I spent the last four days in the White Mountains National Recreational Area just north of Fairbanks. Its a trail system that strings together a series of little cabins that make for a magnificent ski, dogsled or snow machine trip. Most of the time was spent skiing and eating, with a tiny bit of aurora borealis photography. There have been some magnificent aurora displays in the last week, and I watched one of the most amazing ones the night before my trip. I enjoyed it without racing for my camera, a pleasant change of pace.
The trail system in the White Mountains is well maintained but as evidenced by the blizzard that hit the Fairbanks area a few weeks ago, and trapped some travelers in the White Mountains, one needs to be prepared for anything. Overflow along the trail can be problematic at times, especially with skis, but we had no problem with that on this journey.
Temperatures ranged between -15 at night to +20 or so during the day, and the warmth of the sun can now be felt on the face–a true sign that spell of winter is breaking in the Alaska’s interior.
The aurora borealis in the early night sky at Caribou Bluff cabin in the White Mountains National Recreational Area. Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 13 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1000
