Rotarians get a good glimpse of Northern Lights
East Kilbride Rotary Club members were given an informative insight into the Northern Lights and the Arctic Circle at their latest lunch.
Ron James, a member of Kittoch Rotary Club, told how he took a flight over the Orkney Isles in 2009 to view the spectacular Northern Lights.
A chance remark that he might like to see the lights from the ground led to the seed being sown – and he set about arranging a trip to see the Aurora blazing across the Arctic.
The journey started from Heathrow, flying to Tromso in northern Norway, and then on to Karesuando in northern Sweden.
The temperature was -22°C so wrapping up in warm clothing was paramount.
Ron revealed it took him 20 minutes to put on three pairs of socks, four layers of clothing, two pairs of gloves with mitts on top and, finally, an outer suit followed with a mask and goggles.
The most important task was to remember a toilet break before donning all the clothes.
Ron’s expedition included cross-country skiing, trips on snowmobiles and travelling on dog sleighs.
While there, he visited the indigenous people known as Sami; they don’t like to be called Laplanders.
They live in tepees and herd reindeer, selling the meat to the Russians. Also in the itinerary was a visit to an ice hotel. All this took place in January when there was only four hours of daylight each day.
Concluding his talk, Ron admitted that after all his planning, organising and trudging through snow in freezing temperatures he never actually got to see the Northern Lights.