Wtip Boundary Waters Podcast

Emily Ford is a Duluth resident who skied across the border lakes of the Boundary Waters during the memorably cold, snowy and windy winter of 2021-22. Ford captured national attention when she skied across Wisconsin the previous winter. What motivates someone to embark on solo expeditions during the winter? Learn this and much more about Emily Ford in this episode of the podcast.

It's the end of the ice fishing season for lake trout in the Boundary Waters. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast team had a good year of ice fishing. In this episode, Gunflint Trail resident Mike Seim talks with Joe about a variety of topics related to lake trout in the BWCA. Also of interest, a recent study out of the University of Manitoba in Canada shows some lake predators are changing their behavior due to climate change, which may have a wide-ranging effect on lake trout and the entire ecosystem of certain lakes in Ontario and northern Minnesota. Matthew Guzzo is the lead author of the study. He shares some additional perspective on lake trout throughout the episode. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Werner Bahner-Würth.

Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddling expo, returned in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Madison, Wisc., based event in 2020. It was a virtual gathering in 2021. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast was back at Canoecopia this year. Old acquaintances surfaced from the crowd. New friends were made as well. It was a time of connection. This episode was recorded in its entirety at Canoecopia 2022. Special thanks to Aubrey from Redbudsuds, and Nashville musicians Caitlin Evanson and Jerry Vandiver, for sharing their music on this episode.

Slush. It can be the downfall of any winter trip to the Boundary Waters. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast team, along with Erik Dickes and Josh Dix, found this out firsthand during a recent trip to the edge of the wilderness on snowmobile, and then on skis and snowshoes after crossing the wilderness line. After encountering bad ice and slush, foul moods settled in on some members of the party, while others remained patient. Then the lake trout moved in. And things changed. While reflecting on the recent winter trip to the wilderness, podcast co-host Joe Friedrichs observed that "it's not all milk and honey out there, people." Upon further contemplation, he added: "It ain't all unicorns and rainbows, either."

The quiet of winter remains across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as cold temperatures and significant snowfall blanket the region. By looking at the woods and frozen lakes such beauty can be appreciated simply and plainly, but it's more challenging to know what is happening beneath the ice. Chel Anderson is a botanist and plant ecologist. She lives near the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior and keeps close tabs on daily changes happening with the local woods and waters. She spoke with podcast host Matthew Baxley about what’s happening under the icy surface of the lakes in the Boundary Waters.

With permits now available for the 2022 paddling season in the Boundary Waters, it’s time to start thinking about gear and trip planning. One place to do just that is Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin. Darren Bush, owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison, and organizer of canoeing expo Canoecopia, joins the podcast in this episode to talk about the return of an in-person event for 2022. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast attended the last in-person canoe expo in 2019. The pandemic has either shut down or let to virtual events the past two years. Learn about what to expect for Canoecopia 2022 in this episode of the podcast.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness quota permit reservations for May 1 — September 30, 2022, will be available beginning at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Visitors are encouraged to book their reservations at Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast spoke with Clare Shirley from Sawbill Canoe Outfitters about the upcoming paddling season, quota reductions in the BWCA for 2022 and what to expect on 'opening day' of permit availability.

The winter of 2022 is off to a roaring start for the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Adventures have been abundant to start the new year, including a recent trip to the BWCA with a duo of fellow podcasters from the east side of the wilderness. Lake trout sushi, anyone? The special guests on this episode lead the way…

It's back to the ice to ring in the new year in part two of the story to start Season 5 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Grand Marais residents Josh and Kaylan Dix join podcast hosts Joe and Matthew on the ice to share the rest of the epic journey to the BWCA to start 2022.

The start of a new season for the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast rolls in with a winter camping trip up the Gunflint Trail! Air temperatures reached 31-below zero during the trip to ring in 2022. Joining podcast hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley on the trip were Grand Marais residents Kaylan and Josh Dix. Lake trout were caught. A black wolf was spotted darting through the deep white snow. Woodstoves burned true and memories were made. This episode is part one of the experience.

The ice fishing season for trout on inland lakes located entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness opens Saturday, Jan. 1. Stream trout and lake trout can be caught by anglers willing to brave the cold temperatures expected this weekend in the BWCA. The high temperature for the Mid-Gunflint Trail area on the opening day of the trout season is below zero. Overnight lows on New Year’s Eve and Saturday night are expected to be in the high teens below zero or 20-below zero, possibly colder. Wind chill values will make these temperatures feel even colder. Lake trout will be a primary target for many anglers this weekend, though some lakes in the BWCA do hold other species of trout as well. Stream trout are defined as splake, brook, brown and rainbow trout. The possession limit remains unchanged, at five, with not more than three fish longer than 16 inches. The possession limit for lake trout is two. Examples of lakes that open for trout fishing this weekend on the eastern side of the BWCA incl

The iconic portage between Duncan Lake and Rose Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will take on a new look in 2022 when two sets of wooden staircases will be replaced with stone steps. Stone used in the project will come from the land located between the lakes in the federally-designated wilderness area. Hand tools and other non-motorized instruments will be used to shape the new look of the portage. “We are planning to replace the wooden stairs on the stairway portage with stone steps during the summer of 2022,” said Jon Benson, an assistant ranger for recreation and wilderness on the Tofte and Gunflint ranger districts of Superior National Forest. “Great Lakes Trailbuilders is the contractor with whom we will be working.” The 80-rod portage between Duncan and Rose is among the most highly trafficked areas on the eastern side of the BWCA. Two sets of stairs, with more than 90 steps each, make up most of the portage between the two lakes. The portage largely parallels a set of falls dropping

The collection of outfitters who provide assorted gear, canoes and guidance for the many visitors to the Boundary Waters each paddling season is a world full of hard work, long hours and repetition. It’s also a world of connection. And many of those connections are made by those who work for the outfitters on the edge of the wilderness. In the final episode for Season 4 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast, we hear from the summer staff at some of the outfitters along the Gunflint Trail. It’s the ‘Trail Kids’ episode of the podcast. And for hosts Matthew and Joe, it’s a time to reflect on their own experiences working on the Gunflint and how it brought them into a sense of connection with this place… The Boundary Waters.

Superior National Forest is home to the nation’s only US Forest Service Seaplane Base. Located on Shagwa Lake in Ely, the three USFS pilots stationed there fly deHavilland Beaver float planes and conduct a variety of missions throughout the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The base has a long history with roots that date back to 1929 when the Forest Service began using local pilots to help with wildfire mitigation. The program as it exists today, with dedicated airplanes and pilots, was established in 1938. WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast contributor Barbara Jean Meyers traveled to Ely to meet Carlisle Doria, the latest pilot to join the team.

The number of people legally allowed to enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) for overnight camping trips from May through September will be reduced for the next paddling season. With permits in high demand during recent paddling seasons – particularly during the past two seasons amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – some canoeists struggled to find available campsites, particularly near popular lakes such as Sawbill, Brule, Duncan and Seagull on the east side of the BWCA. Anecdotally speaking, weary paddlers are quick to complain about racing other groups for campsites, being forced to camp illegally in the brush or making camp in the middle of a pleasant travel day just to ensure they have a site for the night. Each year from May 1 to Sept. 30, visitors taking an overnight paddle or hiking trip, or a motorized day trip into the BWCA are required to obtain a quota permit. The Forest Service designed a quota system following the designation of the Boundary Waters as a wilderness to redu

The season of giving thanks returns to the Boundary Waters as 2021 begins to wind down. To celebrate the season, WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley returned to the ice on Thanksgiving Day. Ice fishing and ice skating were the means of entertainment on a windy and cold day in late November, with fish tacos for dinner marking a day of success on all fronts. Also featured in this episode is a conversation with Timo Rova, an Ely-area resident who has years of experience hunting, recreating and working in the BWCA.

A tornado with wind speeds between 111-135 mph swept through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in October 2021, knocking down trees and making a popular hiking trail impassable in sections. The National Weather Service in Duluth confirmed Oct. 29 that a tornado did roll through the BWCA near Clearwater Lake on Oct. 10. The tornado reached an EF2 rating on its intensity scale, meaning its wind speeds could have reached 135 mph. The tornado was estimated to be on the ground from 6:10 to 6:20 p.m., according to the NWS. In an online post Oct. 29, the National Weather Service says the storm caused significant damage along the Border Route Trail. There is damage on Clearwater Lake, Alder Lake and the Border Route Trail is impassable in places, according to the Forest Service. Earlier this year, Matthew Baxley and Lindsey Gau hiked a popular section of the Border Route Trail in the mid-Gunflint Trail area. They share a report from the trail in this episode of the podcast.

Michelle Kwan is a co-owner of Keefer Court Bakery in Minneapolis. Michelle is an avid fan of the BWCA. She makes as many trips to the wilderness as she can each year, including intentions of winter camping and canoe camping. The daughter of immigrants to the U.S., Michelle says she was introduced to the Boundary Waters by Wendy Paulsen, the sister of Northstar Canoes General Manager Bear Paulsen. Michelle shares her connection to the Boundary Waters in this episode of the podcast. Also featured in this episode: BWCA smoked trout wild rice chowder...Tune in and find out the details.

The Angleworm Trail does not leap to the forefront of most conversations when people talk about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. That being the case, it’s an easily accessible path and portage located off the Echo Trail near Ely. Podcast hosts Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs set off to travel a section of the Angleworm Trail in October 2021. They were joined by a special guest on the adventure, a unique individual who was featured on a previous episode of the podcast. Though the experience was rooted in the joys of fall travel in the BWCA, Joe was also researching a book he is working on about people who have died or gone missing in the Boundary Waters. When it comes to the special guest, hammock camping is another theme of the episode... (hint, hint)

Fifty episodes! A milestone episode for the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Hosts Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs reflect on some of their favorite interviews and moments from the first 50 episodes of the original Boundary Waters podcast. Also included in the commemorative episode is new audio, including a never-before heard story told by the late Quetico Park Interior Ranger Janice Matichuk. With 50 episodes tallied, many stories shared, a national award collected and countless adventures recalled in audio format, Baxley and Friedrichs say the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast is just getting started. To that, we lift a paddle for 50 more episodes.