Bryan Hansel

Burning through $42 million an hour for what? Nothing

BREAKING: Trump to Replace Dog Killer With Lap Dog

March 4, 1926 Weather from the Hill, Olaf Thorvaldsen | Cook County News Herald

Grand Marais weatherman Olaf Thorvaldsen is back with another weather forecast, town update and philosophical musing for March 4, 1926.

Who Wins If Republicans Destroy The Boundary Waters? China Why destroy America’s most popular Wilderness? Foreign profits, obviously.

Who Wins If Republicans Destroy The Boundary Waters? China

wessiler.substack.com/p/who-wins-i...

Pack ice patterns in the Grand Marais harbor

HikeLight Dyneema Stuff Sack Review I recently ordered a HikeLight Dyneema stuff sack (round bottom) from Etsy. I needed a new stuff sack for my old Silnylon tarp. The stuff sack that came with it was too small, plus it was starting to rip apart from wear and tear. It's over 20 years old. After searching around for the right-sized stuff sack, I found HikeLight on Etsy. They offered a stuff sack that was designed for an inflatable sleeping pad that seemed like it would work perfectly for my old tarp. Plus, they had purple!

The HikeLight Dyneema Stuff Sack is a lightweight stuff sack made by a small maker in the USA. I ordered one and have a few thoughts.

Boundary Waters Podcast Ep. 127 - Photography and the Preservation of Public Lands, with Bryan Hansel | WTIP Bryan Hansel is a Grand Marais, Minnesota landscape photographer and advocate for wilderness and outdoor activities. In this far-reaching conversation, Hansel shares the historic role that art and pho...

I was on WTIP's Boundary Waters Podcast.

"In this far-reaching conversation, Hansel shares the historic role that art and photography have played in the preservation of public lands, from the establishment of the first National Parks through today."

Listen here:

wtip.org/archives/bou...

Ice cave on Lake Superior

Zpacks Comfy Camp Pillow Review First Look I'm starting to look at all the new gear for this year and up first is the Zpacks Comfy Camp Pillow (get it) Review. This is the first look. I bought this pillow late last year when Zpacks' annual holiday sale. For awhile, I've wanted to find a replacement for inflatable pillows. While I like my Nemo Fillo Elite, I've wanted to something a little less airy and thick. The Zpacks pillow seemed like it might be a good fit. What is the Zpacks Comfy Camp Pillow?

The Zpacks Comfy Camp Pillow is a lightweight pillow that doesn't use an inflatable bladder. Is it a good option for a camp pillow? Let's find out.

February 25, 1926 Weather from the Hill, Olaf Thorvaldsen | Cook County News Herald

The 1926 weather report from Grand Marais' official weatherman Olaf Thorvaldsen is posted. I only have one more of these ready to go, so I need to get to the library soon to start sorting through more microfiche.

I saw that there was going to be a brief period of blue skies yesterday, so I visited Lake Superior's ice forest. It was wild!

Photos From the Apostle Island Ice Caves A brief return of a rare winter phenomenon and how changing conditions and crowds reshaped the way I photographed one of Lake Superior’s most fleeting landscapes.

They were only open one day this year, for the first time in 11 years, and I missed my shot (my plan was to go on day 2, which was too late.)
@bryanhansel.com did not miss his shot. Click through to see his story and his wonderful, wonderful Ice Cave pictures
bryanhansel.substack.com/p/photos-fro...

Photos From the Apostle Island Ice Caves A brief return to a rare winter phenomenon and how changing conditions and crowds reshaped the way I photographed one of Lake Superior’s most fragile and fleeting landscapes.

A brief return of a rare winter phenomenon and how changing conditions and crowds reshaped the way I photographed one of Lake Superior’s most fleeting landscapes.

open.substack.com/pub/bryanhan...

Dear Democrats,

If you think I'm going to click on a link in an unsolicited text message, you're crazy. Also, text messages make me want to donate less and not more.

Signed,
Everyone

The Mall of America is such a crazy place. My kid wanted to go to the LEGO store when we were in the cities, and we walked around the mall afterwards. I couldn't believe that there's an actual shop that looks like the first one, and a Ferris wheel, and even the hall to the bathrooms is crazy.

Snow Removal Operations on Good Harbor Hill, Cook County, Minnesota Circa 1920s

Images of snow removal operation on Good Harbor Hill in Cook County, Minnesota. In 1926, official Grand Marais weatherman Olaf Thorvaldsen wrote about people getting stuck on Good Harbor Hill, which is west of Grand Marais.

Take Action Now: Defend Protections for the Boundary Waters The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one million acres of wilderness, is one of the premier destinations for canoeing in North America and, in my opinion, the best place in the United States. The Donald Trump administration and Republicans in Congress want to remove protections from it. Legislation to do so has already passed the House and will be voted on in the Senate soon. Unfortunately, they are attempting to use a legal loophole that has never been used in this way before to avoid the filibuster. This means they would need only 51 votes instead of the normal 60 required for most legislation.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is under immediate threat. Congress is trying to fast-track a vote to strip long-standing mining protections and push a toxic copper-sulfide mine into its watershed.

Call your senators now: 202-224-3121 and ask them to vote NO!

More info in the post.

February 18, 1926 Weather from the Hill, Olaf Thorvaldsen | Cook County News Herald

It's the February 18, 1926 Weather from the Hill update from Olaf Thorvaldsen.

The Apostle Islands ice caves are now back to sea caves after the Mardi Gras Blizzard broke up the ice.

It's now snowing and the wind is starting to go crazy in Grand Marais. Minnesota's Mardi Gras Blizzard of 2026 has begun. They clocked a 69mph wind gust in Duluth.

That's a weird video.

What if the Great Lakes were the Great Islands? I've spent a lot of time sea kayaking on the Great Lakes, including a 45-day sea kayaking trip from Port Huron, MI on Lake Huron to Grand Marais, MN. In all of that paddling, I’d never once imagined the Great Lakes as islands within a sea. But that’s exactly the perspective that cartographer Stephen Kennedy created with his The Great Islands map. To produce the effect, the Great Lakes bathymetry was inverted, and by inverting it the depths become mountains. The familiar geography of the region is transformed into a completely new world.

Ever paddled the Great Lakes and wished you could see them in a completely new way?

That’s what cartographer Stephen Kennedy does with his The Great Islands map. He inverts Great Lakes bathymetry so the lakes become land, and the land becomes sea.

We looked ahead at the weather forecast and figured that Monday would likely be the only day.

There were a lot of people. It took us over two hours to get the bus to the beach, and we were towards the front of the line.

A few Apostle Island Ice Cave photos from yesterday's visit. Lots and lots of people on the ice.

Lake Superior ice on the move.

youtu.be/UZew05RA29Q?...

This was sunrise over Lake Superior this morning.

Wild Rye Sale for Valentine’s Day With Valentine's Day coming up, I'm scrambling a bit to find a gift for my wife. I guess it just slipped my mind a bit. If you're in a similar boat, I have a suggestion. While I don't usually write these types of guides, I cover so few women-specific items on this blog that I thought it might be nice to highlight something. Last year, Wild Rye sent over a couple of pieces of clothing for my wife to try out. You can read the Wild Rye review. She also got a…

Need a last minute gift for Valentine's Day. Wild Rye might be a good way to go. Here's what my wife has been using all winter long as a midlayer.

They aren't legal in Minnesota, yet.