Paddle and Portage Podcast

Jenna Ladowski is a firefighter who lives near Fort Collins, Colorado. She was recently on a nearly week-long trip to the Boundary Waters with Mona Gauthier, who we featured in an episode of the podcast about her epic solo trip across the border lakes. Mona and Jenna were part of a group of nine women who Mona led into the BWCA Wilderness in September 2026. The group paddled in the area that burned in the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011. Mona intentionally chose that route so the firefighters, both urban and wildland firefighters, could see the role fire plays in the Boundary Waters. She chose that route before the fires this summer. During the peak of the closure of the BWCA and the fires this summer, it was hard to think about the benefits of fire in the boreal forest here in the Boundary Waters, but there’s starting to be some of that now, with the reopening of the wilderness and paddlers back on the water and businesses running again, and things feeling more normal as we move deeper into fall. The U.S. Forest Service recently led Paddle & Portage and other media from across Minnesota on a tour of this summer's wildfires.  This episode is supported by Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles, Ely Outfitting Company, Loons Nest Coffee, and Sawtooth Outfitters. 

Mining near the Boundary Waters is in the political spotlight this month as a pair of political forums take place in Ely. The first took place Wednesday, Sept. 2 on the college campus in Ely. It featured state Sen. Grant Hauschild and Republican challenger Andrea Zupancich, a realtor in the Ely area and the current mayor of nearby Babbitt. Also participating in the forum was incumbent state Rep. Roger Skraba and DFL challenger Aaron Kania, a former U.S. Forest Service district ranger in Ely. A separate event featuring candidates running for the Ely City Council will take place next week at the same venue. That event is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10. In this issue of the podcast, we narrow the complexity of the political landscape near the Boundary Waters, including the local level in Ely. Featured in this episode are Skraba and Kania, along with Ely City Council candidates Heidi Omerza and Emily Roose. Omerza and Roose are running for mayor this year and are both currently on the council, with Omerza serving as the current mayor of Ely. Also featured in the episode is city council candidate Abby Dare, as well as Ely business owner Sarah Vogl. This episode is supported by Tex’s Riverways and Borderland Lodge.

The Paddle & Portage Podcast duo share updates on some recent BWCA and Lake Superior adventures, and Erin Walker drops in to share the details of her upcoming series about women who paddle and adventure outdoors.  Erin also shares the recap of her and Jon's recent encounter with a grizzly bear while canoeing in the Northwest Territories.  Also featured is a cameo by an old friend of the podcast, one we know by name.  This episode of the podcast is supported by Sawbill Canoe Outfitters and Borderland Lodge. 

A mine in the BWCA...The mere mention of such a thing in 2026 sends fear up the spine of many paddlers.  That being the case, there is an old mine in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In this episode, Duluth writer Ryan Rodgers and the podcast team take you there.  Go here to learn more about the history of the old mine in the BWCA: paddleandportage.com This episode is supported by Loons Nest Coffee, Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles, and Williams & Hall Outfitters.  Listen to this story from a previous adventure with Rodgers: 

After weeks of disruption and uncertainty, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is in the process of reopening.  Large swaths of the BWCA, including the entire Gunflint and significant portions of the wilderness on the Ely side, will be reopening for overnight paddling and other access during the first week of August.  The BWCA Wilderness was shut down entirely July 14 due to numerous wildfires.  The reopening is welcomed news for paddlers and outfitters. In this episode, we share stories about the reopening of the BWCA, and how people came together during the closure.  This episode is supported by Tex's Riverways, Ely Outfitting Company, and Friends of the Boundary Waters.