Around the Great Lakes

The Journey Begins!

It was 41 degree F, partly cloudy and winds out of the West as Bryan began to pack his boat for his five month journey. A small crowd turned up to wish him well. He was filled with great excitement as he headed off into the Lake Superior, paddling out from the Harbor. As he [...]

Topics: Journal, Lake Superior, Sections

The Going Away Party

Thanks everyone for coming to the going away party! And thanks Ilena for organizing it. And the toasting was great. HERE HERE WOW! “Stay Dry.”

Topics: Journal

Expedition Hat in Texas!

My new Spring Green NDK (Sea Kayaking UK – SKUK) Explorer came attached with a bit of a story. A couple of years ago, on a fluke, Tim Russell stayed at Lutsen Resort. We offer free kayaking lessons and guided trips to all guests at the resort, and Tim signed up. After the three hour [...]

Topics: Journal

Pilgrimage

pilgrimage (Plural pilgrimages) 2. A visit to any site revered or associated with a meaningful event. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tails, a pilgrim’s tale, begins set in the spring, the time of rebirth. It starts out flowery and then gets all A Knight’s Tale. I read the entire poem plus much more of Chaucer in Middle English [...]

Topics: Tent Bound

Aquapac Sponsors the Expedition

Aquapac-sponsored paddler about to embark on 5-month journey around Great Lakes. Bryan Hansel aims to promote paddlesports participation and resource protection
Grand Marais, Minn – (For immediate release) – If Minnesota’s Bryan Hansel sits down later this year to start his “What I did on my summer vacation” essay his opening sentence should be pretty easy.

Paddle.

Topics: Sponsoring Companies

Hiking the Cascade River with Diane and Diane

Cascade River State Park is located in Minnesota directly on the Lake Superior. It’s 10 miles east of Lutsen, Mn and 10 west of Grand Marais, MN. There is a kayaking campsite on the Grand Marais side of the river with a three-sided lean-to and a good beach for landing near the river’s mouth. When [...]

Topics: Journal, Lake Superior, Tent Bound

Playing in Small Waves on the East Bay

Ilena (Expedition Support Manager and Significant Other) and I schlepped over to the East Bay after work for a bit of picture taking for a newspaper article by Andy Piper that is coming out this weekend in Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald. I grew up in Dubuque, IA and spent lots of time on the Mississippi River [...]

Topics: Planning

Follow Along via TripTracker

TripTracker.net uses Google Earth, uploaded pictures and GPS track files to plot a trip visually, and it allows interested people to watch as the trip progresses. For Window users, they offer a simple .NET framework program that makes uploading gps tracks and photos simple. I’ve set up a Trip Tracker site for the Around the [...]

Topics: Route and Timeline

Exploration and Adventure Near Home

Years ago, a man named Jim had taught me to climb. I was in one of his climbing classes where he taught and guided some 50,000 people world-wide. He had traveled the world, put up over 600 new routes in the Andes, and still had time to teach climbing. Years after I took that climbing [...]

Topics: Tent Bound

Inspiration from Hiking Grandparents

Inspiration: An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention. The question of inspiration pops up in many conversations as I talk about my upcoming trip. How do I get inspired to complete a trip where I’ll be away from my loved ones [...]

Topics: Tent Bound, Training