What good would January be without snow?

31/01/12

Since West Yorkshire was reluctant to deliver any of the white stuff, I headed north, very north in fact to Ivalo in Finland. This is approximately 300km north of the arctic circle and we 'enjoyed' temperatures as extreme as -34C.
I was Aurora Hunting with Andy Keen's tour company http://aurorahunters.com/ in the company of Mark Hamblin who drove us miles in search of the Aurora Borealis every night and never failed to deliver. A very small number of the breathtaking images are posted on this website together with some of the wildlife that we encountered, mainly Moose and Reindeer. I'll draw a veil over the encounter with the huskies; suffice to say it was very short-lived, terrifying and not without pain.
This picture however helps to convey the remoteness and beauty of the northern landscape and is a constant reminder to me of a wonderful few days and meeting some good companions.