Erin Walker and Jon Kelly are the duo behind the Lost Lakes YouTube channel. They live on an inland lake not far from the Canadian shores of Lake Superior.

This summer, Erin and Jon embarked on a three-week, 280-mile (450-kilometer) canoe trip into the subarctic barrens. It was a journey of many firsts: their first time in Nunavut, their first encounter with the subarctic taiga, and by far the most remote expedition they had ever undertaken.

Erin shares details about the experience in this episode of the podcast.

This episode is sponsored by:

Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply

Bent Paddle Brewing Company

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Ely Outfitting Company

Solbakken Resort on Superior

Booze or a dry run? Opinions vary about bringing alcohol on a trip to the Boundary Waters. Many enjoy sipping whiskey or wine around the campfire. Others prefer no alcohol at all. And then there are those who tip back and glug until the bottle is gone. In this episode, we hear from a group of five paddlers who chose to paddle the BWCA Wilderness without any alcohol. In fact, it was the centerpiece of their trip. This episode is sponsored by: Sawbill Canoe Outfitters Friends of the Boundary Waters REDBUDSUDS Loons Nest Coffee Sawtooth Outfitters Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply

Sex in the Boundary Waters. It's a thing. Happens on some trips, not on others. In this episode of the podcast, we explore the sexual energy that stirs in the Boundary Waters and other wilderness areas, and among the people who visit these types of wild places. Featured in the episode of the podcast are: Dave and Amy Freeman, experienced paddlers who once spent an entire year living in the BWCA; Anna Hennessey and Emily Ford, two experienced backcountry travelers who frequent the wilderness; and Erin Peterson, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified therapist who has paddled in the Boundary Waters many times. in the Boundary Waters? Absolutely. This episode sponsored by: Ely Outfitting Company Sawtooth Outfitters Women's Wilderness Discovery Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters

Traveling across the Boundary Waters in May represents many things. A sign of spring. The start of the paddling season. And, of course, the great Fishing Opener. The team from 2023's epic and nearly fatal Fishing Opener trip on the Temperance River are back again this year. Omaha Erik Dickes. Kevin The Kman Kramer. Lord Baxley. And Freddy Friedrichs. The group ventured to new waters for this year's opener. They found largemouth, smallmouth, brook trout, lake trout, and walleye. Large fish were caught, and plenty of them. It was about more than fishing this year, though. It was about northern lights. Rainbows stretching across the sky. Campfires that lasted for hours and hours. Hear about it all in today's episode. This episode of the podcast is supported by: Sven-Saw Minnesota Canoe Museum Friends of the Boundary Waters Solbakken Resort

Tony Jones is an accomplished Minnesota author who has a passion for wild places, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. As he describes it, when Tony walked out of the church several years ago and into the woods, he left the orderly pews and numbered hymns for chaotic spaces and untamed wilderness. Tony writes about this in his new book, "The God of Wild Places." In this episode of the podcast, Tony paddles with Joe on the edge of the BWCA to share some of his journey from being a minister to someone who finds spiritual connection in the wilderness. Tony then sits down with M Baxley around a campfire to reflect on why the wilderness is, in fact, the God of wild places.

Friendship is an often-overlooked component that brings people to the Boundary Waters. So often we’re quick to reference solitude, natural beauty, the means to get away from the day-to-day grind, and other factors that bring people to the BWCA and Quetico. Three friends, Chad Roy, Mike Larson, and Glen Bruchmann, come to the Boundary Waters every year for an extended winter camping trip. They are quick to reference some of these same common threads, but they also know it runs deeper than that. It’s about connection, reflecting on the year gone by, and looking ahead at what’s to come. It’s also a place for processing. Even topics that go beyond general reflection of the day to day of life. It’s a place to process death, and deep loss. In 2022, the group’s dear friend, Tim Lee, passed away. Tim was there when Mike and Glen first started coming to the Boundary Waters as youngsters. Those were family trips. Tim was older by a few years, but he was included in those family adventures, most of which took place on East Pike Lake on the eastern side of the BWCA. In late February and early March 2024, the trio started an annual winter adventure on West Bearskin Lake, crossing the wilderness line as they schlepped over the portage to Duncan Lake in the Mid-Gunflint Trail area. They spent the next six days traveling a collection of border lakes, including Rose and Mountain, and down toward Canoe Lake, and then back out at Daniels nearly a week later. They recorded some of their adventure along the way and share them on this episode of the podcast. To view a map of where the group traveled, click here:https://tinyurl.com/2bc9g9ye

Not every lake in the Boundary Waters has a portage trail leading to its shores. Many of these lakes are gifted with the absence of humans. Similarly, the grueling grind of a long portage can be viewed as an obstacle to prevent some people from traveling deeper into the canoe-country wilderness. Others embrace such portages, knowing fewer people are likely to be on the other side. The next level is to go off the trail completely. Bushwhacking in the Boundary Waters is about going off trail. It’s exploring the unknown. It’s testing the ability to read terrain, maps, and navigate without following a trail. In this episode, M Baxley, Buck Benson, and John Oberholtzer go off-trail in the BWCA. Baxley also talks with Dan Disch, wilderness operations leader for the Tofte Ranger District on Superior National Forest, about the legality of such travel in the wilderness, as well as safety reminders for those who choose to go bushwhacking in the Boundary Waters.

It was a season to remember for most who had the good fortune to go ice staking on a frozen lake in the Boundary Waters this winter. The ice came early, and it stayed clear of snow for many weeks. From November until early January, many lakes across the BWCA were ideal for ice skating. Some of the ice, however, was dangerous. Ice thickness could vary drastically, not just from one lake to the next, but on the same lake. Two Grand Marais residents found out how dangerous the ice can be early in the season across the Boundary Waters. Gwen shares her story about falling through the ice on Kimball Lake up the Gunflint Trail. Braidy Powers shares his story about falling through the ice on Rose Lake in the BWCA. In this episode, we hear their stories.

If we've said it once, we've said it a 1,000 times: Wind is the ultimate game changer on any trip to the Boundary Waters. In the first full-length episode of the podcast, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley navigate the complexities and challenges of wind during any given trip to the canoe-country wilderness. Expert guests, including a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Duluth, and a fisheries biologist from the Department of Natural Resources in Grand Marais, bring science and data into the discussion of how wind can and does impact recreation across the Boundary Waters. We also hear from Omaha Erik Dickes and his son Justin about how wind impacted their late-season canoe trip to the east side of the BWCA. Another guest, Adam Mella from the Tumblehome Podcast, previews the January edition of the Paddle and Portage digital magazine and the feature he wrote about how becoming a father reshaped his connection to the wilderness.

Herb Koenig and Jim Crigler loved to paddle in the Boundary Waters. It was the one place where they felt comfortable talking about their experiences serving as helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War. In this episode, we hear about why the Boundary Waters opened the door for reflection, communication, and adventure for these two veterans. And we do so, with a funeral. This episode is supported by: Solbakken Resort on Superior Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters Bent Paddle Brewing Cascade Vacation Rentals Friends of the Boundary Waters Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

In this episode, Tim and his daughter Sylvie embark on the trip of a lifetime. The crossing of the BWCA from west to east along the voyageur highway is abruptly interrupted by a tragic slip on the Granite River. What unfolds next is a skillful evacuation by fellow paddlers that redeems everyone's belief in the power of human kindness. This episode is sponsored by: Ely Outfitting Company Friends of the Boundary Waters Women's Wilderness Discovery Sawtooth Outfitters Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

Janice Matichuk first set foot on her island in Quetico Provincial Park in 1985. Located near the end of Minnesota’s iconic Gunflint Trail, this remote park is the heart of North America’s “canoe country.” Decades later, and enduring beyond her untimely passing in the summer of 2020, Matichuk’s legacy includes being the longest serving interior ranger in the history of the park. Over the course of three decades, Janice raised two children on the island. She saved the lives of canoeists who tumbled into the frigid border lakes of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Ontario’s Quetico. She had been charged by moose, canoed nearly every inch of the 1.2 million acre park, and watched many young paddlers grow into adults. There are new rangers at Cache Bay. For the second consecutive season, Peter Kranenburg and Stacey Hofer are at the Cache Bay Ranger Station. Tom McCann is a visual artist and cartographer who lives in Grand Marais. Tom, and his wife, Nancy, were longtime friends of Janice Matichuk. Tom, Nancy, and their friend, Bonnie Schudy (who was also friends with Janice for many years), paddled to the island in Cache Bay in July. Following that visit, Tom wrote a letter to Joe Friedrichs, a co-host of the Paddle and Portage Podcast. In this short track, Tom reads the letter that he wrote to Joe from Cache Bay in the summer of 2024.

Dan Cooke was a "mentor's mentor" when it comes to the paddling scene in North America, particularly around the Boundary Waters region. The longtime owner of Cooke Custom Sewing, Dan passed away July 1. A paddle parade was held on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis August 10 to honor the life of Dan Cooke. Stories were shared about Dan’s love of paddling, and in the episode we hear from a number of people who attended the event and participated in the flotilla. We also hear segments from an archived interview with Dan himself in this tribute episode of the podcast. This episode is sponsored by: Loons Nest Coffee Voyageur Canoe Outfitters Bent Paddle Brewing Friends of the Boundary Waters Solbakken on Superior

In life, people tend to get consumed by the concept of how something can be done, without giving thought as to why something should be done. When the Paddle and Portage Podcast first heard about the Boundary Waters paddle known as the Ely Challenge, we were guilty of this notion. We became fixated on the how. The idea for the Ely Challenge is simple: Paddle across Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail to Moose Lake on the Ely side of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Go to Ely and drop a postcard in the mail. And then paddle back to the Gunflint. Do it in less than 24 hours and you "win." There are no prizes. There's no trophy. An overnight paddle across the Boundary Waters without sleeping or stopping to enjoy the experience? Why? On a warm Sunday night at the end of July, two staff members from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters at the end of the Gunflint Trail set out to complete the Ely Challenge. Their names are Jake Weyrauch and Bradley Sage. This is their story. This episode is supported by: Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters Sawbill Canoe Outfitters Friends of the Boundary Waters REDBUDSUDS Sawtooth Outfitters Ely Outfitting Company

Emma Froh is an architect from the Twin Cities. She recently spent a week on Mallard Island, the former home of wilderness advocate and Boundary Waters paddler Ernest Oberholtzer. Emma and two of her colleagues, Mary Springer and Natalya Egon, were staying in what’s known as the Cedarbark House at Mallard Island. The structure used to be a floating brothel on Rainy Lake, before Oberholtzer bought it and stationed it on the edge of the island. Part of the structure still hangs over the edge of the shoreline, so water splashes on and under the building. During the week at Mallard, the sound of splashing water mixed with the calls of birds, the chatter of humans, and the cracking of thunderstorms. In this episode of the podcast, we explore the sounds of Mallard Island. The sounds are shared through stories and human connection to land and water. Also featured in the episode are Tanya Piatz, Bon Mott, Pebaamibines, and Bambi Goodwin. This episode is supported by: Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters Cascade Vacation Rentals Friends of the Boundary Waters Loons Nest Coffee Solbakken on Superior

Rain. It’s marked the start to the paddling season this year across the Boundary Waters. There was so much rain, in fact, that many portages and waterways across the BWCA flooded in late June. Roads near the Boundary Waters, from the Echo Trail to Highway 61, also flooded and were damaged by the heavy rain. In one area of the BWCA, a community formed at the Mudro Entry Point. A tent village, as it goes in the Boundary Waters. The flooding destroyed the nearly 6-mile road leading from the Mudro Entry Point to the Echo Trail. A total of 28 cars were blocked off from the Echo Trail when the road washed out. Among the people were stranded were Kaethe and Josh Boutelle, from Rochester, Minn. They share their story with us on this episode, along with Mark Kaesmeyer, his son Jared, his friend Tony, and Tony’s son Sam. Five groups ended up at the entry point the night of June 19 and through most of the following day, they explained. A total of 14 people (and one dog) stayed the night in the parking lot. They shared food, told stories, played cards, and did what people do in a community: They rallied together. We also hear from Ely resident Eric Glasson, who was fishing in the Boundary Waters when the storms rolled in. Sponsors for this episode include: Voyageur Canoe Outfitters Sawtooth Outfitters MNZ Gear Friends of the Boundary Waters Bent Paddle Brewing Company Ely Outfitting Company

We all have to start somewhere. Even Sigurd Olson had to be shown how to paddle and portage a canoe at some point. We share stories in this episode about people taking their first trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We hear from Bob Carlson, who took a group of young paddlers on the Frost River in the BWCA this spring during a multi-day paddling adventure. We also hear from Mary Ellen Ashcroft and Angelina Elido. Mary Ellen was introduced to Angelina via Linda Newman, a resident of the Arrowhead Trail on the edge of the Boundary Waters. Mary Ellen is a guide with more than 30 years of experience paddling the BWCA. She took Angelina on her first ever canoe trip this year. There is a right of passage involved with paddling the Boundary Waters. And that journey starts here, one paddle stroke at a time. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: --Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters --Sven-Saw --REDBUDSUDS --Solbakken Resort on Superior

Not everything about winter camping is pleasant. It can be cold, windy, and basically one giant bundle of brutal. Other parts can be, and often are, magic. Sunsets. Solitude. Adventure.

The Winter Camping Symposium is a gathering to celebrate the arrival of winter and the gear that allows us to embrace the cold months in places like the Boundary Waters. The annual event celebrated its 25th year in 2024. 

Some of the Paddle and Portage team were on site for the event this year. They share stories that show the event is very similar to winter camping: It's beautiful, and it's not immune from the complexities of human interactions and experiences.

This episode of the podcast is supported by:

Voyageur Canoe Outfitters 

Loons Nest Coffee

Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply 

 

The U.S. Forest Service is facing a budget cut for 2025. 

Looking ahead to the 2025 paddling season, if some of the seasonal backcountry staff are absent from the BWCA Wilderness it could dramatically impact the visitor experience, Forest Supervisor Tom Hall acknowledged during a recent public meeting in Grand Marais. 

“How do we make sure that we’re doing the right thing out on the land, in the Boundary Waters, with digging latrines and cleaning portages and any of those other sorts of services?” Hall said. “And so how do we meet those critical needs, knowing that we don’t want to close the Boundary Waters?”

Hall and the Forest Service on Superior National Forest hosted an open house at the Tofte Ranger Station Oct. 30 to discuss this and other topics relevant to the Boundary Waters and surrounding area. Paddle and Portage attended the event and shares this update on what the budget cuts for the Forest Service could mean for the next paddling season. 

This news update on the podcast is supported by Solbakken on Superior and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. 

The Winter Camping Symposium is a gathering to celebrate the arrival of winter and the gear that allows us to embrace the cold months in places like the Boundary Waters.    The Paddle and Portage team attended the 2024 winter camping celebration near Moose Lake. We’ll be sharing stories from and about the event in the next full episode of the podcast.    In this short track from The Road, we hear about a busy weekend of travel for the podcast duo. Stops along the way include a visit with Baihly from WDIO TV in Duluth, a few days at the winter camping fest, an incredible breakfast diner in Moose Lake, and a visit with Dave and Amy Freeman at an event at Bent Paddle Brewing Company in Duluth to conclude the adventure. 

In this update from the road, we hear about a tour Bear Paulsen and Joe Friedrichs took of the Bending Branches facility in Wisconsin, share audio from an event for Last Entry Point at Fitger's where Rick Slatten and members of Mark Ham's family spoke, and M Baxley brings us an update from Emily Ford. 

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

Bent Paddling Brewing Company

Solbakken on Superior 

 

After a week of questioning from members of the press, Congressional staff, business owners, and people who are feeling left in the dark, Canadian officials are still being vague when it comes to the future of the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program.

Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, told Paddle and Portage Nov. 19 that the Canadian agency “regularly assesses its programs to respond to current service needs and evolving trends.”

Part of assessing the current status of RABC permits includes dynamics focused on “ensuring the safety, security, and prosperity of Canada.”

With nothing in the way of a public announcement, the Canadian government in late September “paused the processing of new and renewal applications” for the RABC program that allows travelers to cross into certain remote parts of the Boundary Waters region. The podcast duo analyze the latest on the situation in this episode of the podcast. 

Also discussed in the episode is Canoecopia 2025. Tickets should be booked now for the largest paddling expo in North America. 

The Minnesota DNR has been using motors inside the federally protected BWCA Wilderness for many decades. The uses of motors range from the stocking of fish by airplane to the studying of fish populations using boats and nets on the many scattered lakes across the Boundary Waters. The DNR is allowed to use motors in the nation’s most visited wilderness. This permission comes from the U.S. Forest Service.

In this episode, we hear from DNR and Forest Service officials about the use of motorboats in the Boundary Waters, and how the research impacts things like wilderness character and the user experience for those visiting the canoe-country. 

 

This episode is supported by:

Sawtooth Outfitters

Ely Outfitting Company

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

Amy and Dave Freeman are widely recognized for their dedication and passion for the Boundary Waters, including their book "A Year in the Wilderness."

Amy and Dave have a new book, "North American Odyssey." 

To kick off Season Two of the Paddle and Portage Podcast, we hear from Amy and Dave about how their travels across the continent continue to be anchored, in part, in the Boundary Waters. 

This episode is sponsored by:

Cascade Vacation Rentals

Canoecopia

Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters 

The trout opener for lakes entirely within the BWCA Wilderness begins Wednesday, Jan. 1. During the 2024 legislative session, state law was changed to move the start date for the ice fishing season to Jan. 1. Lakes outside the wilderness will continue to open on a Saturday later in the month, typically two weeks after the BWCA Wilderness opener. With the change in state law, that gap between the two openers is fluid, and could grow in length over time depending on what day of the week the wilderness opener falls on.

Paddle and Portage reported on this change earlier in the year, though with the opener drawing close, local conservation officers and others from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are reminding people about the change.

“Go with what the (regulation) book says,” said Hudson Ledeen, a DNR conservation officer based in Cook County.

In this episode, we talk with Ledeen about the 2025 trout opener and upcoming ice fishing season for lakes in the BWCA Wilderness. 

Minnesota officials and some Boundary Waters enthusiasts are celebrating the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, or EXPLORE Act.

The final package of the EXPLORE Act includes more than a dozen policy measures aimed at supporting outdoor recreation on public lands, including Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Among other things, the bill would remove some of the permits required for filmmakers and photographers who take pictures and video on public land, including Superior National Forest, while reducing barriers for those who want to share stories, images, and video from the nation's most visited wilderness area.

In this episode, we hear from Cook County photographer Bryan Hansel about the photography and filming aspects of the EXPLORE Act. We also hear a quick update from the DNR about the upcoming trout fishing season in the BWCA Wilderness (Listen to the separate, full episode for more on the trout opener). 

In this episode we travel with Duluth based writer Ryan Rodgers to Pine Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Rodgers recently wrote an article in the Boundary Waters Journal about the life of Frank Kugler, an Austrian immigrant who was tried in Cook County for murder in 1919. Kugler shot a man named John Doe on Pine Lake that year, though he claimed the act was justified. 

We set out to visit the Kugler homestead to learn more about the tremendous saga of his life and times in and around the Boundary Waters. Ultimately, we learned more about Rodgers and what motivates him to write about the Boundary Waters and stories of violence, history, and redemption, than we did about Kugler himself. 

This episode is sponsored by:

Loons Nest Coffee

Sawtooth Outfitters

In this news track of the podcast, we hear an update on the "pause" of the Remote Area Border Crossing Program. Donny and Lisa Sorlie, owners of Chippewa Inn on the Canadian side of Saganaga Lake, stopped by the P&P headquarters in Grand Marais to share an update. Also stopping by to explain how the RABC situation is impacting him is Cook County resident Darin Fagerman. 

Also in the short track, we hear from Grand Marais resident David Welch. An avid Boundary Waters skater, Welch engineered an ice skateboard and a social media post created by M Baxley and Bear Witness Media is generating a lot of buzz online. 

This episode is sponsored by: 

REDBUDSUDS

Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Though winter is an amazing time to travel across the (frozen) Boundary Waters, a simple fact needs to be considered at all times: No ice is safe ice. At the very least, ice is extremely unpredictable. 

In this episode, we hear from Eric Glasson, LynnAnne Vesper, Pete Brautigam, and John Downing. They all have experience being on Boundary Waters ice. Perhaps more importantly, they share personal stories and facts about why people break through the ice.

This episode is supported by:

Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

Bent Paddle Brewing Company

Save the Boundary Waters Campaign

Canoecopia

Ely Outfitting Company

The idea came to Robert Barrett after skiing up the Gunflint Trail, just days after the passing of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29. 

There are two Caribou lakes near the Gunflint Trail. One near Clearwater Lake, another near Poplar Lake. Both are in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and found in the Mid-Gunflint Trail area. 

Given their proximity, why not rename one of the lakes to honor Carter? It was Carter, after all, who signed the 1978 BWCA Wilderness Act into law. Barrett had this idea and sent it to the team at Paddle and Portage. It turns out, the notion is not without precedent. And there is a process to change a lake name in Minnesota. Listen to this episode to find out the details. 

This episode is sponsored by: Sawbill Canoe Outfitters

Erin Walker and her husband, Jon, have been hot tent winter camping for the past six winters together, often documenting their adventures on the Lost Lakes YouTube channel. In her most recent article for Paddle and Portage, Erin shares insight on how to select a campsite in the winter months, and what it's like sleeping in an igloo on the ice.

In this episode of the podcast, Erin talks about her upcoming Canoecopia presentation with the Paddle and Portage Podcast team, her love of winter, and her audition tape for Survivor.

This episode is supported by the SavetheBoundaryWaters and SawtoothOutfitters ​

Canoecopia is the largest paddling expo in North America. The annual event takes place March 7-9 in 2025 in Madison, Wisc. Paddle and Portage Podcast host Joe Friedrichs sat down with Darren Bush, the founder of Canoecopia, to discuss the history and future of the event, as well as what to expect in 2025.

This episode is sponsored by:

Voyageurs Canoe Outfitters

Loons Nest Coffee

Ely Outfitting Company 

More people canceled a permit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2023 than ever before, according to a recent report from the U.S. Forest Service.

“Cancellations have more than doubled in five years, suggesting that BWCAW visitors continue to reserve more permits than they can use,” the report states.

Some outfitters and paddlers say the process the Forest Service uses for people to book permits is to blame, at least in part, for the record number of cancellations.

The quota permit season runs from May 1 to Sept. 30. The permits are required for overnight trips only. Day-use permits do not need to be booked in advance.

The permits are available in late January each year for the quota season ahead. Permits go live at 9 a.m. on Jan. 29 this year, for example. Most visitors to the BWCA Wilderness book their early reservations online.

In this episode of the podcast, we hear from John Schiefelbein at North Country Outfitters near Ely about his take on the “go live” format for opening day of permit availability. John submitted a document to the Forest Service in 2023 making suggestions on how to potentially improve the rollout and distribution of permits for the nation’s most visited wilderness.

This episode is sponsored by:

Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Borderland Lodge

 

The U.S. Forest Service planned to host two meetings this week that would have allowed the public to provide feedback and learn more about a largescale project aimed to restore "ecological balance" to an area near Ely and the Boundary Waters.

Those meetings, scheduled for Feb. 4 and 5, were cancelled. 

The cancellations were tied, at least in part, to ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to shrink various parts of the federal government, including the U.S. Forest Service. 

In this episode of the podcast, we analyze recent reporting we've done about ongoing efforts to get federal employees to resign in an attempt to shrink the size of government. We also hear from WaterLegacy Executive Director Paula Maccabee about environmental issues and the regulatory industry in the revisited era of Trump, as well as the Walz administration in Minnesota.

This episode of the podcast is supported by Ely Outfitting Company. 

Photo courtesy of Superior National Forest. 

 

Sometimes you end up in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

In this episode of the podcast, the bulk of which was recorded in the Minnesota capital, we hear from Dan Johnson, the founder of BWCA Wild. Dan films the portages in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. As of February 2025, he's about a third of the way done filming all of the portages. We met up with Dan to talk about his trip reports, videos, and travels in the Boundary Waters. 

Joining the conversation is Scottie Baldwin. Scottie is a sound engineer. He's worked with artists ranging from Prince to the biggest pop starts in China. Through it all, the Boundary Waters has been a place of solace for Scottie. As has our podcast. In the episode, Scottie shares why he didn't book a single permit on "go live" day this year. Hint: It's because of a story he heard on this podcast. 

This episode is sponsored by:

Borderland Lodge

Canoecopia

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness 

 

Kelcy Huston grew up splashing in the creeks and rivers along Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior. She moved out West as a young adult, working a number of outdoor jobs for state and federal agencies. It was a job based near the Lochsa River in Idaho Huston discovered a passion for whitewater paddling. This passion would lead her to some some of the best paddling destinations across the nation, including multiple trips down the Grand Canyon. 

Kelcy moved back to Minnesota recently to be closer to family. The Paddle and Portage team heard about Kelcy and paddling adventures through her father, Pat. We also heard about another family member that make this story one podcast listeners won't soon forget. 

This episode is sponsored by: 

Borderland Lodge 

Loons Nest Coffee 

There was a report from the Star Tribune this week that the Gunflint Ranger Station in Grand Marais “has no employees.” The Paddle and Portage Podcast team went to the office Feb. 20 and found it was open and there were people at the front desk.

In this news update on the podcast, we talk about Trump administration’s deferred resignation program for federal employees. The offer, commonly referred to as “Fork in the Road,” has now expired. Following its expiration, multiple Forest Service employees who work on Superior National Forest were let go, sources confirmed with Paddle and Portage. The podcast team attended a community rally in Ely Feb. 15 that was, at least in part, to show support for the Forest Service employees.

Also discussed in this episode are tangible impacts happening now in the BWCA as a result of the staff reductions. One noticeable impact is a lack of day-use/non-quota season permits being available at kiosks on the Gunflint Trail. Not having a permit while a person is in the BWCA Wilderness is against the law. Though, who is accountable if there are no permits in the kiosks? All of this and more discussed on this news update on the podcast.

Ella Hall is buried in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A grave on a small island located on a lake bearing her name is not something most BWCA paddlers are aware of, let alone come across. 

In this episode, we share the story of Ella Hall. We do so with the help of the late Mike Hillman, an iconic storyteller who lived for many years in and around Ely. Known locally as “Iron Mike,” he wrote and published many stories about the Boundary Waters region. One of the stories he wrote was titled “Legend of the Lost Girl: A Boundary Waters Story.” In his story, which was never published, Mike Hillman writes about life and death of Ella Hall. Thanks to White Raven Productions and Allison Hillman, Mike's daughter, for making this episode possible. 

This episode is sponsored by Cascade Vacation Rentals.

It's been a cold winter across the Boundary Waters region. Damn cold, in fact. 

Temperatures hit -30 Fahrenheit from the Gunflint Trail to areas near Ely in the middle of February. Double-digit negative temperatures have become something of the norm this winter, dating back to the Jan. 1 trout opener in the BWCA Wilderness. 

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about what ice thickness means for anglers and winter campers for the remainder of the season. One consideration is that auger extensions will become essential in many cases, as Chad Kieper from Gunflint Wilderness Guide Service shares with the podcast team. 

This episode is supported by Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters

Canoecopia 2025 found itself in the middle of a news story. As Canadian paddlers and businesses arrived to Madison, Wisc., for the world's largest paddling expo, talks of tariffs and political tension between the U.S. and Canada dominated news headlines across both nations. This simmering unfolded in multiple ways at Canoecopia, both ahead of and during the event. Rising above any tension was unity. And that unity comes from paddling, as event organizers share in the podcast. 

Also featured in this episode, recorded entirely at Canoecopia 2025, is a highlight on paddler and author Cliff Jacobson. This year's expo was Cliff's final as a presenter, something he has done for decades at the annual event. Cliff spoke with the Paddle and Portage Podcast just before his presentation, titled "My Last Picture Show: Remembering a Lifetime of Canoeing Wild Rivers." 

This episode is sponsored by: 

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness 

Women's Wilderness Discovery

Special thanks to Canoecopia and Rutabaga Paddlesports for making this episode possible. 

Whitewater is a powerful force. It's often destructive, drastically changing entire landscapes. It can also be a place of both play and healing. For Jordan Taylor, a 30-year whitewater paddling instructor, it has been both destructive and healing. Join the Paddle and Portage Podcast team as they travel to Wisconsin's Wolf River and beyond to tell the story. 

This episode is sponsored by: 

Borderland Lodge on the Gunflint Trail

Friends of the Boundary Waters

Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is highlighted on a map of possible places for “increasing timber production” that was shared by federal officials in Washington D.C. last week.

The order, signed April 3 by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, declares an emergency on more than 176,000 miles of national forest. The order calls for logging in order to increase timber production and reduce the risks associated with wildfires.

The map accompanying the announcement clearly shows the emergency order applies to land protected as federally-designated wilderness across the nation, including the BWCA here in Minnesota. That said, the Forest Service informed Bloomberg Law that it logging won’t take place inside wilderness areas as part of the order.

In related news, an expected loss of timber products is due to the highly-publicized tariff war between the U.S. and Canada. 

The Paddle and Portage Podcast team speaks on these topics in this news track.

Canadian helicopters and drones are flying over the lakes of the Boundary Waters with greater frequency as the 2025 paddling season nears. 

From Lake Superior to the far western edge of the Boundary Waters near Ely, reports of sightings of drones and helicopters flying just above the tree line continue to reach the Paddle and Portage Podcast team.

Part of the podcast team traveled to Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail in late March to check out the situation. We traveled to Quetico Provincial Park via Cache Bay with property owners on the Canadian side of Sag, using our recently renewed RABC permit in the process. 

This episode is supported by: 

Solbakken Resort on Superior

Save the Boundary Waters

Sawtooth Outfitters

Maddy Frawley is a fixture at the end of the Gunflint Trail. For the past decade, she's worked at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, including the past three as a manager on site. Maddy, along with her partner, Clay, won't be around this paddling season, as they are moving to the Twin Cities in the months ahead.

Maddy stopped by the Paddle and Portage headquarters in Grand Marais to discuss Trail life, living and working at the end of the Gunflint, and why she is moving on to her next chapter.

This episode is supported by:

Bending Branches Canoe and Kayak Paddles

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters

The Paddle and Portage team is constantly taking inspiration and motivation from wilderness. The act of regularly getting out not only inspires the work, but actually is the work itself. It is both the goal and the path to the goal. In this episode, we support this notion through the stories of Oregon Bill Busacker, Cousin Jeff Frawley, Emma Froh, and Natalya Egon. 

This episode sponsored by: 

North Country Canoe Outfitters

Ely Outfitting Company

Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters

 

Resignations. Terminations. Confusion. Reductions. Limitations.  

These are all themes the U.S. Forest Service is seeing and facing on a routine basis as the 2025 paddling season arrives to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 

In this episode, we hear from Barb Soderberg. Soderberg's career with the Forest Service started in 1967 on Superior National Forest, and she was intricately involved with crafting the 1978 BWCA Wilderness Act. She retired from the Forest Service in 2007. Soderberg is speaking out for what she views as the dismantling of the Forest Service at this time. She spoke with P&P Podcast team in Ely, and again at a rally in Duluth May 9 outside the Forest Supervisor's office and the Superior National Forest headquarters. We also hear from former Superior National Forest Supervisors Connie Cummins and Brenda Halter, who were also present at the rally in Duluth. 

This episode details what staffing cuts, budget woes, and other challenges facing the Forest Service will mean for the upcoming paddling season in the BWCA. 

This episode is made possible with generous support from all of our sponsors. They include: Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters, Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, North Country Canoe Outfitters, Northstar Canoes, Cascade Vacation Rentals, Save the Boundary Waters, Bending Branches, Solbakken Resort on Superior, Sawtooth Outfitters, Borderland Lodge, Voyageurs Canoe Outfitters, Northern Goods, Women's Wilderness Discovery, Cooke Custom Sewing, Loons Nest, Ely Outfitting Company, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center. 

The Hudson Bay Girls is an all-female canoe team paddling a historic Voyageur Fur Trading Route in 2025. The expedition will take them on a 1,200-mile journey from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, Canada. Along the way, they will share their story to raise awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship, outdoor education, and gender equality in outdoor spaces. This video episode of the podcast was recorded at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisc. This episode is supported by Northstar Canoes and Borderland Lodge.

Most people come to the Boundary Waters to engage with wilderness. Solitude. Peace. Escape. These are sentiments commonly shared by the more than 125,000 people who come to the BWCA each year. And while some people come to fish, not everyone does. Regardless of one's interest in angling, this episode gets into the science (and ethics) of why it's good to release the larger fish one catches in the Boundary Waters and beyond. 

Support for this episode comes from Cascade Vacation Rentals, North Country Outfitters, and Bending Branches.

The Hungry Hunter YouTube channel features outdoor adventure from the Boundary Waters and other places in the Upper Midwest. In this episode of the podcast, we learn what makes the channel's founder and content creator, Tom, click. Hint: He worked as a fishmonger for most of his life. 

This episode is supported by Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and Cooke Custom Sewing. 

Watch the full interview on the P&P YouTube Channel. 

Pete Marshall and Dave Meier are friends of the Boundary Waters, and they happen to work for an organization named Friends of the Boundary Waters. In this interview, which was recorded at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisc., in spring 2025, Pete and Dave talk with Joe from the Paddle and Portage Podcast about paddling the BWCA, the political climate as it relates to wilderness recreation, and what trips are on the books for the paddling season ahead.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

Loons Nest Coffee

Women's Wilderness Discovery

Ely Outfitting Company