Doug Mahugh of Seattle is in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, to see and photograph the Northern Lights for the first time.
"What an amazing experience to finally see the northern lights in person," he said. "And with the weather clear and cold like this, Yellowknife is photographic heaven around the clock: gorgeous sunrise and sunset, northern lights at night, and long periods of tranquil twilight in between."
Mahugh is visiting friends he met via the Facebook page of his Samoyed dog Jamie. His friends, Valerie and Jim, have a Facebook page for their Samoyed, Quinn.
The photographs were taken on the Dettah ice road on Great Slave Lake.
"The lights went away for a little while, but then after we drove out on the ice road they reappeared and started dancing for us," he said.
He reports that last night's low temperature was -40 degrees.
"For those keeping score at home, I just did a count: I'm wearing 5 layers on my upper body, 4 layers on my legs, 3 layers on my head, 2 pairs of thick socks plus snowmobiling boots, and 2 pairs of gloves," he said via Facebook.
Mahugh says while the bitter cold is something to be taken seriously, he's in great hands with Val and Jim and is having a wonderful time.
