I was in an elevator with Cathy Wurzer. So, naturally, we started to talk about death.

It’s a topic we’re both intrigued by. Death. Dying. The end. I just wrote a book about people dying in the Boundary Waters. Wurzer, one of the most recognized journalists and broadcasters in Minnesota, launched a project in 2015 rooted in “leading a movement to change how our culture engages with loss, dying and death.” The project, End in Mind, does this “by inspiring individuals, families and communities to explore their fears around death and dying, then creatively encouraging deeper inquiry into how to live with intention, purpose and meaning at any stage of life.”

Wurzer and I were in the elevator shortly after finishing a live broadcast of Almanac, the long-running Friday night program on TPT, the metro’s public television station. It was 8:30 p.m. in downtown St. Paul. And there we were, in an elevator, talking about death.

“Thanks for being so open about talking about death, Cathy,” I said.

“Yeah,” she responded. “That’s the thing, right? We can talk about it.”

The elevator chimed. Third floor parking. My floor. The doors opened. I stepped out.

“We’re all going to die!” I blurted out.

The elevator doors closed. It was over.

About an hour earlier, Wurzer and her co-host, Eric Eskola, interviewed me about “Last Entry Point.” We talked about people who’ve died in the Boundary Waters. Jordan Grider. They wanted to know about Jordan Grider.

“This is not the thing that the Ely Chamber of Commerce would put out,” Eskola said of my reporting on Grider’s gruesome death near the Echo Trail and Ely in 2018. Grider, 29 at the time of his death, was eaten by wolves. He likely was injured first, authorities believe, and then he was eaten by wolves.

The story is always difficult to discuss. It’s particularly challenging to navigate on live television. The backstory on Grider is long, and fairly complex. The very short version is that his mom was a child bride, he was homeschooled and dyslexic, had a hard time fitting in with the constraints of society, lived like a hermit in the woods of Kentucky for five years before deciding to spend a winter in the Boundary Waters. He died a few days after he arrived to his makeshift campsite near the Sioux Hustler Trail, a hiking pathway about 30 miles from Ely. Grider was eaten by wolves somewhere along the way, likely after he died from an unknown injury. His skull was never found. It’s a strange thing to comprehend, the fact that Grider’s skull is still out there in the Boundary Waters landscape.

“I’m a little freaked out though, Joe,” Wurzer said when the topic of Grider’s skull surfaced during the Almanac interview.

Ever Wurzer can struggle talking about death sometimes, it turns out.

One of the other guests during the April 26 episode of Almanac was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The governor has his own connection to “Last Entry Point” and the topic of death in the Boundary Waters. Walz’s brother, Craig, died on Duncan Lake in 2016 when a tree fell on his campsite during a severe storm. Craig’s son, Jacob, was injured in the incident, though he survived.

I was able to sign a copy of the book and bring it to TPT for the governor. I wrote a note to Walz inside the cover. It mentioned Craig. The governor said he’d read in the newspapers that the book was coming out. I spoke with Walz about the incident on Duncan Lake where his brother lost his life. It’s the only interview he’s ever done on the topic. A portion of our conversation is in the book. The governor had a powerful and emotional reaction when he read what I wrote to him and when he took possession of the book. He was talking with Wurzer and Eskola live on TV only a few moments later. When you look back on things, almost everything in life happens so quickly. Unexpected deaths occur in the same way.

After the show wrapped up Friday night and following the elevator ride with Wurzer, I took to the streets of St. Paul. I wondered if I said the right things live on the air. It didn’t matter. It was in the past now. I had to look forward. The stories are what matter. The stories of people who’ve died in the Boundary Waters are out there now. These are stories that can hopefully keep other paddlers and people who visit the canoe-country wilderness safe. I’ll be sharing more about “Last Entry Point” across Minnesota this year. Here are some of the events coming up for “Last Entry Point.” If you have stories you want to share about people who’ve died or been injured in the Boundary Waters, or if you want to hear more about what’s in the book, please attend. You can also email me to ask questions or share stories.

Upcoming Book Events

Saturday, May 4: Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais 6-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 25: Split Rock Lighthouse, North Shore 1-3 p.m.

Saturday, June 8: Fitger’s Bookstore, Duluth 12-2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 12: Next Chapter Booksellers, St. Paul 6 p.m.

Monday, June 24: Brainerd Public Library 12-1 p.m.

Thursday, June 27:  Two Harbors Public Library 5-6 p.m.

Tuesday, July 2: Grand Ely Lodge, Ely 12-1 p.m.

Tuesday, July 2: Piragis Northwoods Company, Ely 3-5 p.m.

Friday, July 5: Bent Paddle Brewery, Duluth 3-9 p.m.

Thursday, July 11, Zenith Bookstore, Duluth, (evening)

Saturday, Sept. 14: Chik-Wauk Museum, Gunflint Trail 2-3 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 17: Fitger’s, Duluth Time TBD

(Check back for more events across Minnesota and beyond. More dates coming soon)