WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

Lake Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint Trail is an easy place to get lost.

Sag, as the lake is often called, is both the deepest and largest lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s 280 ft. deep in certain pockets, and is spread across nearly 19,000 acres.

And while Sag might be challenging to navigate for even the most experienced paddlers, sometimes getting turned around can lead to magical experiences.

Nicole Erickson and Michael Kelly know all about this, as we learn in today’s episode.

Also in this episode, podcast hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley trek to the BWCA to drill a hole in the ice on the same weekend overnight travel permits are required to start the 2022 ‘paddling season.’

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.