Caribou Project in Wabakimi Park Preps for Busy 2026
Erin Walker From Lost Lakes Talks Caribou With Wabakimi Expert
Friends of Wabakimi will launch the third year of the Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project in 2026. The project is a unique initiative that combines canoe tripping with citizen science to support conservation of at-risk boreal caribou in Northern Ontario’s Wabakimi Area.
Kate Prince is the manager of the Wabakimi caribou monitoring project. She spoke with Erin Walker from the Lost Lakes YouTube channel about the project rooted in citizen science while they were in Madison, Wisc., for Canoecopia.
Kate told Paddle & Portage Oct. 16 that the summer 2025 survey season was a great success, and they’re already planning and looking forward to another full season of survey canoe trips next year. Volunteer applications will open in early January 2026.
For the full results report and to learn more about the project and how to get involved, please visit the Friends of Wabakimi website here.
Podcast Tribute to Peta Barrett and Women’s Wilderness Discovery
A Podcast Tribute to Women’s Wilderness Discovery
Peta Barrett is preparing to retire from Women’s Wilderness Discovery, the company she started in 2014 in Ely, the gateway community to the Boundary Waters.
Barrett moved to Ely more than 10 years ago to start up the guiding and outfitting company. She wanted to focus on offering a safe and comfortable place for women to have a means to access the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
In this episode, we hear about Peta’s journey to the Boundary Waters.
This episode is sponsored by Ely Outfitting Company and Borderland Lodge.
Minnesota Author Shares Gunflint Trail History In Helen Hoover’s Story
Minnesota Author Shares History of Gunflint Trail in Helen Hoover Biography
David Hakensen is the author of “Her Place in the Woods: The Life of Helen Hoover.” The biography shares the story of one of Minnesota’s most beloved nature writers, from Hoover’s career in the city to her rustic cabin on Gunflint Lake.
David met with Joe Friedrichs from Paddle & Portage outside the bookstore in Grand Marais to discuss the biography about the life of Helen Hoover. Helen was a best-selling nature writer who lived for a stretch of her writing career on Gunflint Lake.
Order “Her Place in the Woods.”
Watch a full video presentation from Chik-Wauk on the Gunflint Trail here.
Moose Roaming Nebraska May Have Traveled From BWCA, Wildlife Officials Say
Moose Roaming Nebraska Likely Came From Minnesota
A moose roaming the flatlands of Nebraska has been spotted in numerous locations around the cornhusker state in recent weeks. Wildlife officials first received reports of the moose in the central part of Nebraska in late September. Those reports continue into October, according to information KSNB-TV shared with P&P Oct. 8.
Wildlife officials in Nebraska and Minnesota say it’s possible, even likely, the moose wandered south from the land of 10,000 lakes. A wildlife official we spoke with said it’s also possible the moose came from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and traveled to Nebraska during the ongoing rut (mating season).
We spoke with Nancy Hansen, the area wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources based in Two Harbors, about the situation. Regardless of where the moose came from, Hansen reminds people that moose are dangerous animals.
“If folks encounter an aggressive moose, they should also try to put a large object between them and the moose (large tree, conifers, car, cabin, etc.) and the sooner they can get out of sight of the moose, the better, without running,” Hansen said.
She added, “If folks encounter a moose on the road, be patient and try not to pressure it with the vehicle or horn to hurry it along; that can backfire.”
Hansen spoke with Joe Friedrichs from Paddle & Portage on this video podcast episode.
Minnesota Author Solo Paddles Mississippi River To Honor Vietnam Veterans
Minnesota Author and BWCA Paddler Talks About His New Book
Jim Crigler is coming up on one year spent entirely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. To date, he’s spent 345 days in the BWCA. He aims to accomplish his goal of an entire year in the canoe-country wilderness in 2026 or 2027.
Prior to that, Jim is traveling Minnesota and other states to talk about his new book, Echoes On The Water. The book details Jim’s 2017 solo paddle of the Mississippi River. That year, at age 67, Jim paddled from the river’s headwaters at Lake Itasca to New Orleans. Jim says the journey was about more than personal endurance. It was a powerful mission of honor, he explains, in raising awareness for Vietnam War Gold Star Families who had been forgotten for decades.
Jim spoke with Joe from Paddle & Portage along the banks of the Devil Track River not far from Lake Superior. They spoke on a fine fall day in early October.
Order Jim’s book and learn more about it here.
We’ve heard from Jim on the P&P Podcast before, when we paddled Brule Lake with him and members of his family and his friend Herb’s family. A favorite lake of the former helicopter pilots turned BWCA paddlers, Herb’s ashes were scattered on Brule last summer. Listen to that episode here.
The Family Life: Boundary Waters Edition
The Family Life: Boundary Waters Edition
The power of a place can change lives. It can also determine where someone lives, and how they live.
The Boundary Waters is one such place. In this episode, we learn how two families have been, and continue to be impacted by the power of place.
Special thanks to Andy Cochrane, Stellan & Lena Bengtsson, Scott, Jess, & Niklas Henderson, and Bob & Deb Friedrichs, for participating in this episode.
Thanks also to Chad from Gunflint Wilderness Guide Services for participating in the fishing adventure shared in this episode.
This episode is made possible with support from Sawtooth Outfitters, Loons Nest Coffee, and Solbakken Resort on Superior.
Helping Veterans Find Their Way On The Yellowstone River
Blind Veterans Paddle on the Yellowstone with Team River Runner
A small group of kayakers started Team River Runner in 2004 with the goal of helping veterans get on the water. They now offer paddling opportunities to veterans and their family members in more than 60 locations across the nation, including the Yellowstone River in Montana.
Team River Runner seeks to get physically (amputations, mobility impairments) and/or visually impaired veterans in kayaks or other watercraft. This summer, M Baxley from the P&P Podcast traveled to the edge of Yellowstone National Park to learn more about the paddling clinics, and to speak with some of the participants. The adventure took Baxley from Minnesota to Montana. Join the road trip turned paddle trip to hear the full story.
To learn more about Team River Runner, visit their website: https://www.teamriverrunner.org/
This episode is made possible with support from the Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles, Bent Paddle Brewing, the Yellowstone River Motel, and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.
A Conversation with Whitney Bush on Paddling and Canoecopia
Talking Paddling and Canoecopia with Whitney Bush in Madison
The Bush family in Madison, Wisc., are major names in the paddling community of the Upper Midwest. Darren Bush is the owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison. Rutabaga is the business that buys the merchandise that is sold at Canoecopia, and more or less makes the event happen. It came as a surprise to many in the paddling community when Darren announced Sept. 21 that he would be closing Rutabaga. He vows Canoecopia will carry on, including in March 2026. The news of Rutabaga closing is all over the news this week in Wisconsin.
Darren’s daughter, Whitney, is a teacher in New York. Joe from Paddle and Portage spoke with Whitney at Canoecopia 2025, months before Darren decided he would be closing Rutabaga. Whitney is an avid paddler, including annual summer trips to the Boundary Waters.