This podcast is produced by people who live near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. It is the source for storytelling, news, and information about the canoe-country wilderness and other paddling destinations across North America.
…
continue reading
Join Tom Funke, author of 50 Hikes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula & 50 Hikes on the North Country Trail as he explores Michigan through the eyes of a hiker & backpackpacker. Join us every Monday for the Michigan Trails Report, a weekly podcast about Michigan Trails, its history, the people, and the travel routes. In addition, he is currently putting both his books into a podcast format. The books and bonus content are typically published on Thursdays.
…
continue reading
Erin Walker and Jon Kelly are the duo behind the Lost Lakes YouTube channel. They live on an inland lake not far from the Canadian shores of Lake Superior. This summer, Erin and Jon embarked on a three-week, 280-mile (450-kilometer) canoe trip into the subarctic barrens. It was a journey of many firsts: their first time in Nunavut, their first enco…
…
continue reading
Booze or a dry run? Opinions vary about bringing alcohol on a trip to the Boundary Waters. Many enjoy sipping whiskey or wine around the campfire. Others prefer no alcohol at all. And then there are those who tip back and glug until the bottle is gone. In this episode, we hear from a group of five paddlers who chose to paddle the BWCA Wilderness wi…
…
continue reading
Lost the trail, again.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
Day 1& 2: MI/WI state line to Chequamegon NF NCT trailheadThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Don't do this, Butane Stoves, Dragon TrailThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
0.5:miles, wooded dune & swaleThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Herb Koenig and Jim Crigler loved to paddle in the Boundary Waters. It was the one place where they felt comfortable talking about their experiences serving as helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War. In this episode, we hear about why the Boundary Waters opened the door for reflection, communication, and adventure for these two veterans. And we d…
…
continue reading
0.2 to 2+ miles, your choice. Waterfall.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
Hiawatha NF from Brevoort to bridgeThomas Funke
…
continue reading
0.4 miles, waterfall, flowers, birds, visitor centerThomas Funke
…
continue reading
In this episode, Tim and his daughter Sylvie embark on the trip of a lifetime. The crossing of the BWCA from west to east along the voyageur highway is abruptly interrupted by a tragic slip on the Granite River. What unfolds next is a skillful evacuation by fellow paddlers that redeems everyone's belief in the power of human kindness.This episode i…
…
continue reading
4.5 miles, waterfall, beachThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Hiker Trash, Bear Spray, What is ADIHEX?Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
Janice Matichuk first set foot on her island in Quetico Provincial Park in 1985. Located near the end of Minnesota’s iconic Gunflint Trail, this remote park is the heart of North America’s “canoe country.” Decades later, and enduring beyond her untimely passing in the summer of 2020, Matichuk’s legacy includes being the longest serving interior ran…
…
continue reading
22.3 miles ,swamps , rivers, geologyThomas Funke
…
continue reading
2.4 miles out and backThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Dan Cooke was a "mentor's mentor" when it comes to the paddling scene in North America, particularly around the Boundary Waters region. The longtime owner of Cooke Custom Sewing, Dan passed away July 1. A paddle parade was held on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis August 10 to honor the life of Dan Cooke. Stories were shared about Dan’s love of paddling,…
…
continue reading
An interpretive trail in The Ottawa National ForestThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Hiker Trash, bugs, VHF radios, and old stoves.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
A quick summary of our upcoming min-series on the expedition.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
In life, people tend to get consumed by the concept of how something can be done, without giving thought as to why something should be done. When the Paddle and Portage Podcast first heard about the Boundary Waters paddle known as the Ely Challenge, we were guilty of this notion. We became fixated on the how. The idea for the Ely Challenge is simpl…
…
continue reading
Roadwalk to Laughing WhitefishThomas Funke
…
continue reading
An introduction to the expedition. This will be a series of future podcasts about the travels of Lewis Cass & Henry Schoolcraft.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
19.8 miles through a patchwork of forestry & habitatsThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Emma Froh is an architect from the Twin Cities. She recently spent a week on Mallard Island, the former home of wilderness advocate and Boundary Waters paddler Ernest Oberholtzer. Emma and two of her colleagues, Mary Springer and Natalya Egon, were staying in what’s known as the Cedarbark House at Mallard Island. The structure used to be a floating…
…
continue reading
From the Compass & Kamal to GPS & AI, the tools that keep us found.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
0.4 miles, views, a chance to do something really dumbThomas Funke
…
continue reading
Federal & State Wilderness areasThomas Funke
…
continue reading
First day of my 500 mile hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula using as much of the North Country Trail I can find.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
Rain. It’s marked the start to the paddling season this year across the Boundary Waters. There was so much rain, in fact, that many portages and waterways across the BWCA flooded in late June. Roads near the Boundary Waters, from the Echo Trail to Highway 61, also flooded and were damaged by the heavy rain. In one area of the BWCA, a community form…
…
continue reading
Thomas Funke
…
continue reading
22.5 miles, roads, wet footing, national forest shenanigansThomas Funke
…
continue reading
21.2 miles through a forest regenerating from a forest fire, bogs, giant pinesThomas Funke
…
continue reading
We all have to start somewhere. Even Sigurd Olson had to be shown how to paddle and portage a canoe at some point. We share stories in this episode about people taking their first trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We hear from Bob Carlson, who took a group of young paddlers on the Frost River in the BWCA this spring during a multi-…
…
continue reading
Bring these & know how to use them.Thomas Funke
…
continue reading