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PODCAST

Paddle and Portage Podcast

Paddle and Portage Podcast

This podcast is produced by people who live near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. It is the source for storytelling, news, and information about the canoe-country wilderness and other paddling destinations across North America. All music on this podcast, unless credited otherwise, comes from Ian Tamblyn and the Blue Dot Sessions.

sports wilderness

All Episodes

34:43

Minnesota Paddler Ventures West and Then Comes Back Home

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/03/01

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

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27:15

Gunflint Ranger Station Staffing and Ely Rally News...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/02/20

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

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24:20

The Mystery of Ella Hall: A Boundary Waters Story

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/02/17

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

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18:35

Ice Thickness Update From the Boundary Waters

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/02/14

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

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39:52

BWCA Wild and Scottie Baldwin on Why the Boundary...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/02/07

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

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34:53

Forest Service Cancels Public Meetings As Unique...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/02/04

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

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42:52

Erin Walker Talks Survivor, Winter Camping, and Lost...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/01/30

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

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59:16

Talking Paddling and Canoecopia with Darren Bush

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/01/19

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

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30:35

BWCA Wilderness Permits: Opening Day Analysis

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/01/12

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

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26:38

Renaming BWCA Lake to Honor Former President Jimmy...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/01/06

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

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31:12

Amy and Dave Freeman on Their North American Odyssey

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2025/01/04

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

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24:37

Read the Book: A Boundary Waters Trout Opener...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/12/28

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

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31:32

EXPLORE Act Implications for the Boundary Waters:...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/12/28

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

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28:28

The Epic Saga of Frank Kugler on Pine Lake

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/12/17

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

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17:40

News Short Track: Ice Skateboard and RABC Update...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/12/11

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

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30:12

Boundary Waters Winter Travel: No Ice is Safe Ice

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/12/08

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

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35:03

Motor Use to Study Fish in the BWCA Wilderness

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/11/23

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

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19:03

Short Track News Update: RABC Permits

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/11/20

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

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38:48

Updates From The Road: Bending Branches Tour, Book...

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/11/18

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

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31:30

Winter Camping Truths Amid Celebration

Paddle and Portage Podcast ·

2024/11/05

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

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99 results

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