The Aurora Game

“Did you see the aurora last night?”



This is one of the first questions out of my mouth when guests trickle in for breakfast each morning. I love hearing their stories of late-night knocks on one another’s cabins, the way the aurora moved through the sky, and seeing the photos everyone captured.



Unlike hotels in Fairbanks, we don’t offer “aurora wake-up calls” at Arctic Hive... not because we don’t want our guests to see the aurora — quite the contrary. The Northern Lights are a core piece of our retreats, and a bucket list item for so many. 

We simply believe in earning the magic of the aurora. 


(And we also believe that as your hosts and a mighty team of two, we should probably sleep at some point!)

The way Sean and I see it, half the game is getting yourself to the most ideal spot to view the aurora.




Getting to Arctic Hive is no easy feat… but your chances are higher than nearly anywhere in Alaska... maybe the world! There’s no light pollution whatsoever, and we’re located directly underneath the aurora oval — with unobstructed views of mountains and night sky in all directions. If it’s a clear night in the winter, your chances are so so good.




The other half of the game is the chase, itself.




Speaking from our own experience, it’s so much more meaningful to wake up, peep out the window, dash outside like a little kid, and marvel at what you’ve discovered. The best part is that guests tend to work as a team — each cabin takes a certain time throughout the night to wake up, so that most of the likely “prime time” is covered (12pm-2am).




Although the aurora is *likely* to be out during that time, it’s never guaranteed… and it can be out anytime, as long as it’s dark. In fact, as I write this at 8:30pm on New Year’s Eve, the aurora is out right now!
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The unanticipated magic of these moments of awe are that guests are surrounded by strangers who’ve become friends. Each retreat attendee brings their own life experience to the mix. Seeing a group jive more and more as the days go on is one of my favorite parts of hosting retreats the way we do.

I read recently that our brains aren’t wired to tell time like a clock. Our brains tell time based on memories. Specifically, memories that are different, unique, and new. We remember those moments more than the parts of life we have on autopilot.






And when we’re in those moments, like when you’re watching the aurora overhead, time seems to crawl by — or stop all together. Time ceases to matter because… you’re just in awe.




That’s why the first day at a new job feels like it goes on forever, whereas consecutive days move (seemingly) quicker and quicker. This is partially for survival and efficiency, so we put forth less and less effort as things in life become habit. But, when we change up our routine with a life-changing experience, it does just that — stops time, and changes us, from the inside out.




And I’ll tell you... living where we do, it might seem like the aurora has become part of our daily routine and we’d get bored with it after a while. But when the light show is good, Sean and I stare up in awe just as our guests do — hooting and hollering with delight, like little kids! There’s just something about the magic here that never ceases to amaze me.




I hope to never lose my sense of wonder — and I hope the same for each of you, too.


(Speaking of wonder, the photo below was taken at 11:30am!)

(Shots from a recent private mushing retreat…)

Happy New Year, everyone.



To all those who have visited us, who aim to visit in the future, and all of you following along virtually... we are so grateful for you, for all coming along for this wild, off-grid ride of ours. Thank you for your love and support.




Cheers!
Mollie, Sean, and the entire Busby pack




PS -- *drumroll, please!!*  THE PUPS HAVE NAMES!


We named them with a Polar Night theme, as they were born on November 30th… the last day that the sun can be seen above the horizon in the village of Wiseman.

• The firstborn, largest black male is named Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), which is a Norwegian/Danish concept of coziness.
  

• The brown male, showing off his toe beans below, is Kaamos (pronounced kah-mos), Finnish for “Polar Night.”
  

• The little girl is named Lykke (pronounced loo-kah), which is the Nordic word for joy. *Originally we named her Moonbeam, but with the other two Nordic/Polar Night pups, we wanted them to match! I might just have to extend her full name to be: Lykke Moonbeam Busby.
  

Below: A recent Winter’s Womb guest getting ALL the puppy love… I remember her distinctly asking: “Can I hold them all at once?” Ha! Of course our answer was YES — as long as we could snap a photo!


From left to right: Kaamos, Lykke and Hygge
(Phonetically, say it: Kamos, Lookah and Hoogah)