WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

Cory Dack has nearly 20 years of experience in wild places, including 17 years as a canoe guide in the BWCAW. Host Lindsey Gau talks with Cory about de-colonizing outdoor spaces, empowering youth to love the wilderness, social justice and the commonalities between "wilderness medicine" and "street medicine." Cory also shares some of the lessons learned about community building, and friendship on her seven-month through-paddle on the Mississippi River, from the headwaters to the ocean. Plus, a new segment of "Keep it Wild," about being bear-aware in the Boundary Waters. The Boundary Waters Podcast is funded in part by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

The Boundary Waters Podcast attended Canoecopia in early March where we were able to connect with over 30 Wilderness travelers who shared stories and travel tips with us. In this episode we hear from four: Jolene Metcalf, Seth Taft, Gillian Fitzgerald and Monica Cofell. Thanks for traveling along with us! There is also a new segment of "Keep it Wild" about planning your early spring adventure in the BWCAW. Plus, a bonus from the archives! Photo courtesy of Seth Taft.

Over the summer of 2023 Aurora Gallagher spent 16 days canoeing and camping in Quetico Provincial Park as part of a YMCA Camp Menogyn trip. Aurora shares what the experience was like, from one week in, then two weeks, and finally how it felt to return home. It's all here--complete with foraging, fishing, traversing over multiple beaver dams, making blueberry crisp and all of the lessons learned along the way. Plus a new segment of Keep it Wild, our monthly check-in with the US Forest Service. This month's topics are augers in the Wilderness and summer jobs in the BWCAW. (Photo by Kian McDonough, 2023)

The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast talks with Megan McClanahan of the US Forest Service about "Leave No Trace" principles in the winter. She covers the "dos" and "don'ts" of winter camping in the BWCAW, including harvesting firewood, where to build a fire, and what to do if you find a mess that someone else has left behind. "Keep it Wild" can be heard monthly as part of the Boundary Waters Podcast. (Photos courtesy of USDA Forest Service, Superior NF)

This episode is built on the connection between wolves and wilderness. Featuring Ellen Hawkins, a North Shore resident who had an extraordinary wolf encounter in 1985, that has shaped the way she thinks about wolves, wilderness and humans too. After Ellen's story about "the wolf in the window," Giselle Narvaez Rivera from the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN offers some perspective on wolf-human interaction, based on the work being done at the Center to educate others about the lives, behaviors and history of wild wolves. We also have a fresh segment of "Keep it Wild," our monthly check-in with the U.S. Forest Service. The topic of discussion is "Leave No Trace" principles in the winter season, when everything is covered in snow and ice. Photo of a timber wolf near the Sawbill Trail in Tofte, by Clare Shirley.

Catch this timely interview with Maggie Whiting, a USFS information specialist, who tells us everything we need to know ahead of the January 31st "Go Live" start of the BWCAW permit season. She covers all the details to make your permit reservation experience go as smoothly as possible. Photo courtesy of Barb LaVigne, 2024

In this very special, one-hour episode, you'll meet Lindsey Gau and Bill Hansen, part of our new, rotating crew of podcast hosts. They each share memories from formative canoe trips--both were 15 years old, and included travels with life-long friends. And WTIP introduces a new podcast feature called "Keep it Wild," a conversation with a USFS Wilderness Lead about all things wild. We also say "see you out there" to Joe Friedrichs and M. Baxley, the founders of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast, who in this episode give their parting words, and share interview segments with Emily Ford, Bear Paulsen and Michelle Kwan about connecting to the outdoors. And finally, there's a look back to Christmas 2015 with Dave and Amy Freeman, Ely Wilderness Adventurers who spent Christmas in the BWCAW, complete with cookies and ice luminaries. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Gau)

In this debut segment of "Keep it Wild," USFS Wilderness Operations Lead Megan McClanahan discusses early winter adventuring in the BWCAW, including monitoring the fast-changing ice conditions, preparing for your skating or fishing trip and why it's nice to fill out a self-issue permit before you go. "Keep it Wild" is a new Boundary Waters Podcast special feature! Pictured: Ice safety gear, modeled by Ada Igoe of Tuscarora Lodge & Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail

It's the second duck hunting trip featured on the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Podcast friends Dean and Baylee share information about how to successfully hunt waterfowl in the BWCA in this episode. They also paddle alongside Joe and Matthew during an October hunt in 2023. Ducks were found, stories were shared, and the notion of a "mentor in the BWCA waterfowl hunting world" emerged on a crisp autumn day in the wilderness.

It's been a journey. 100 episodes. In this milestone episode, it goes back to the beginning, with Gaby, the German paddler who was featured on Episode One of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Over the past 100 episodes, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley have learned so much about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. This learning has come, largely, through the stories shared by those who've appeared on the podcast. That learning continues in a deep way with Gaby's return to the podcast. Also featured in this episode is Rick Slatten, the captain of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. Slatten also appeared on Episode 91 of the podcast, talking with Joe about a capsizing event from May 2023 where the podcast duo faced their most intense experience in the BWCA. Other voices familiar to podcast listeners appear in this episode, including Bear Paulsen, Kevin "The Kman" Kramer, Jana Berka, Aubrey Helmuth Miller, Erik Dickes, Dave Freeman, Shug the Hammock Camper, Josh and Kaylan Dix, Adam Mella, Jason Zabokrtsky, and Ian Tamblyn.

Life can be hard. It's almost always busy. There are responsibilities, tasks, and to-do lists abundant. Anyone who listens to this podcast regularly understands the BWCA offers a relief from these burdens with the anticipation of a profound connection with the real world that wilderness offers. Heath Larson takes on an incredible 6-day solo journey through the wilderness for his second Boundary Waters trip ever. His goal, to explain why this place has captivated his attention in such a profound way. Follow along on his journey, insights and reflections in episode 99 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast.

Ernest Oberholtzer is a name that will forever be connected to the Boundary Waters. And yet, far too many paddlers of the canoe-country know neither his story nor his legacy of wilderness protection. Oberholtzer, more commonly known as 'Ober,' first arrived to the Boundary Waters region in 1909 during a college trip to the North Woods. Three years later, an Anishinaabe canoe guide, Billy Magee, traveled with Ober on a canoe journey across Canada. The trip cemented a place in Ober's mind about the power and importance of water and healthy forests. Rainy Lake is located on the far northwestern side of the Boundary Waters region, about 100 miles from Ely. Oberholtzer lived on Mallard Island in Rainy Lake for most of his adult life. These days, Mallard Island is the base of operations for the Oberholtzer Foundation. Each summer, artists, Boundary Waters enthusiasts, and people who appreciate the legacy of Ober, come to gather, create, and connect. Podcast Host Joe Friedrichs was among those who came to Mallard Island in the summer of 2023, as we learn in this episode. Featured in the episode are Rebecca Otto, the executive director of the Oberholtzer Foundation, and Tanya Piatz, a Minnesota artist and birder. Follow the link below to learn more about the Oberholtzer Foundation. https://eober.org

There are new rangers at the Cache Bay Ranger Station in Quetico Provincial Park. For the first time since the passing of Janice Matichuk, the new rangers could become something of a fixture on what is known as Her Island. Matichuk, the longest serving ranger in the history of Quetico, passed away in August 2020. The new rangers are Peter Kranenburg and Stacey Hofer. Both in their late 30s, the young couple celebrated their first year at Cache Bay this summer. They also got married in July, making for a summer Peter and Stacey say they will never forget. Their plan, Peter and Stacey say, is to return to Cache Bay for years to come. The Boundary Waters podcast duo, Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs, visited the Cache Bay Ranger Station in August 2023. They share a full report in this episode.

The Paddler Profile Series continues on the podcast with the inspiring story of one incredible human's walk across the wilderness. From a boy in Iowa to an adventurer in Ely, this is as much about life's journey as it is about a journey through the woods. And swimming the lakes, in October. In this installment of the Paddler Profile Series of the Boundary Waters Podcast, we learn more about Jason Zabokrtsky from Ely Outfitting Company.

There are unexplainable things that can happen to people in the Boundary Waters. Strange energy. Powerful feelings that someone, or something is nearby. One campsite, located on an island on Tuscarora Lake, is occasionally referenced when this discussion surfaces. It was here, in May 2020, that a young man from Indiana died after their canoe capsized. Others have reported strange energy at the island, in fact leaving the campsite to travel on before the campers spent a night on the island. In this episode, Matthew and Joe travel to this island on Tuscarora Lake. At the island they met Thang Huynh. Thang, his family, and others, were camped on the island in late July. They shared their experience with the podcast duo. Also featured in this episode is Nataly Yokhanis, Billy Cameron's girlfriend up until his passing in 2020. We also hear from Shy-Anne Hovorka, an Indigenous musician, songwriter, and educator who lives in Canada near Lake Superior.

The Barefoot Paddler returns to the podcast, this time to share stories of walking every portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Mark Zimmer, more commonly referred to as the Barefoot Paddler, took several years to walk every maintained portage in the BWCA. He tracked his steps and created a map of the portages. He intends to offer this digital map to the paddling community in the near future. Also featured in this episode is co-host Joe Friedrichs sharing an experience from the wilderness on the tail-end of a bout with COVID. The wilderness doesn't cure everything, but it can add some perspective on the journey, as Joe and Matthew Baxley discuss throughout the episode.

For many paddlers, the BWCA is the ultimate destination for all trips. For others, its the training ground for trips further north. Maddy and Cory, two sisters, grew up on the edge of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Both eventually found themselves paddling further north in Canada, though took very different paths to get there. Outdoor writer, Sam Cook, returns to share stories of his own travels into far northern territories. Get inspired and pick up some tips while following along on these tails of adventure.

A large section of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will be closed near the end of the Gunflint Trail due to the ongoing threat from an active wildfire. The closure area will include an area west of the Gunflint Trail. Lakes and campsites included in the closure are Ogishkemuncie Lake, sections of Knife Lake, Ottertrack Lake, Jasper Lake, Kekekabic Lake, Spice Lake, Hanson Lake, and Ester Lake, among many others (see map above). Day-trip paddling and overnight camping is currently prohibited in the closure area. The Kekekabic Trail is also closed at this time. Approximately 80 campsites are off-limits in the BWCA as a result of the fire and subsequent closure area. The closure went into effect Friday, June 16. There is also a campfire ban in effect for the BWCA at this time. Learn all the details in this short track of the podcast.

It's all about hammocks in Episode 92. Back to share stories and information and hammocks and hammock camping in the Boundary Waters is none other than Shug. Well known for his YouTube channel and extensive hammock-camping adventures in the BWCA and along the Superior Hiking Trail, Shug shares information about Superior Gear hammocks, along with tips of the trade for hammocks in the BWCA. Also featured is Kevin "The K-man" Kramer, an experienced Boundary Waters paddler who ditched his tent years ago in exchange for a hammock.

Episode 90 proved to be a pivotal moment in the history of the podcast. A capsized canoe on the Temperance River in the BWCA just days after ice out led to a memorable story that was shared by the four members of the trip: Matthew Baxley, Kevin "The K-Man" Kramer, Omaha Erik Dickes, and Joe Friedrichs. In this episode, we learn more about the experience, including some lessons learned. St. Louis County Rescue Squad Captain Rick Slatten also shares perspective on the situation, specifically about Friedrichs getting pinned behind a white pine in the river after the capsizing event. This episode also features supplemental commentary from the K-man about his family's reaction to the experience, and there's some bonus audio from around a BWCA campfire just days after the canoe capsized on the Temperance River.