The sights of the Boundary Waters are what many people think of when asked what they appreciate about the canoe-country wilderness. 

Seeing a moose. A sunset from camp. A stringer of walleye in summer. These are all images connected to the Boundary Waters. 

However, for Paul Dickinson, there's much more than just seeing the wilderness. Dickinson connects to the land, water, and sky in the BWCA via sound. 

Embracing a relatively new field of biology known as 'soundscape ecology,' Dickinson shares his experiences recording sound in the Boundary Waters.

Episode 89 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

The WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast duo of Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs met up with Kevin "The K-man" Kramer and "Omaha" Erik Dickes for the 2023 fishing opener. 

The group set out in search of fish and open water.  Not long after portaging around a stretch of rapids on the Temperance River, the adventure went sideways. 

This was not the fishing opener the group expected it to be.

Episode 90 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

It's all about hammocks in Episode 92. 

Back to share stories and information and hammocks and hammock camping in the Boundary Waters is none other than Shug. Well known for his YouTube channel and extensive hammock-camping adventures in the BWCA and along the Superior Hiking Trail, Shug shares information about Superior Gear hammocks, along with tips of the trade for hammocks in the BWCA. 

Also featured is Kevin "The K-man" Kramer, an experienced Boundary Waters paddler who ditched his tent years ago in exchange for a hammock.

Episode 92 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

The Barefoot Paddler returns to the podcast, this time to share stories of walking every portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 

Mark Zimmer, more commonly referred to as the Barefoot Paddler, took several years to walk every maintained portage in the BWCA. He tracked his steps and created a map of the portages. He intends to offer this digital map to the paddling community in the near future. 

Also featured in this episode is co-host Joe Friedrichs sharing an experience from the wilderness on the tail-end of a bout with COVID. The wilderness doesn't cure everything, but it can add some perspective on the journey, as Joe and Matthew Baxley discuss throughout the episode.

Episode 94 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

There are unexplainable things that can happen to people in the Boundary Waters. 

Strange energy. Powerful feelings that someone, or something is nearby. One campsite, located on an island on Tuscarora Lake, is occasionally referenced when this discussion surfaces. 

It was here, in May 2020, that a young man from Indiana died after their canoe capsized. Others have reported strange energy at the island, in fact leaving the campsite to travel on before the campers spent a night on the island. 

In this episode, Matthew and Joe travel to this island on Tuscarora Lake. At the island they met Thang Huynh. Thang, his family, and others, were camped on the island in late July. They shared their experience with the podcast duo. 

Also featured in this episode is Nataly Yokhanis, Billy Cameron's girlfriend up until his passing in 2020. We also hear from  Shy-Anne Hovorka, an Indigenous musician, songwriter, and educator who lives in Canada near Lake Superior.

Episode 95 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

There are new rangers at the Cache Bay Ranger Station in Quetico Provincial Park. 

For the first time since the passing of Janice Matichuk, the new rangers could become something of a fixture on what is known as Her Island. Matichuk, the longest serving ranger in the history of Quetico, passed away in August 2020. 

The new rangers are Peter Kranenburg and Stacey Hofer. Both in their late 30s, the young couple celebrated their first year at Cache Bay this summer. They also got married in July, making for a summer Peter and Stacey say they will never forget. Their plan, Peter and Stacey say, is to return to Cache Bay for years to come. 

The Boundary Waters podcast duo, Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs, visited the Cache Bay Ranger Station in August 2023. They share a full report in this episode.

Episode 97 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast Cache Bay Revisited

Its Really More , Fallen Down , Ikson Outside, Fiveo, Genex, Forget Everything And Run, Fnaf Phonk Remix, La Rényon, Gobierno, Fatcat Records, Funcom, Femaleraptypebeat, Funk De Bh, Grammyperformers, Graza, Holub, Flexxa, Falou Pra Fulana, J_Hind, Faiths, Flute, Piano / Strings, Francoarmellini, Falcãoteamo, Iluzije, Fungkot, Mvngo, Free Foreign Teck Type Beat, Genderx, Inestissements,  Farukko, Free Lute Type Beat, Hospitales, Gezi Davası, Fire Song, Fytch, Halcyon-, Fe-h Ost, Grandfinale

(Gamax happy background music FREE DOWNLOAD

It's been a journey. 

100 episodes. 

In this milestone episode, it goes back to the beginning, with Gaby, the German paddler who was featured on Episode One of the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. 

Over the past 100 episodes, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley have learned so much about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. This learning has come, largely, through the stories shared by those who've appeared on the podcast. That learning continues in a deep way with Gaby's return to the podcast. 

Also featured in this episode is Rick Slatten, the captain of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. Slatten also appeared on Episode 91 of the podcast, talking with Joe about a capsizing event from May 2023 where the podcast duo faced their most intense experience in the BWCA. 

Other voices familiar to podcast listeners appear in this episode, including Bear Paulsen, Kevin "The Kman" Kramer, Jana Berka, Aubrey Helmuth Miller, Erik Dickes, Dave Freeman, Shug the Hammock Camper, Josh and Kaylan Dix, Adam Mella, Jason Zabokrtsky, and Ian Tamblyn.

Episode 100 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

It's the second duck hunting trip featured on the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast. 

Podcast friends Dean and Baylee share information about how to successfully hunt waterfowl in the BWCA in this episode. They also paddle alongside Joe and Matthew during an October hunt in 2023. Ducks were found, stories were shared, and the notion of a "mentor in the BWCA waterfowl hunting world" emerged on a crisp autumn day in the wilderness.

Episode 101 - Waterfowl Hunting In The BWCA

This is a field recording of a loon calling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). It was recorded in Aug 2023 as evening approached. 

I used a Zoom H5 recorder with a wind muffler ("Deadcat").

Loon Wail on Smoke Lake (BWCA 2023)

Every year, canoeists in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness need to be rescued from a dangerous situation. In modern times, the call for help can come from a cell phone, a satellite phone, or an emergency beacon like a Garmin inReach. It wasn't always this easy to help people who recreate across the canoe-country wilderness. In this report from KFAI producer Joe Friedrichs, we learn about the history of search and rescue operations inside the most visited wilderness area in the nation, the Boundary Waters.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

When Danger Strikes in the Boundary Waters

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 is sponsored by:

Ely Outfitting Company
Friends of the Boundary Waters
Women's Wilderness Discovery
Sawtooth Outfitters
Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters
Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

Episode 13: Rescue on the Granite River

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.

MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program. We produce audio documentaries exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history — stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between.

Instrumental music with an emphasis on drums & percussion.

Artwork done by Angie Ferraro. 

Recorded in Lincoln NE

New tracks tagged #Boundary Waters