Minnesota, -20 °C. After hearing that even Lviv got a glimpse of the aurora, skipping it here felt almost criminal. -20? Fine. That Duluth Trading Company parka I bought three years ago, after a long internal fight with my wallet, finally got its moment. The last two Minnesota winters were such a joke that it had been hanging in the closet untouched, waiting for a real reason to exist.

I was late to the party. Peak activity was around 6 pm, and I only made it out around midnight. A little flicker, and then nothing. But unexpectedly, I learned something useful: winter aurora watching can actually be very comfortable if you drive out onto a frozen lake. No trees, no buildings, just space and sky.
And yes, a small background panic about whether the ice will hold 🤪

📷 Canon R6, Lightroom

#Minnesota #ExploreMinnesota #MNastodon #OnlyInMN #MNWinter #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #ChasingAurora #NightSky #NightPhotography #Astrophotography #SkyLovers #Starscape #WinterVibes #ColdWeather #FrozenLake #Winter #Midwest #MidwestNature #NaturePhotography #LandscapePhotography #RealWinter #WorthIt #QuietMoments

Ranger Sarah found a American pasqueflower (Anemone patens). One of the first plants to emerge and bloom in the spring, pasqueflower has upright, bell-shaped flowers that develop shortly after the first downy leaves appear. Plants grow 5 to 8 inches tall, blooming in March and April. Most often found on prairie hillsides & outcroppings with dry, nutrient-poor soils

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Ranger Sarah passes over a small bridge along the trail. The North Country trail passes through North Dakota / Minnesota / Wisconsin / Michigan / Ohio / Pennsylvania / New York / Vermont.
—North Country NST in Fergus Falls, MN.

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Ranger Sarah wonders if the whole trail is this well marked as she passes by another blue blaze. The trail was designated a National Scenic Trail by the United States Congress in 1980, and became an official unit of the National Park System in 2023.
—North Country NST in Fergus Falls, MN.

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This spot doesn't look like much, but a ton of frogs are singing to Ranger Sarah as she passes by.
—North Country NST in Fergus Falls, MN.

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Ranger Sarah passes another blue blaze as she continues along the North Country Trail. The trail runs from Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota to the Appalachian Trail in Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont,
—North Country NST in Fergus Falls, MN.

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Ranger Sarah continues along the North Country National Scenic Trail. The Trail is the longest in the National Trails System, stretching 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont.
—North Country NST in Fergus Falls, MN.

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Ranger Sarah hikes along the rolling grass covered hills as she hikes the North Country National Scenic Trail.
— in North Country National Scenic Trail.

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Ranger Sarah takes a break before continuing her hike along the North Country National Scenic Trail
— in North Country National Scenic Trail.

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Ranger Sarah at a nice monument to Nature and the people who preserve it.
— in North Country National Scenic Trail.

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