Ever since I was little, my father told me stories of working in some remote part of the USSR where he was able to observe the incredible and magical Aurora Borealis aka The Northern Lights.

As a kid, growing up without the Internet, or HD footage, we could only imagine what Northern Lights would actually look like, so I wondered:

Is it a defined image in the sky?

Does it last long?

Is it always one color?

Does it move slowly or quickly?

Does it have to be very cold to see it?

Is it scary/like an explosion in the universe?

At that time, dreaming of anything seemed like a far-fetched idea, so it never occurred to me to put it on my Bucket List for later in life.

After moving to America, I realized I was a bit closer to observing this natural wonder, maybe via a trip to Canada or somewhere equally cold. We traveled a bit, mostly to Disney World in Florida, checking off a pretty cool childhood dream, but nope, there were no Northern Lights in Orlando.

It would be at least 10 more years before I started working abroad and traveling the world on my own. Seeing other travelers and fellow photographers make special trips to Sweden and Norway to catch Aurora, often coming back with mediocre images and feeling like money was wasted.

My curiosity grew stronger and stronger.

Once, at a Farmer’s Market in Montana, I met a photographer who worked and photographed Glacier National Park.

“No way! Glacier has Aurora Borealis!” I exclaimed.

“Sure, but you have to be near or at the park on the night of,” he said.

Well, it’s only 2.5 hours away from our Montana property and maybe one day I’ll make the drive, I thought, but in reality, I knew that I never would.

I don’t like driving very much AND I definitely don’t like driving the windy roads of Montana at night, watching out for deer, mountain goats, and other critters that come down to the pavement to lick off the salt.

Earlier this May, the Aurora Borealis came to Montana and was visible in Missoula and nearby towns, BUT we had no idea, so we slept through it just to enviously read all the excited photographers and observers who caught it.

I was so annoyed with myself. Northern Lights came here and all I had to do was look outside. No need to drive or get a National Park permit, just open the door and look up….

By this point, I’ve officially put the Northern Lights on my Bucket List in the hopes that the stars will align and I’ll get to either watch them or photograph them or even both! Fingers crossed!

I didn’t have to wait too long because this week, we had not one but two sightings of them in this part of the world!

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I missed the first one.

Slept through like a 39 y.o. baby :)

But the second time the news again posted about a “Severe Solar Storm To Light Up Large Part of The U.S.,” and I was ready!

With camera batteries charged, memory card in, and tripod ready, I walked outside around 11 pm and walked towards an open field near the A-frame cabin. All I saw were white, whispy clouds, some stars in the sky, and then a noisy whoosh in the bushes nearby.

What is a girl in the woods to do?

I growled loudly in that direction (hoping to sound scarier than whatever was hiding in the bush), I backed up towards the Commons Area and felt safer shooting from near there.

Again, I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing was just clouds or WAIT!

They are moving quickly, appearing and disappearing on a whim. At times it felt like the sky was pulsating with white puffy things forming like quick pimples in the sky, then disappearing again.

“I guess I’m seeing Aurora, but man, is it UNDERWHELMING,” I thought.

Where are the vivid colors? or the shapes?

Cue the assistance of a long-exposure camera!

It was only IN the camera that I began to see THE MAGIC of that moment.

The colors were green, pink, purple, and even blue, and all I saw was black and white with my naked eyes.

And that is where I lost myself.

Sometimes, when photographing, I get so caught up in the moment, changing settings, composition, position, location, etc. I forget about time, or the fact that it was almost midnight and my hands were feeling chilly. I forgot about that scary sound in the woods and kept walking around through the dark in search of a better angle. I forgot about even the fact that I should have just stopped and looked up to appreciate the magic, no matter how much BETTER IT LOOKED IN THE CAMERA.

After about 60 photos of 15-second exposures each, I was satisfied with my results, saving editing them for the morning, when the excitement and the eyes would be fresh.

Check out my results below, and comment below what you think.

Is it a defined image in the sky? Nope, it changes almost every second, blink and you’ll miss it.

Does it last long? Not sure, I was there for an hour but I’ve heard other photographers stayed up past 3 am still shooting it.

Is it always one color? Nope, as you can see, after adjusting brightness and Luminance, there are so many different colors at play. So a naked eye or a phone may not see the entire spectrum.

Does it move slowly or quickly? Sometimes slowly, sometimes fast.

Does it have to be very cold to see it? Nope, and that’s the best part! Save yourself a trip to frigid Northern countries, when you can enjoy Aurora with just a light sweatshirt in some parts of the world (come to Montana :)

Is it scary/like an explosion in the universe? It’s quite unusual to see such changes in the night sky, but after a few moments, you get used to it and start to appreciate its glory.

It feels so good to tick Aurora Borealis off the list and pick a new Bucket List item to look forward to.

Did you know that The HohnStead Glamping Cabins have very little light pollution?

This makes Stargazing, observing the Milky Way, and the Northern Lights very easy, compared to being in or near a city.

Of course, we can’t ALWAYS guarantee an incredible Stellar Experience while here, but if you stay a few nights, you might just luck out!

We can’t wait to host you in the woods!

- Alla and Garrett

The HohnStead Glamping Cabins in Bonner, Montana