WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

The sights of the Boundary Waters are what many people think of when asked what they appreciate about the canoe-country wilderness.

Seeing a moose. A sunset from camp. A stringer of walleye in summer. These are all images connected to the Boundary Waters.

However, for Paul Dickinson, there's much more than just seeing the wilderness. Dickinson connects to the land, water, and sky in the BWCA via sound.

Embracing a relatively new field of biology known as 'soundscape ecology,' Dickinson shares his experiences recording sound in the Boundary Waters.

Just ahead of the upcoming paddling season, there was news of a court case that could end the longstanding practice of using motorized towboats to help Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness visitors get started on their wilderness trips at least temporarily. A national organization, Wilderness Watch, is seeking an injunction to halt the towboat permit system as soon as the ice melts.

The US Forest Service allows the use of towboats are used to assist canoeists starting their BWCA journey, dispersing visitors deeper into the million-acre BWCA. Some outfitters at the end of the Gunflint also use the towboat service to help paddlers reach Quetico Provincial Park via the Cache Bay Ranger Station. The towboats typically drop paddlers at American Point on Saganaga Lake, which is partially inside the BWCA.

If the federal judge reviewing the injunction rules in favor of Wilderness Watch, it could disrupt the plans of thousands of Minnesotans who have already booked towboat-assisted trips with BWCA and Quetico outfitters. Here in Cook County, the ruling could impact Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters, Seagull Outfitters, and Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. The ruling would have a much larger impact on the Ely area, where many canoeists receive a tow across Moose Lake each season, among other lakes in the Ely area.

The organization Wilderness Watch claims that the Forest Service is not upholding its self-imposed restrictions and limitations of towboat services. The Forest Service’s most recent figures showed that in 2019, there were 4,817 tow boat trips, and 3,815 total trips in 2020. These figures amount to nearly “tripling the level that the Forest Service pledged that it would limit the total to,” according to officials from Wilderness Watch.

We asked officials from the Forest Service to comment on this story and the towboat situation, including if the towboat services can operate while the judge considers a ruling on the injunction. Forest Service spokesperson Joy Liptak VanDrie said the agency does not comment on current litigation. However, she did say that since a current ruling has not been issued in the case, there is no change in towboat services at this time.

In this episode, guest contributor and Grand Marais journalist Rhonda Silence speaks with Matthew Ritter of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. Also featured is an interview with Kevin Proescholdt, the Minnesota-based conservation director for Wilderness Watch.

Mushing is the fastest way to travel across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness during the winter. Sled dogs love to run, and the open flats of a BWCA lake can provide stunning areas for experienced and novice mushers to explore.

In this episode, we hear from Kate Tender and Allison Opheim. They spent the winter working as sled dog tour guides at Points Unknown, a Cook County business near the Arrowhead Trail.

The duo recently went ice fishing for the first time with podcast host Joe Friedrichs. We hear about their BWCA adventure in a recording inside the wilderness.

Also featured in this episode is Cook County musher Erin Altemus. The winner of the 2023 Gunflint Mail Run eight-dog race up the Gunflint Trail, Altemus happens to be an experienced paddler with a deep passion for the canoe-country wilderness. Erin shares some of her favorite summer and winter memories from the Boundary Waters, including some dog-sledding adventures.

The Paddler Profile series continues in this episode. The featured paddler is Wendy Paulsen, a dedicated paddler of the BWCA and other waters across North America.

Wendy is the sister of Northstar Canoes General Manager Bear Paulsen. She has a generous spirit for introducing others to the BWCA, including Michelle Kwan, an avid fan of the BWCA who was featured on episode 52 of the podcast.

In addition to paddling, Wendy enjoys swimming recreationally across BWCA lakes. And not just a dive-in, jump-out type swim. Literally swimming laps around lakes in the wilderness is something Wendy has embraced, as podcaster Matthew Baxley learns and shares in this episode.

Canoecopia 2023 took place in Madison, Wisc., from March 10-12.

The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast team was back for this year's paddling expo. In addition to posting up at their booth and talking with thousands of curious paddlers, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley presented during Canoecopia this year. The podcast duo shared a presentation on how to document and share stories from a trip to the canoe-country wilderness.

It was a busy scene at Canoecopia this year. In this episode, you'll hear from those who were involved and people who attended from all over the country.

For the first time in several years, there will be a park ranger at the Cache Bay Ranger Station in Quetico Provincial Park for the full season in 2023.

Due to the pandemic and additional restrictions regarding Remote Area Border Crossing Permits, there has not been a full-time ranger at the island in Cache Bay since 2019. There was a ranger there for part of the paddling season in 2022.

That means the last ranger to serve full-time at Cache Bay was Janice Matichuk, the longest serving ranger in the history of Quetico. Matichuk died from brain cancer in August 2020. Her voice has been featured many times on the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. The story of her time in Quetico was shared by Boundary Waters Podcast host Joe Friedrichs in the book "Her Island."

In this episode, the podcast team shares some of the 'Lost Files of Matichuk.' In the early stages of shaping "Her Island," Friedrichs and Matichuk recorded some 14 hours of audio. The clips shared today are the first in what will be a series of stories Matichuk shared about her time in Quetico. Topics range from the ethics of fishing to stories of being charged by a moose.

Also featured in this episode is a preview to Canoecopia 2023! The world's largest paddling expo is from March 10-12 in Madison, Wisc. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast team will be back in Madison for this year's expo! Sharing information about the upcoming event is Chloe Machula, one of the event organizers for Canoecopia.

Climate change isn’t something most BWCA enthusiasts think of in early January.

On the day permits for the upcoming paddling season go live – as they did Jan. 25 this year – the bulk of those people planning a canoe trip made their reservations for the upcoming season with winter still in full force. A warming planet seems an afterthought on such occasions.

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley explore the notion of where climate change fits into the planning (if at all) and adventures of an average canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. To add context, they bring in two of Minnesota’s two top climate experts: Pete Boulay, assistant state climatologist with the Minnesota State Climatology Office who works for the DNR; and Peter Reich, a renowned expert in forest ecology and a professor at both the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan, who has done extensive research on how climate change is and will impact the Boundary Waters.

This episode has nothing to do with proving or debunking climate change. This is about the intersection of canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters and the future of the wilderness.

Sam Cook made a career writing about the woods and waters of northeastern Minnesota, including his many adventures to the Boundary Waters.

A longtime columnist for the Duluth News Tribune, Cook shares some of his adventures and reflects on his career as an outdoors writer in this installment of the Paddler Profile Series on the podcast.

January 25 was the first day to secure a 2023 overnight paddle trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Permits went up for grabs at 9 a.m.

Podcast hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley met at WTIP headquarters in Grand Marais to book their permits for the 2023 paddling season, including their coveted fishing opener trip in May. The fishing opener in Minnesota this year is Saturday, May 13.

A bit of chaos ensued as the duo booked their permits. Find out where the podcast team is headed once the 2023 paddling season begins.

Food tastes better during a trip to the Boundary Waters. It's a common sentiment, one many visitors to the canoe-country wilderness can relate to.

During a recent winter trip to the BWCA, the podcast team explored the notion that food is about much more than fuel for the body. It's about bringing people together. Superior National Forest Tribal Liaison Juan Martinez returns to the podcast in this episode, bringing a cooking "disco" to prepare burritos for a group of eight. In addition to Juan, the Great Josh Dix talks lake trout fishing at the start of the season, and Adam Mella from the Tumblehome podcast makes a cameo.

Also featured in the episode is discussion about the 2023 Gunflint Mail Run, which brought throngs of people to the edge of the BWCA this year.