Tag Archives: expedition

The Adventure Matrix: Ranking Trips on a Graph

Tandem kayak on an Expedition

Last week, I wrote about the difference between an expedition, adventure and a trip. After many comments, I still don’t know if I have the perfect criteria for determining if a trip is an expedition, but I do think that we figured out that expeditions don’t necessarily need to be adventurous. In the comments of that thread, Roman [...]

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What’s the Difference between a Kayak or Canoe Expedition, Trip and Adventure?

Kayak camping on Lake Superior

It’s wintertime again, which means that I start to get all philosophical again. It’s probably from the lack of paddling. The only water time I’ve been getting lately is second rate, because it’s on the solid kind with cross country skis instead of the liquid kind with a kayak. Over the years, one topic that [...]

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For Whom The Old Presque Isle Bell Tolls

Kayaker Bryan Hansel

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was built in 1840 and operated until 1871. It’s one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The park preserves both the old keepers house and the light. When originally restored, the owner used wood from a nearby shipwreck, so the interior features knotted wood with lots of [...]

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Port Huron to Home Solo Kayaking Expedition

Kayaking expedition drysuit and tent on a porch

Yesterday, I finished a 800-mile, 45-day, solo, kayaking expedition. The trip started at Port Huron, Michigan, which is at the southern most point of Lake Huron, and ended in Grand Marais, Minnesota. At Houghton, Michigan, I linked up with my 2009 Grand Marais to Houghton trip, which means that I’ve now paddled the entire American [...]

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Public Radio Interview with Nessmuking Author Bryan Hansel

hansel_bryan_090419-1[1]

This interview appeared on WTIP and The Roadhouse with Buck Benson and Bob Carter. The interview is covering my (Bryan’s) Around the Great Lake Expedition 2009. Click Here to Listen: Around the Great Lakes on the Roadhouse with Buck and Bob [22mb, mp3] Learn more about the Around the Great Lake Expedition 2009.

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Down the Mississippi

My wooden kayak on the Mississippi River in fog near Cassville, WI.  This type of fog hides everything including sounds.

In August 2004, two friends started a trip down the Mississippi River. They planned on paddling 560 miles in 15 days, and one of them – me – made it. The other quit early. In this personal essay, I explore the meaning of friendship and how expeditions can ruin them.

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