Member Directory

Cary Griffith is the author of three non-fiction books and two novels. His non-fiction includes Lost in the Wild (Borealis: 2006), Opening Goliath (Borealis: 2009 – winner of a 2010 Minnesota Book Award), and Gunflint Burning (University of Minnesota Press: 2018 – Finalist for a Minnesota Book Award). His novels include Wolves (Adventure Publications: 2013 – winner of a Midwest Book Award, Finalist for a Minnesota Book Award), and Savage Minnesota (Star Tribune: 2014 – the Star Tribune’s 2014 Summer Read). He loves in Rosemount on the edge of a 47-acre wood.

Since Maura Marko and her husband Bobby met in 2007, outdoor recreation has been at the center of their lives. They love hiking, camping, backpacking, traveling, and rock climbing. Together, they share their adventures at https://wefoundadventure.com, where they give detailed trail and trip reports of their adventures as well as travel reports from the international travel.

Bryan Hansel is a professional landscape photographer living the dream in Grand Marais, Minnesota. In addition to selling fine-art prints and stock photography, he makes his living teaching photography workshops across the country. Among his sponsors, he counts Northstar Canoe. You can learn more about his work and his workshops at http://www.bryanhansel.com. He also blogs about canoeing and kayaking at http://www.paddlinglight.com.

Rob Crist is a South Carolina transplant who has made Minnesota his home for the past 12 years. He’s an avid fisherman with a love of the outdoors and a goal of paddling every entry point in the BWCA. Over 10 years and two dozen trips to the Boundary Waters has given him an insatiable drive to be in the Boundary Waters. Each summer he can be found navigating his red canoe throughout the Boundary Waters with his lovely wife and Springer Spaniel.

Bear Paulsen feels at home exploring wilderness areas throughout North America. He spends his longest trips canoeing and winter camping, as these methods of travel allow extended trips into remote areas. He also happily backpacks too. He’s spent almost four years of his life hiding from the real world in tents. Bear is the General Manager of Northstar Canoes.

Mike Bartz is a retired conservation officer and currently owns and operates Border Lakes Tours & Guide Service (https://borderlakestourcompany.com/) out of Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Author, paddler and backpacker, Annie Nelson grew up in the Twin Cites and has hiked more than 500 miles of Minnesota trails and over 1,500 miles of the North Country Trail, ending in the Boundary Waters. She is the author of Thru-Hike the Superior Hiking Trail, available in print and as an eBook. To find out more about Annie and her adventures, go to http://www.wildstory.site

Chuck Dayton is a retired environmental lawyer who spent much of his life working to save the natural areas he loves. He and spouse Sara Evans live most of each summer near Ely, Minnesota and spend spring and fall in the western Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. In these beautiful places, photography has become his passion and spiritual practice. Through it, he seeks to follow Mary Oliver’s advice: “Pay attention, be astonished, tell about it.”

Kim is a retired Dental Hygienist. She is on the Board of FOTBW and writes for the Boundary Waters Journal Magazine. She has been canoeing in the BWCAW and Quetico since 1977.