Monday, January 18, 2010

River Season with Bryan Hansel



It's frozen river season on the North Shore. People are snowshoeing the Onion River and exploring other winter cathedrals tucked into the forest just upstream from Highway 61. North Shore river skiing is an extreme sport, especially when there are waterfalls to descend or open water to skirt.

The Devil Track gorge is frustratingly inaccessible, even invisible in summer. as I discovered hiking it this spring.



I am so glad there are people like Bryan Hansel (above) and Ilena Berg, who can not only head up beautiful North Shore canyons in winter but can post photos like these to share with those of us stuck in town. Through Bryan's lens, the Devil Track River can be seen for the deep, wild and challenging gorge it is. Check out his pictures and read the labels for a sense of the adventure.

Thanks for sharing the pix, Bryan!


4 comments:

Bayfieldwis.com said...

Wonderful! I enjoy the Devils Track area in the summer.
I'd like to be down in the canyon
to see it. There is another river in the area too? Kandunce? Is that it? Something like that?

Bryan said...

The Kandunce is a great snowshoe up and over several waterfalls. Skiing the Cascade River is fun too.

Andrew Slade said...

My favorite North Shore river memory is guiding my father down the Manitou from the Cramer Rd to Highway 61. He had just turned 61, I think. We broke trail 5/6th of the way down...and then four hunky guys I knew from Duluth caught up with us, grateful for the trail!

Bayfieldwis.com said...

The adventure of going up a canyon really appeals to me. I've done it a few times. The Kandunce with water shoes in the summer is something I want to do. I have read you can go quite far. I hiked around the Devils Track last summer on the Superior Hiking Trail. Never saw another soul that day. It was wonderful.