perfect Alaska scene in our minds -- absolute peace, with the northern lights dancing high in the sky.

It's moments like those that make Alaska the greatest place in the world to live. You can describe scenes like that to others, but unless you were standing right there with us, there's no way you could fully understand.

When life seems so hectic, schedules so filled with appointments and days spent working rather than playing, you need a moment like last weekend's northern lights display. Whether it's standing in the freezing cold watching the aurora borealis in the middle of winter or staring up at Mount McKinley while floating a local river in the middle of the "night" on summer solstice, Alaska always has the answer to put things back into perspective.

People can have the big city lights. I'll take the lights I saw last Saturday night -- they help you see everything more clearly.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. On Friday, he'll be seeing the lights of Maui on a two-week vacation.