RABC Update and Fireside Chat with Erin Walker
RABC Update and Fireside Chat with Erin Walker
The future of the Remote Area Border Crossing Program (RABC) remains unknown, with Canadian officials telling Paddle and Portage this week, once again, they don’t have any new information to share. The permits all expire Dec. 31, 2025.
We spoke with Ginny Nelson from Spirit of the Wilderness outfitters in Ely about what this continued uncertainty means for people and operations near the Boundary Waters.
Also in the episode, we talk with frequent P&P contributor Erin Walker. Erin traveled from Canada to help burn some piles of downed timber near Lake Superior and the BWCA. Erin discusses her 2025 paddling season, plans for the upcoming winter, and the benefits of splitting and burning firewood.
This episode is sponsored by Save the Boundary Waters.
Watch the full video podcast with Erin Walker on YouTube.
The Search After the Search: When People Remain Missing Near the Boundary Waters
Searching For People Missing Near the BWCA
The Return of Winter: First Ice Arrives to the Boundary Waters
Winter and Ice Return to the Boundary Waters
Snow. Freezing temps. This was a theme across Minnesota during the final week of November. And with it, came the first ice to the Boundary Waters.
The first ice of the season can mean a lot of things. In this episode, we learn what it means for the Paddle & Portage Podcast duo as they venture onto the frozen water. Joining them on the first outing of the season was their old pal, “Omaha” Erik Dickes.
This episode is sponsored by Sawtooth Outfitters and Loons Nest Coffee.
Studying Wolves Near the Boundary Waters – A Minnesota Project
Studying Wolves Near the Boundary Waters
Minnesota has more wolves than any other state, outside of Alaska.
In fall 2025, researchers with the Voyageurs Wolf Project released an updated study on wolf activity and the population of wolves in an area located about 10 miles southwest of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is found in the far reaches of northeastern Minnesota. The report tallied about 100 wolves in the study area near the BWCA and Voyageurs National Park. Some media reports highlighted that number as a “crash” of the population. Tom Gable, who leads the project, said the region’s deer population ebbs and flows, as does the local wolf population.
The duo from the Paddle & Portage Podcast met with Gable in late fall to learn more about the wolf population near the Boundary Waters. Together, they paddled and portaged on the trail of a wolf, one suspected of killing a deer near a remote lake not long before they arrived to the scene. In this episode, we invite you to tag along.
This episode is made possible by our Paddle & Portage member-subscribers, including Grand Marais resident Buck Benson. And support comes from all our sponsors, including Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, Sven-Saw, and Ely Outfitting Company.
Watch two videos that support this episode of the Paddle & Portage Podcast.
Circumnavigating Lake Superior: Solo Kayak Expedition
Lake Superior Paddling: Solo and All The Way
Constance Simes circumnavigated Lake Superior solo in 2022. When the trip was complete, she’d paddled approximately 1,200 miles around Lake Superior in 57 days. She encountered high waves, of course. She also found deafening silence that moved her to tears.
Simes, who grew up in Iowa and now resides in Wisconsin, spoke with M Baxley about paddling Lake Superior at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisc.
This episode is supported by Loons Nest Coffee and Solbakken Resort on Superior.
Watch the video episode of the podcast from Canoecopia.
Minnesota Author Talks BWCA, Lake Superior & Writing
Writing, BWCA Policy & Law, and Crooked Lake Tales
Erin Soderberg Downing grew up exploring the forests, lakes, and trails near Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Now an accomplished writer, Erin says her best ideas for stories often come to her deep in the woods, where she can find plenty of creative space to explore and imagine.
Erin is the daughter of Barb Soderberg. Barb Soderberg’s career with the Forest Service started in 1967 on Superior National Forest, and she was intricately involved with crafting the 1978 BWCA Wilderness Act. She retired from the Forest Service in 2007.
Erin and Barb were in Grand Marais for the North Shore Readers and Writers Festival in early November. They met up with Joe Friedrichs from the Paddle & Portage Podcast at Artist’s Point to talk BWCA issues, writing, and family life.
This episode is supported by Cascade Vacation Rentals.
Watch the video podcast on YouTube.
Paddler Profile: A Bachelorette Party In the Boundary Waters
Shannon McGrath: A Paddler Profile Rooted in Connection to Others
Shannon McGrath got her start paddling when she was 12 years old. By the time she was 16, Shannon completed the Grand Portage from Lake Superior to the inland border lakes of the Boundary Waters. Then came a multi-month canoe trip to the Arctic Circle via the Coppermine and Hood rivers, including a week on the Arctic Ocean.
Now in her late 30s, Shannon continues to be a prolific paddler. She makes frequent trips to the Boundary Waters, including this fall, on an annual trip she makes with some of her friends to the BWCA. This year’s trip will be perhaps most memorable as it featured a bachelorette party for Shannon.
The Paddle and Portage Podcast met up with Shannon and her crew at Artist’s Point in Grand Marais, just before they headed up the Gunflint Trail to start their fall adventure to the Boundary Waters.
This episode is supported by Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Northstar Canoes.
Update From the Road: Winter Camping Expo, Brook Trout & Wolves
Podcast Update From the Road: Winter Camping, Brook Trout, and Wolves
The Paddle and Portage Podcast have been on the move in October. The Winter Camping Symposium was a highlight of the month, as was a recent trip to the far west end of the Boundary Waters to meet with one of the nation’s top wolf researchers.
In this update from the road, we hear from the podcast duo about who they’ve been talking with for video podcasts and what brought them to the western edge of the Boundary Waters in search of wolves.
Check out the Paddle & Portage YouTube channel.