Bryan Hansel is an outdoor photographer and BWCA enthusiast who lives near Grand Marais. In May 2021, Hansel followed the route of American geologist Newton Horace Winchell and the work he did while surveying the land of Cook County in 1879.

Hansel spent nearly two weeks on the solo adventure that took him from Grand Marais to Lutsen via the Iron Trail to Trail Center, then the Border Route to the end of the Gunflint Trail, and from there to the Ojibwe canoe route to Lutsen on the Poplar River.

Along the way, Hansel traveled about 160 miles, including about 25 miles of portaging.

In this first installment of the podcast's 'Paddler Profile' series, host Matthew Baxley talks with Hansel about his epic journey.