Leap Year Treat

Mother Nature's Light Show

February 29, 2016

Nearly every four years is a leap year which has 366 days, as opposed to a common year, which has 365 in the Gregorian Calendar. We add a Leap Day on February 29, almost every four years. The leap day is an extra, or intercalary, day and we add it to the shortest month of the year, February. An extra day is not added if the year is divisible by 100 or 400.

During our Hurtigruten coastal voyage, February 29th was not only an extra day, but an extra special day. It would be our first Northern Lights sighting of our voyage. The reason for cruising Norway in winter was so that we'd have the opportunity to experience Northern Lights.  On day 5, somewhere north of Tromsø, our dreams came true.

After Dinner Treat

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is a natural phenomenon that is caused by electrically charged particles, hurled from the sun, colliding with gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth's magnetic field directs the particles towards openings near the North (and South) Poles.

 The Northern Lights can be many different colors (red, yellow-green, blue - purple, and sometimes white). You've probably seen spectacular photos of the lights on the web. Note that when you see them in real time, you might only see wispy activity in the sky and not the full spectrum of color. 

You'll need to photograph them, with proper manual settings and a tripod, to actually see them in their glory. The sunspots and solar storms that cause the most magnificent displays of the northern lights occur roughly every 11 years. The solar cycle peaked in 2013.

TIP: How to Photograph Northern Lights

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Northern Lights 02/29


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Husky Sledding in Tromso

click images to enlarge

Dog Sledding in Tromsø   Hurtigruten Land Excursion

Prior to our voyage we studied the optional excursions for each port. One excursion on our must do list was Dog Sledding which was offered twice during our voyage.

The first option was in Tromsø and the second was in Kirkenes. We also wanted to see the Russian Border, which made our choice simple. We'd couldn't do both excursions in Kirkenes, so we picked the first option in Tromsø.

An unforgettable ride through the Arctic wilderness

Meet the Dogs

We arrived at the base camp for our husky adventure, where we were greeted by playful Alaskan Huskies.  Some were inside their houses while others were outside and even on top of them.  They were barking and doing anything they could to get our attention.

Next we were divided into two groups.  Those that needed warmer clothes or boots were led to a changing facility.   Proper attire for the sledding adventure includes layers of warm clothing, boots, hat and gloves.  Coming from Chicago, we didn't lack warm winter gear, so we were led off to the dog sleds as part of the first group to ride.

Let the Adventure Begin

Our musher greeted us and had us sit down in the sled.  I sat in back with my husband in front.  The team of ten huskies were ready and anxious to get started.  The lead musher started her sled with us right behind.   The remaining teams of huskies fell in line behind us as we started over the snow packed trail.    We were about to embark on one of the most remarkable hours of our lives as our sled glided over the winter terrain.  Instead of trying to put it into words, just watch this video.

The weather was chilly, but the blanket kept us warm. Towards the end of the ride, there was a gentle snow falling.  This video was captured using an iPhone.  Additional images can be found on our Shutterfly page.   Those were taken using our Nikon digital SLR.   We protected the lens with a plastic guard which we bought shortly after booking this cruise.

We spent time with the dogs after our ride and then went into the hut for some hot drinks and dessert.

Now it's your turn:  Located 30 minutes outside Tromsø, Kvaløya you can visit more than 250 huskies and puppies, and learn more about the skills of Husky dog sledding.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Huskies Dog Sledding


Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

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