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

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 

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. 

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 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

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).