Bryan Hansel
@bryanhansel.com
Photographer and photo workshop leader specializing in seascapes, landscapes & nightscapes. Fav place: Boundary Waters. A good Minnesotan. Grand Marais. Learn more at www.bryanhansel.com. I write at bryanhansel.substack.com and at paddlinglight.com.
Being in the Cook County News Herald for writing a fictional story about the Cook County News Herald feels very meta.
January 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Being in the Cook County News Herald for writing a fictional story about the Cook County News Herald feels very meta.
Traditional snowshoes look so good.
January 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Traditional snowshoes look so good.
Added hillshade to the map. I like it. Maybe I should add an elevation profile.
January 5, 2026 at 6:48 AM
Added hillshade to the map. I like it. Maybe I should add an elevation profile.
The Minnesota Border to Border Touring Route map that I made today. This is the route that I took when I rode my gravel bike across Minnesota. Here are a few photos from the ride.
January 5, 2026 at 5:30 AM
The Minnesota Border to Border Touring Route map that I made today. This is the route that I took when I rode my gravel bike across Minnesota. Here are a few photos from the ride.
I had the weather data, so I thought it would be interesting to see if the length of the frost-free (growing) season changed in Grand Marais, Minnesota over the last 100 years.
January 2, 2026 at 5:48 PM
I had the weather data, so I thought it would be interesting to see if the length of the frost-free (growing) season changed in Grand Marais, Minnesota over the last 100 years.
I added another image to my New Year's Day Project this morning. These images show the sunrise over Lake Superior from 2018 to 2026. Grand Marais, Minnesota.
January 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
I added another image to my New Year's Day Project this morning. These images show the sunrise over Lake Superior from 2018 to 2026. Grand Marais, Minnesota.
I have a small writing project that I'm planning in 2026. I need an online place to hold it. Are there any good free online platforms that would hold a small writing project?
This is the first entry.
This is the first entry.
December 31, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I have a small writing project that I'm planning in 2026. I need an online place to hold it. Are there any good free online platforms that would hold a small writing project?
This is the first entry.
This is the first entry.
One of the last freighters sailing on Lake Superior in 2025, MV Paul R. Tregurtha, the current Queen of the Lakes, passed Grand Marais on December 29th. The Queen of the Lakes designation recognizes the Paul R. Tregurtha, at 1,013.5 feet, as the largest ship of the Great Lakes fleet.
December 31, 2025 at 2:50 PM
One of the last freighters sailing on Lake Superior in 2025, MV Paul R. Tregurtha, the current Queen of the Lakes, passed Grand Marais on December 29th. The Queen of the Lakes designation recognizes the Paul R. Tregurtha, at 1,013.5 feet, as the largest ship of the Great Lakes fleet.
Draft of a map of the Banadad Ski Trail
December 23, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Draft of a map of the Banadad Ski Trail
Black and white infrared (590nm) Milky Way
December 20, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Black and white infrared (590nm) Milky Way
20 years ago from the seat of a Cessna. Left to right: Sugarloaf Cove, the Tomteboda Motel (demolished for a city shop), Split Rock Lighthouse.
December 19, 2025 at 5:59 PM
20 years ago from the seat of a Cessna. Left to right: Sugarloaf Cove, the Tomteboda Motel (demolished for a city shop), Split Rock Lighthouse.
This photos shows the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance. The long one on the left is Moose and the one to its right is Eagle (not the high point in Minnesota, which is also named Eagle). They are about 18-20 miles away from where I took the photo. Google added the runs to Google maps recently.
December 19, 2025 at 2:46 AM
This photos shows the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance. The long one on the left is Moose and the one to its right is Eagle (not the high point in Minnesota, which is also named Eagle). They are about 18-20 miles away from where I took the photo. Google added the runs to Google maps recently.
I found some old photos and an aerial photo of the old ski hill near Grand Marias, Minnesota. I decided to map it today. The map is a bit rough and I'm not 100% certain that I got all the connectors. I think there could be two more from the western run to the shorter runs west of the tow.
December 14, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I found some old photos and an aerial photo of the old ski hill near Grand Marias, Minnesota. I decided to map it today. The map is a bit rough and I'm not 100% certain that I got all the connectors. I think there could be two more from the western run to the shorter runs west of the tow.
The Sawtooth Mountain Ski Area that doesn't exist anymore. This used to be at Grand Marais, MN.
December 13, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The Sawtooth Mountain Ski Area that doesn't exist anymore. This used to be at Grand Marais, MN.
A neat old advertisement for Lutsen Mountains in northern Minnesota. I would have liked to do the run all the way from Mystery Mountain to Lake Superior. It doesn't exist anymore, but I can imagine where it must have gone. I suspect that I've done most of it in pieces on xc skis or a snowboard.
December 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM
A neat old advertisement for Lutsen Mountains in northern Minnesota. I would have liked to do the run all the way from Mystery Mountain to Lake Superior. It doesn't exist anymore, but I can imagine where it must have gone. I suspect that I've done most of it in pieces on xc skis or a snowboard.
The North American Triple Crown of Kayaking
This is a map that I just made based on the two articles I wrote on what I proposed could be a triple crown for kayaking in North America. It includes a river, a salt water trip, and a Great Lake.
This is a map that I just made based on the two articles I wrote on what I proposed could be a triple crown for kayaking in North America. It includes a river, a salt water trip, and a Great Lake.
December 12, 2025 at 3:51 AM
The North American Triple Crown of Kayaking
This is a map that I just made based on the two articles I wrote on what I proposed could be a triple crown for kayaking in North America. It includes a river, a salt water trip, and a Great Lake.
This is a map that I just made based on the two articles I wrote on what I proposed could be a triple crown for kayaking in North America. It includes a river, a salt water trip, and a Great Lake.
Which spoon would you pick for backpacking and camping?
Left to Right:
1. Homemade, locally harvested* birch spoon, 0.2 ounces
2. Plastic Light My Fire spork, 0.4 ounces
3. Titanium Hilltops Packs long-handled spoon, 0.7 ounces
* Harvested from our property by me. It's finished in walnut oil.
Left to Right:
1. Homemade, locally harvested* birch spoon, 0.2 ounces
2. Plastic Light My Fire spork, 0.4 ounces
3. Titanium Hilltops Packs long-handled spoon, 0.7 ounces
* Harvested from our property by me. It's finished in walnut oil.
December 10, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Which spoon would you pick for backpacking and camping?
Left to Right:
1. Homemade, locally harvested* birch spoon, 0.2 ounces
2. Plastic Light My Fire spork, 0.4 ounces
3. Titanium Hilltops Packs long-handled spoon, 0.7 ounces
* Harvested from our property by me. It's finished in walnut oil.
Left to Right:
1. Homemade, locally harvested* birch spoon, 0.2 ounces
2. Plastic Light My Fire spork, 0.4 ounces
3. Titanium Hilltops Packs long-handled spoon, 0.7 ounces
* Harvested from our property by me. It's finished in walnut oil.
There's still a lot of confusion about the Lutsen Resort fire. People who live outside the area are confusing Lutsen Resort with Lutsen Mountains. They are two separate businesses owned by different people. I made a map that will hopefully help clarify things.
December 9, 2025 at 7:33 PM
There's still a lot of confusion about the Lutsen Resort fire. People who live outside the area are confusing Lutsen Resort with Lutsen Mountains. They are two separate businesses owned by different people. I made a map that will hopefully help clarify things.
This is a Minnesota thing. It seems most people in MN don't understand the different between Lutsen Mountains (the ski hill) and Lutsen Resort. They were separated into two businesses 45 years ago. The owner of Lutsen Resort was charged with arson. The arson had nothing to do with the ski hill.
December 6, 2025 at 4:30 PM
This is a Minnesota thing. It seems most people in MN don't understand the different between Lutsen Mountains (the ski hill) and Lutsen Resort. They were separated into two businesses 45 years ago. The owner of Lutsen Resort was charged with arson. The arson had nothing to do with the ski hill.
PANTONE released the 2026 Color of the Year today, and it's the only way to be sure. It's brilliant off white like a white hot explosion powdered with the ash of American dreams.
December 5, 2025 at 3:13 AM
PANTONE released the 2026 Color of the Year today, and it's the only way to be sure. It's brilliant off white like a white hot explosion powdered with the ash of American dreams.
Bryce Campbell, former owner of Lutsen Resort, has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree arson and insurance fraud in connection to Lutsen Resort burning down. I guide for Lutsen and am so sad about this.
Photo credit unknown.
Photo credit unknown.
December 4, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Bryce Campbell, former owner of Lutsen Resort, has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree arson and insurance fraud in connection to Lutsen Resort burning down. I guide for Lutsen and am so sad about this.
Photo credit unknown.
Photo credit unknown.
Lake Superior had a light layer of sea smoke on it this morning, and that made for an interesting mood in my photos from sunrise. Here's one of the photos.
December 4, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Lake Superior had a light layer of sea smoke on it this morning, and that made for an interesting mood in my photos from sunrise. Here's one of the photos.
The Man with Antlers on the Cliff is the story of an unexplained experience that I had at a pictograph site in the Boundary Waters.
open.substack.com/pub/bryanhan...
open.substack.com/pub/bryanhan...
December 4, 2025 at 3:15 AM
The Man with Antlers on the Cliff is the story of an unexplained experience that I had at a pictograph site in the Boundary Waters.
open.substack.com/pub/bryanhan...
open.substack.com/pub/bryanhan...
The 30% OFF deal ends tonight. Use the code NORTHERN30 to get the discount.
www.bryanhansel.com/out/calendar/
www.bryanhansel.com/out/calendar/
December 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
The 30% OFF deal ends tonight. Use the code NORTHERN30 to get the discount.
www.bryanhansel.com/out/calendar/
www.bryanhansel.com/out/calendar/