WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

In this episode we talk with Mike Danielsen, who philosophizes about losing things while gaining others; including what can happen when a bear steals your pack. We also meet David Meier, longtime paddler and wilderness advocate for Friends of the Boundary Waters. David shares a story about the July 4th, 1999 Blowdown, which also happened to be he and his wife's honeymoon in the Boundary Waters.

The Superior National Forest is home to black bears, who are smart, have a good memory and most often prefer to keep to themselves. With increased human activity in the Wilderness, there is a chance that visitors to the BWCAW may encounter a wild bear. In this edition of Keep it Wild, Cheron Ferland, regional wildlife program manager for the Superior National Forest shares best practices and resou...

The Boundary Waters Podcast sat down with Peter Komendowski, a wilderness traveler and president of The Partnership for a Healthy Iowa--a group that provides young people with resources to live free of alcohol, drugs and high-risk behaviors. In this insightful interview, Peter shares the story of a Boundary Waters trip he took with his two teenage sons and an up-close bear encounter. We also discu...

The Hudson Bay Girls is an all-female canoe team embarking on a groundbreaking expedition to paddle a historic Voyageur Fur Trading Route - a 1,200-mile journey from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, Canada. The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast met them at Canoecopia where they talked about their plans for the trip and their mission to raise awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship, outd...

Krystal and Tina have been traveling together for twenty years--mostly in boats--almost all of them canoes--and always with their dogs. Wilderness lovers and skilled paddlers, they visit the Boundary Waters as often as they possibly can, and enjoy outdoor adventure in all kinds of weather and conditions. In this episode, they talk about dehydrating food for long trips, the division of duties when...

In the February 2025 episode of "Keep it Wild," we learn more about hiking trails in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Our guest is Lucas Raudabaugh of the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC), a non-profit group of volunteers that helps to maintain over 70 miles of trails in the BWCAW. They are official partners of the Superior National Forest, and cooperate with that agency within the USFS, a...

Episode 115--Kyle Johnson is relatively new to the Boundary Waters, but so far has experienced the wilderness in all seasons, including solo trips in early spring and late fall. Kyle sets the scene for a recent outing in late October, where he encountered extreme quiet conditions, the mid-stages of wildfire ecology after the Ham Lake fire of 2007, a night perfect for astro photography, plus a wide...

In this edition of KEEP IT WILD, the Boundary Waters Podcast speaks with U.S. Forest Service Information Officer Joy Vandrie about the January 29th "Go Live" start of the 2025 permit reservation season. Joy emphasizes the importance of setting up an account on recreation.gov before the launch and highlights the 72 entry points with daily permit limits, including two new entry points created this y...

Episode 114 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast features wilderness stories recorded at Canoecopia 2024. We hear from winter adventurers Brad Friend (Miyagi Travel) and Cyndi Guffey (pictured). We also hear fond memories about wilderness travelers who have passed along a legacy of appreciation and knowledge about the wilderness, and are still inspiring others to visit the Boundary Waters. With tha...

In this special, extended episode of "Keep it Wild," Ann Schwaller, a designated areas specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, shares the history of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as a certified, Dark Sky Sanctuary--a designation awarded by Dark Sky International in September, 2020. She explains her personal connection to the preservation of natural dark skies, and why the Dark Sky Sanc...

Signe and Ruben Hushagen have made a tradition of camping in the BWCAW every year, to celebrate their May birthdays. This year they decided to move their annual trip to September, to mark their child Ronan's first birthday. In this episode, Signe shares how to go about planning for a wilderness trip with a toddler--from choosing a simple route to researching the best gear options for young childre...

It's self-permit season in the wilderness! Tim Engrav from the Lac La Croix District of the Superior National Forest, shares more about self-issue permits and the reasons why it's important to fill one out, even if you are visiting for the day. Plus, a quick ice report and a reminder about ice safety.

A story of family unity and lots of water--In Episode 112 of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast, wilderness traveler Peter Halverson shares the tale of his family's June 2024 Boundary Waters trip to Lac la Croix, which coincided with an unusually strong storm that dropped three to eight inches of rain over NE Minnesota. On June 18th, the storm washed out roads from International Falls to the North S...

In the October 2024 edition of "Keep it Wild," Fire Staff Officer Nick Petrack reports on the prevailing, dry conditions in the BWCAW and shares insights about human-caused wildfires in the Superior National Forest, which account for about half of wild fire incidents in the Forest each year. Photo courtesy of Dewey Pihlman, 2019

Sam Nichols works in the Alaskan wilderness on an expedition ship in the summer. This year on a break from work, he took a memorable canoe trip in the Boundary Waters, along with his friend Jimmy. They explored the Border Route Trail and got to know Rose Lake, up close and personal. Plus, a fresh segment of "Keep It Wild," with a summer bear report. The Boundary Waters Podcast is supported in part...

Episode 110 of the WTIP Boundary Waters podcast was recorded on a windy day at Camp Menogyn on West Bearskin Lake at the edge of the BWCAW. In his first season as a canoe guide for Menogyn, Dante Gilbert shares the story of paddling the old Fur Trade route from Crane Lake to Grand Portage with a group of five campers and their guide. Dante also explains his personal approach to finding and experie...

In the August segment we converse with Wilderness Operations Supervisor Chris Maher about some common, human-caused impacts to wilderness character in the BWCAW including: burning trash and the improper handling of garbage, building "furniture" on campsites, pounding nails in trees, and pruning or peeling tree bark and live branches. Chris also covers what the follow up to these infractions might...

Episode 109 is about life-long connections to the wilderness and what happens when life circumstances and health conditions change the way families are able to experience the Boundary Waters. Featuring a daughter-father interview by Lindsey Gau following her dad's recent dementia diagnosis and follow up discussion about dads, dementia and day trips. Plus a great "Keep it Wild" interview with USFS...

"Choose your adventure," those are the words of William Choi, who spoke with the Boundary Waters Podcast about a family canoe trip in the BWCAW with three kids, two aluminum canoes, and exploring a new route. We also check in with Steve Piragis, of Piragis Outfitters in Ely, Minn, following a June 18th storm that dumped 4.5" of rain (or more), across Northern Minnesota, including the BWCAW. As of...

This episode is packed with stories from the Wilderness! If you've ever wondered about the permit quota system and how that came to be, you'll want to hear Bill Hansen's interview with Jim Hulbert, one of the people who developed the very first "Visitor Distribution Program," back in the early 1970's. There's also a new segment of "Keep it Wild," which covers BWCAW "Fishing 101." And we've also ga...

Cory Dack has nearly 20 years of experience in wild places, including 17 years as a canoe guide in the BWCAW. Host Lindsey Gau talks with Cory about de-colonizing outdoor spaces, empowering youth to love the wilderness, social justice and the commonalities between "wilderness medicine" and "street medicine." Cory also shares some of the lessons learned about community building, and friendship on h...

The Boundary Waters Podcast attended Canoecopia in early March where we were able to connect with over 30 Wilderness travelers who shared stories and travel tips with us. In this episode we hear from four: Jolene Metcalf, Seth Taft, Gillian Fitzgerald and Monica Cofell. Thanks for traveling along with us! There is also a new segment of "Keep it Wild" about planning your early spring adventure in t...

Over the summer of 2023 Aurora Gallagher spent 16 days canoeing and camping in Quetico Provincial Park as part of a YMCA Camp Menogyn trip. Aurora shares what the experience was like, from one week in, then two weeks, and finally how it felt to return home. It's all here--complete with foraging, fishing, traversing over multiple beaver dams, making blueberry crisp and all of the lessons learned al...

The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast talks with Megan McClanahan of the US Forest Service about "Leave No Trace" principles in the winter. She covers the "dos" and "don'ts" of winter camping in the BWCAW, including harvesting firewood, where to build a fire, and what to do if you find a mess that someone else has left behind. "Keep it Wild" can be heard monthly as part of the Boundary Waters Podcast....

This episode is built on the connection between wolves and wilderness. Featuring Ellen Hawkins, a North Shore resident who had an extraordinary wolf encounter in 1985, that has shaped the way she thinks about wolves, wilderness and humans too. After Ellen's story about "the wolf in the window," Giselle Narvaez Rivera from the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN offers some perspective on wolf-hum...