What it's like to live in 24 hours of darkness at the northernmost edge of the civilized world

Every January, my wife and I go on an annual, unusual hunting trip. We seek to see the beautiful aurora borealis northern lights.

A few weeks ago, I was unexpectedly invited to Oslo, Norway, as part of a business trip to meet with a new Norwegian client. It seemed destiny was hellbent on sending me to the Northern latitudes in winter, but I had already been to Norway before to chase auroras.

On all my other trips, I had experienced 20 or so hours of darkness but never the ultimate full 24 hours of polar night. I researched my options and learned that the home of the northernmost permanent settlement on Earth, the town of Longyearbyen, is administered by Norway and accessible via a (relatively) easy journey from Oslo. It was two flights away.

This was likely the closest I would ever come to visiting the North Pole, itself.

And that's how I found myself on a 3.5 day trip and dog sledding expedition in total darkness at the northernmost point of civilization on earth.