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Remarks |
I was hiking alone a little after midnight last night on the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap. I was about half a mile up the trail and stopped and turned my headlamp off to enjoy the darkness. I was sitting on a rock facing back towards Newfound Gap. It was extremely dark; I could not see an inch in front of my face. It was a few days before a new moon (I could not see the moon at all due to the angle of the mountain).
Suddenly I saw a light glowing through the trees and thought someone was coming up the trail with a flashlight. I looked back over my left shoulder and saw a light brightening through the trees. Then suddenly across the sky a ball of fire flashed. It was shining bright, not too bright to look at but enough to lighten the forest around me. It was big - I could clearly see a ball of fire with a tail shining behind it. It was gone as quickly as it came - maybe 2 seconds I could see it and then it dipped below the horizon (though it had brightened the sky for 1-2 seconds before I saw it).
I have never seen anything like this before!!! It was totally serendipitous. I was not out stargazing, just taking a short midnight hike, and just happened to be sitting there with my headlamp off on a dark night at that exact moment. I have seen the Northern lights once and this was equally as amazing and beautiful. |
