Wtip Boundary Waters Podcast

In the Boundary Waters, it can happen in an instant. No matter how experienced a paddler is starting a trip, tipping a canoe and falling into the frigid waters can happen to anyone through a variety of ways. In late fall 2018, Jacob Leingang, Rachel Nethercut and their dog Lathan experienced the very real dangers that play out when a canoe tips in the Boundary Waters. In this episode, Podcaster Matthew Baxley hears their harrowing story. Also featured in episode 14 is a conversation with Greg Gaskin, an instructor with the Wilderness Medicine Institute and National Outdoor Leadership School. Podcast host Joe Friedrichs talks with Gaskin about Rachel and Jake’s story of survival and his own reflections on the importance of wilderness medicine and safety.

They’re….back!!! Exactly one year since episode one of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast dropped, guests Gaby and Werner from Germany return for the first episode of the new season. This time, host Joe Friedrichs takes them out for their first ice fishing trip in the Boundary Waters. Also featured in this episode is a conversation podcaster Matthew Baxley has with David Hoole from Frost River outdoor equipment in Duluth about keeping your hands warm during the winter months in the BWCA. It’s the first episode of 2019… as the adventure rolls on with the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast!

The holiday season has arrived in the Boundary Waters. In this episode, we hear from two voices often associated with spending significant amounts of time in the BWCA: Dave and Amy Freeman. In the winter of 2015-16, Dave and Amy spent their holidays in the BWCA as a part of their Year in the Wilderness. Podcaster Matthew Baxley talks with the Freemans to hear what Christmas Day and conditions are like in the Boundary Waters in December. Dave and Amy also share an update on their ongoing efforts to protect the BWCA. In keeping with the holiday spirit, Baxley and co-host Joe Friedrichs discuss their holiday wish lists, with all the items being tools of the trade for recreation in the Boundary Waters.

Many people who visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness leave with a parting sentiment: We don’t want to go home quite yet. In this episode of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast, we hear from an individual who takes this concept to the next level. Known as the 800-Day Paddler, Mark Zimmer shares his story of essentially living in the Boundary Waters from May until fall. Speaking of changing seasons, November is a time of transition in the Boundary Waters. With lakes starting to freeze and cold ushered in by strong winds, November is one of the lowest-traffic months of the year in the BWCA. But there are those who remain in contact with the land, including Clare and Dan Shirley, the owners of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters. They share their stories of November in the Boundary Waters in part two of this episode.

More than a century of combined paddling between just two people is celebrated in episode 10 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Bob O’Hara is among the most recognized and accomplished adventurers to dip his paddle into the Boundary Waters annually, something he has done for the past 60 years without missing a season. Likewise, Ken Koscik is no stranger to canoe country. Ken hit the 50-year mark for consecutive years to Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters in 2018. A guest instructor at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Ken teaches a course on building cedar-strip canoes and kayaks. Podcasters Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs learn what it takes to make it back to the Boundary Waters every year for at least 50 years in this episode of the Boundary Waters Podcast.

It’s the ‘All Ontario Episode’ of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast! Join Podcasters Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs as they paddle to the Cache Bay Ranger Station in Quetico Provincial Park. Interior Ranger Janice Matichuk has worked at the station in Cache Bay for the past 34 seasons, and she shares her story on the podcast. Also in this episode, we hear from Canadian musician Ian Tamblyn. A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Tamblyn has shared his music on every episode of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. He visited Grand Marais and WTIP recently and shares his passion for paddling and writing music with a focus on wilderness and water.

If there is concern about the number of young people visiting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, you won't hear it in episode eight of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. Ada Igoe from Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail joins the podcast team for this episode. Her segment features a group of middle school students who travel to the BWCA each summer from Indiana. It's another example of the good times people of all ages can have in canoe country. Also in episode eight, we hear from Natalie Kundel at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais. Natalie shares her expertise on choosing the perfect canoe paddle for your trip to the BWCA.

The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast goes for the trifecta in this episode. Three topics are covered, including a conversation with Julia and Linda Ruelle from the Twin Cities area. Julia, a high school student in Minnetonka, won an essay contest in 2018 from the Ely Outfitting Company that brought her and three friends to the Boundary Waters for a week. Julia was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer during the winter of 2017-18 and completed chemotherapy in February. The trip to the Boundary Waters was largely a celebration of Julia’s return to good health. Also in episode seven, we hear from Tim Barton, a guide for Piragis Northwoods Company based in Ely. Barton shares his thoughts on the best footwear for navigating the Boundary Waters. And the trifecta that is episode seven wraps up with a journal-style reading from Beth Gaede. Beth is a book editor who lives in Hudson, Wisc.

June is often the gateway for trips that can last for weeks in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Ann and Steve Holtz take that theme to a different level, including a 100-day trip they completed without a resupply of gear or food. Heading into the 2018 paddling season, Ann and Steve have spent some 775 days camping in the Boundary Waters. In this episode, we hear their stories and love of the wilderness. In part two, we hear about a new lightweight camp stove that was created at a campsite in the Boundary Waters. Now officially called the Voyageur Stove, we hear from Joe Fleming, the mastermind behind the stove, about the product and his passion for the Boundary Waters.

The month of May is a prime month for fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In this episode of the podcast, we hear from two names often associated with outdoor gear and fishing in the Boundary Waters: Tom Sega, the owner of Duluth Pack; and Stu Osthoff, the publisher of the Boundary Waters Journal.

The winter of 2017-18 lingered long into April in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Some complained... while others chose to embrace it. Among the celebrators of snow and ice is Fred Sproat, an adventurer with a long history of travel in the Boundary Waters. He talks with Podcaster Matthew Baxley in this short track about an epic journey across the wilderness.

In this episode, WTIP Boundary Waters Podcasters Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley venture to a frozen Duncan Lake in the BWCAW. The trip took place in March 2018. Joining the duo on the adventure was Derek Hofeldt from Loon Lake Lodge. An owner of the Gunflint Trail resort, Derek is an excellent chef with years of cooking in both a kitchen setting and in the backcountry. On their trip to Duncan, Derek and the Boundary Waters podcasters make a variety of meals, all under the comforts of a late-season snowstorm. In part one of the episode, Friedrichs speaks with Minnesota artist Wayne Potratz, who has made it his life’s work to study and teach sculpture. Potratz spent more than four decades as a sculpture professor at the University of Minnesota, including 13 years as chair of the Art Department. Potratz has long found inspiration for his work during trips to the Boundary Waters, even creating art within the wilderness setting.

There are approximately 12,000 black bears that call Minnesota home. Some of those bears are found in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In this special short track, we hear from canoeist Kay Alton on why it's a good idea to remember black bears do indeed roam the Boundary Waters.

Travel with guest hosts Alison Young and Brenda Piekarski as they recount their thru-hike of the 65-mile Border Route Trail through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Also featured in this episode is a discussion with Duane Lottig, the owner of Snowtrekker tents. Find out what makes "hot-tent camping" in the BWCA the latest buzz in wilderness exploration.

During the winter months, the BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978 requires everyone who enters the wilderness to have a permit and generally prohibits recreational snowmobile use. There are exceptions to the snowmobile restriction, including a specific corridor from Seagull River through Saganaga Lake. Jon Benson is the recreation specialist on the Tofte and Gunflint Ranger Districts based in Grand Marais. He stopped by WTIP to talk with Joe Friedrichs about snowmobile policy within the federally-protected wilderness area.

In this episode, WTIP Boundary Waters Podcasters Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley venture to Winchell Lake deep in the BWCAW. The trip took place in early January 2018. The duo record the experience on a frozen Winchell Lake, including gear they used to get there and conditions on the trail. In part two, Friedrichs speaks with General Manager Bear Paulsen from Northstar Canoes about what factors to consider when it comes to purchasing a tandem, Kevlar canoe.

This podcast is all about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is a place to hear stories from the people who visit this amazing outdoor playground. On this podcast, we invite you to join the adventures as well.