I was up at Priest Lake when I got a text about the Northern Lights. I went outside only to look up and see a mixture of fluorescent green, pink, blue, and purple lights filling the night sky.
On May 12, 2024, thousands of people filled streets and backyards throughout the Pacific Northwest in hopes of seeing this wonder of nature.
The lights began Friday night due to a severe geomagnetic storm that released gaseous particles. Those particles collided with Earth’s atmosphere and led to this once-in-a-lifetime sight.
The storm sent the particles north and south, which ultimately caused the Northern Lights to be seen throughout the PNW and all the way down to Alabama.
My first view of the lights took place around 11:30 pm, as the lights had just begun. I was down at the beach staring up at the sky but not seeing much. I reached into my pocket to take a picture of what little light I could see, and as the picture was taken, the lights came alive. I looked over at my mom, oblivious to the sight I captured with my camera, and told her to take her phone out.
“Why would I take my phone out when I can just use my memory to capture this moment,” Tosha Brown said.
After a little convincing my mom reached for her phone and finally felt the sense of awe that I explained. She took picture after picture, aiming to land the perfect shot.
As we watched the lights through our cameras, they were constantly moving and changing before us, making every picture we captured unique.
After about an hour of gazing at the astonishing view above us, we headed back to the cabin for a power nap.
As we slept, the lights flourished and began to die down.
2:00 am hit, and we decided to go back out for one last glimpse of the lights. While we made our way down to the beach, the sky ignited in a fluorescent purple.
With my dad dragging behind, my mom and I reached the beach in time to capture the finale. The lights danced across the night sky, flowing and mixing with the colors surrounding each other.
Picture after picture was taken, and although it was early, there were other people with the same aspirations as me.
It was gratifying to see everyone in the community coming together to enjoy this beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As the lights continued to flourish, people began to talk and enjoy the sight before them. Talking about the way the lights changed and moved and how the lights differed here from everywhere else.
There is something about the feeling of being surrounded by people I knew that made this moment all that more special.
As the lights began to fade, the people lingered. They stayed to share the photos they captured and talk about the different angles of the photos.
As everyone laughed and enjoyed the clear weather of the early morning, I sat back and watched as the people seemed to move and dance as the lights once did.
Eventually, everyone began to tire, and the talking began to cease. People began to head back towards their cabins.
I, however, stayed. I watched until the lights were no longer in view, and the beach became silent.
I laid out on the dock and looked up at the stars that had been overlooked by the lights. I waited until even my parents were gone and appreciated the silent morning.
After my back began to ache from laying on the hardwood of the dock, I sat up and prepared to leave.
Walking back up to my cabin, I saw people in their cabins conversing and continuing to share their stories of the night we all experienced.
