Winter's not too cold to kayak for Grand Marais photographer

GRAND MARAIS - In Lake Superior Tuesday, the water temperature was just above freezing.  That's warm enough for one Grand Marais man to get out his kayak.

"It's a different time of year than you'd expect to be out on the water," said kayaker Bryan Hansel.

 Kayaking on a winter day with wind gusts up to 15 knots doesn't exactly sound like a natural impulse, but for Bryan Hansel and his friends Anne and Joe Zellner and Nathan Clay, it is.

"In the winter, I try to get out every other week or so."

"It's pretty peaceful and quiet. It's just not a time of year that people embrace paddling. Being able to be out here on Lake Superior, I think it's a treat. I mean, it's February right now and we have open water."

Hansel is an avid kayaker and calculates he's paddled over 5,000 miles in the past 10 years.

"I grew up on the Mississippi River and paddled the canoe when I was a kid and that was on the backwaters of the Mississippi and one day, we went out and disobeyed out parents. We were only supposed to stay in the backwaters and not go out into the channel and you know, that channel stared us in the face one day so we just decided to go out into it; it was a big adventure."

"I think from that day forward, it just sparked my love of paddle sports."

Hansel uses photography to share his appreciation for the outdoors with others.

"Ultimately, if you can interest people in the outdoors and if I can do that through my photography, that's going to translate to more people loving the outdoors and more people wanting to protect the wilderness."

So he's out on the water, year–round, gathering reasons for people to love the lake.

"I feel like when i'm outdoors, I feel really connected to things."

"I feel like I'm in the moment whenever I'm paddling."