Paddle and Portage Podcast

In this adventure, we head to the beautiful Root River in southeastern Minnesota. The meandering Root is an 80-mile tributary of the Mississippi River. The Root flows through the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota. The Paddle & Portage Podcast took a fall trip down the Root River, catching trout from the clear waters in Lanesboro, and paddling a stretch of river outside of town. We also talk with local paddler Stena Lieb, Allie Palmer from Paddle On Coffee and the Root River Inn & Suites, and Ken Soiney from River Rats Outfitters. Join us as we head from the Boundary Waters to the Driftless across the great state of Minnesota. This episode is supported by Cooke Custom Sewing and Borderland Lodge.

Emily and Cole are a Minnesota-based couple who live near Lake Superior. They frequent the BWCA and other paddling destinations, sharing their adventures on the Grateful Lakes YouTube channel, which they founded and produce together.  The Grateful Lakes duo visited the Gunflint Trail in late October, in time for Halloween and the end of the stream trout fishing season. Splake and brook trout were on their minds, so the Paddle & Portage Podcast crew were inclined to participate in such pursuits. Fish were caught, stories of the Grateful Dead's best concerts were shared, and the winds were calm throughout.  Cole and Emily's YouTube channel was inspired by their shared enthusiasm for outdoor adventures and the music of the Grateful Dead. On this particular trip to the trout waters of the Gunflint, even Jerry would have marveled at the size of the splake the group came across.  This episode is supported by Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte and Tex's Riverways in Moab.  

The Boundary Waters were not on the ballot during the 2026 election. That being the case, some races made it feel that way.  From Grand Marais to Ely, the Paddle & Portage Podcast traveled across the Boundary Waters region Nov. 3. They spoke with candidates who have ties to the BWCA, along with voters in Ely.  Was the 2026 election a win for the Boundary Waters? The answer is complex, as the podcast duo share in this episode. 

A group from YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint Trail paddled into the heart of Quetico Provincial Park in late October to retrieve canoes that had to be left behind during the summer wildfires. A group of paddlers from the camp had to evacuate in July due to the wildfires. From the Menogyn team Oct. 29, in a message sent to Paddle & Portage: "We made it back from Quetico with seven more canoes and about 15 extra packs than when we started, including four wood/canvas canoes that would have had a hard time surviving winter." A team of eight people with ties to YMCA Camp Menogyn from around the country helped make this canoe and gear recovery possible. "Rough weather and really long hard days made it challenging, but the group stayed positive," the paddlers shared with P&P reads. This is our second Quetico Provincial Park canoe recovery story this month, and the two stories will intersect in a way that illustrates the magic of the canoe-country wilderness. This episode is supported by Loons Nest Coffee, Friends of the Boundary Waters, and Ely Outfitting Company. 

Brule Lake is the largest non-motorized lake located entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In this haunting episode, Joe from the Paddle & Portage Podcast shares the story of losing his glasses while fishing Brule Lake in late October 2026.  The glasses sunk to the bottom, but they were not done with Joe, as he shares in this chilling episode of the podcast.   

A group of women paddlers ventured to Isle Royale on Lake Superior this fall for a multi-day packrafting and backpacking trip. The group brought Alpacka packrafts, mixing backpacking with paddling on inland lakes and Lake Superior. Kate Wright and Isabelle Nelson, two members of the paddling group, share reflections on the experience, including the benefits of mixing paddling and backpacking at Isle Royale. Their journey took place near the end of a massive search for a missing hiker at Isle Royale in September 2026, a storyline that infused with many trips this fall to the big island on Lake Superior. This episode is supported by Tex's Riverways, Cooke Custom Sewing, Friends of the Boundary Waters, and Sawtooth Outfitters.

During the peak of the 2026 wildfires in the BWCA and Quetico this summer, the Paddle & Portage team shared the story of the Nelson family. The Nelson family have been paddling in Quetico for decades. Three generations of canoe-campers have now entered the park, most often through Cache Bay, the southeastern entrance near the end of the Gunflint Trail. Siblings Matt and Laura led a group of six into the park in mid-July 2026. The group included Matt and his daughter, and Laura and her three children. Wildfires were burning in Quetico and BWCA leading up to their trip, which started July 11. By the afternoon of July 13, excessive heat and strong winds dramatically increased the size of the wildfires. The Nelsons, paddling on Kawnipi Lake, became surrounded by wildfire. They were eventually airlifted to the north side of the park, though they had to leave their canoes behind.  Months later, the canoes were flown out of the park and brought to an outpost just north of Quetico. In early October, Matt drove from Michigan to Ontario to get the canoes, and that's where this episode picks up the story.  Support for the Paddle & Portage Podcast comes from Ely Outfitting Company, Northstar Canoes, and Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles. 

It's one to remember. The 2026 quota season in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness wrapped up Sept. 30. The quota season runs May 1 to the end of September annually in the nation's most visited wilderness.  Wildfires stand out as the most significant event from the 2026 BWCA paddling season, with the entire wilderness closing for a section of July. Other notable events include a blizzard during the May fishing opener in the Boundary Waters and a new telephone reporting system to enter Quetico Provincial Park.  Through it all, the Paddle & Portage Podcast was here doing what we do best: Sharing stories from the canoe country. The podcast duo share this episode from the wilderness, accompanied by a fresh batch of BWCA smoked lake trout chowder.  This episode is supported by Loons Nest Coffee and Borderland Lodge. 

This series of the Paddle & Portage Podcast is titled Women in Paddling with Erin Walker. Erin's guest in this episode is Bridget Douglas. Bridget is a guide in the BWCA Wilderness and Lake of the Woods. She's worked with Women's Wilderness Discovery in Ely and has a decade of experience as a guide in the Lake of the Woods waters on the Minnesota and Ontario border. This episode is supported by Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles.

This series of the Paddle & Portage Podcast is hosted by Erin Walker of the Lost Lakes YouTube channel. The series, created by Erin and Kate from Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles, is called Women in Paddling. Erin's guest in this episode is Grand Marais resident Kaylan Dix. A dedicated paddler in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Kaylan works in healthcare in Grand Marais. She says paddling and outdoor recreation help her navigate the complex world of healthcare, along with being a mother of two teenage daughters. Other topics discussed include the differences between growing up with canoeing and outdoor recreation as part of one's youth, the merits of single portaging, and the prospects for Kaylan's first solo canoe trip. This episode is supported by Bending Branches Canoe and Kayak Paddles.