BY THE TIME I finish dressing and walk into the lobby of the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, it's 9 p.m. There is a crowd of Japanese tourists wearing identical red parkas and black polar boots the size of toasters. Outside, in the black Canadian winter night, four yellow school buses pull up. The Japanese group fills the first three, and the rest of us, a mixed dozen from several countries, climb into the last.
The bus bumps on to the dark highway. It is February 2020, and it's almost as cold inside as out; the windows are already icing over from our breath. Our guide is Céline, a petite Frenchwoman. "The prediction is clouds tonight," she tells us. "But a prediction is just a prediction. So we will be hopeful."
After about 20 minutes, the bus turns down a narrow road toward Aurora Village, a collection of teepees and small buildings beside a frozen lake. The few lights are dim and downcast to protect our night vision. We follow Céline's blinking red head-lamp, the only way we can tell her apart from the crowd. More than a hundred people are plodding from the parking lot along hard snowy trails between dark trees. As we emerge from the woods, Céline points out the path to the heated, 360-degree-rotating recliners (extra fee required). We find our teepee at the edge of a field-a place to warm up and rest, but not to stay. We aren't here to be indoors.
The clouds lift. The teepees are in a small bowl, and trails lead through the trees to low bluffs with longer views. I join a crowd of silhouettes. I shift from foot to foot. All winter, Portland, Oregon, where I live, had been unseasonably warm. I longed for cold, the kind that would make me sit up and pay attention. I went north for the aurora, but also this: the dark, the sky, the ice.
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
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Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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READER'S DIGEST-BOOKS
These book summaries highlight Siddharthya Roy's exploration of conflict and violence, Michael Castleman's deep dive into the history of publishing, and Swadesh Deepak's examination of social issues and masculinity through Hindi literature.
Man with printed sarong
A lawyer, pianist, critic, and mentor to artists, Lionel Wendt is best known for his photographs of Sri Lanka, especially those of people indigenous to the island, captured amidst the lush landscape or posing in his studio.
Too Much?
New studies show that even moderate drinking is a health hazard. Here’s a frank look at the toll alcohol takes on the body
ME & MY SHELF
Coimbatore-born Prashanth Srivatsa is a science fiction/fantasy writer whose stories have appeared in magazines such as Asimov’s, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance. magazines such as Asimov's, Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance.
Small Business, Big Heart
Caring for people is part of the deal at family-run shops
Spill the Beans
Everyone has secrets. Here's why you should share yours
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
Angry lovers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
FULL STEAM AHEAD!
I GOT THE CHANCE TO DRIVE THE WORLD'S LAST SCHEDULED STEAM TRAIN
Stressed and Worn Down
More and more people are clenching and grinding their teeth. Here's what to do about it
THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP
I was recently given bacon-flavoured dental floss for my birthday.