I spent the last week leading a photo tour to one of my favorite places in the state of Alaska: Wiseman. This gold-rush era village of log cabins and scattered and rusting mining equipment, lies in the southern Brooks Range, off a short spur road from the Dalton Highway. This trip was a full week, eight days actually, with the goal of shooting the aurora borealis. Which, we got to do. In spades.
We were only clouded out on one night, and the lights appeared, in one form or another, every single clear night. Score.
It was, however, cold. Very, very cold. -35F the first night, -44F the second and third. By the end of the trip, however the night time temps had warmed to a comparatively sweltering -25F. This is why I put so much emphasis on good gear and on being prepared for winter photography.
Rather than give you a blow by blow of each day, (because who cares what we ate fore breakfast?) I’ll just let the photos do the talking. Here they are, in more or less chronological order:
(If you are interested in joining me on an aurora trip to Wiseman next fall (September/October 2017) or spring (March/early April 2018). Check out this page with all the details about arranging a custom, private tour, or to inquire about slots on other trips (I currently have a couple of spaces available on a trip 17-21 March 2018).
Day 1 (4 March 2017)
The first day, I didn’t get much chance to shoot, since I was sitting behind the steering wheel, but finally managed to get my camera out when the lights appeared for a quiet display.
Day 2 (March 5)
Day 3 (6 March)
Day 4 (7 March)
Day 5 (8 March)
Day 6 (9 March)
The one and only cloudy day with some snow.
Day 7 (10 March)
We drove to Atigun Pass in the afternoon.
The final day consisted of the drive back to Fairbanks, which started off snowy and cloudy. My camera never had a chance to leave its case.
After seeing these, if you are interested in an aurora trip to the Brooks Range, I’m taking reservations for private trips for September and October 2016, and in March-early April 2018. I currently have one trip with a couple of available slots for solo travelers going to Wiseman from 17-21 March 2018. Check here for more info and an itinerary.