Best Paddle And Portage Podcast Podcasts (2025)

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Chuck the Mainer Paddles the Boundary Waters 28:39

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1d ago28:39

28:39

Chuck Alexander is a canoe guide and carpenter who lives in Maine. He'd long aspired to paddle in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It took meeting a longtime paddler of the BWCA, Tim Cochrane, to make that dream come to fruition. Before embarking on a multi-night trip to the wilderness, the podcast team had a chance to meet Chuck, includi…

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50 UP Hikes; Bog & Nature Walk 9:12

6d ago9:12

9:12

0.3 Mile Interpretive trail, boardwalk & beach.By Thomas Funke

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Million Steps: Van Riper to Ishpeming 10:32

8d ago10:32

10:32

Drunks & pavementBy Thomas Funke

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50 UP Hikes: Cascade Falls 9:14

14d ago9:14

9:14

Ottawa National Forest, Two trails in one!By Thomas Funke

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Minnesota Resident Tests Positive for West Nile Virus After BWCA Trip 26:09

15d ago26:09

26:09

A resident of Duluth is sick with a rare case of West Nile virus in Minnesota. The Duluth woman was in the emergency room at St. Luke’s Medical Center Sunday, Sept. 7. She is now home and recovering from the virus. She believes she was infected with West Nile while on a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in mid-August. After ne…

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Million Steps- Beufort Lake to Van Riper 20:20

16d ago20:20

20:20

Dodging traffic, in a zone & a showerBy Thomas Funke

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Empowering Women in the Wilderness: Yoga, Portaging & the BWCA 26:24

17d ago26:24

26:24

The intersection of paddling, yoga, and self-reliance carries us into the BWCA Wilderness in this episode of the podcast. Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreats is a Minnesota business owned by women who bring together themes of self-reliance, seasonal living, and the transformative power of time spent paddling and portaging in the BWCA Wilderness and surround…

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BWCA Adventures: Get Out and Make It Happen 31:24

23d ago31:24

31:24

Just ahead of Labor Day weekend and the start of the transition to autumn, a long time listener of our podcast about the Boundary Waters came to check out the BWCA Wilderness for the first time. Her name is Karolina Satek. Along with her husband and young daughter, they traveled to the Gunflint Trail and spent a few nights at Borderland Lodge. From…

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Michigan Trails Report September 2025 22:46

23d ago22:46

22:46

Reservation Report, dam it, and don't be like Nova ScotiaBy Thomas Funke

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50 Hikes on the NCT #9 Fife Lake area 14:52

1M ago14:52

14:52

18 miles, enter the Manistee watershedBy Thomas Funke

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Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness 28:42

1M ago28:42

28:42

We head west in this episode, to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. M Baxley joins a group of paddlers who came together under the leadership of Jordan Taylor and Sandra Newbury to travel on the Salmon River in Idaho. One of the great rivers of the West, the Salmon rolls through the Frank Church, the largest federally managed wildernes…

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50 Hikes on NCT#8 Boardman River 12:14

1M ago12:14

12:14

17 miles, very dry.By Thomas Funke

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The Glossy Marketing of the Wilderness 1:00:29

1M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

The Paddle and Portage Podcast team spent time paddling and talking around a fire with Minnesota author Joe Whitson in early August. Joe is the author of the new book, “Marketing the Wilderness.” Joe’s book pulls back the curtain on the outdoor recreation industry, on the glossy images, the feel-good branding, the well-meaning campaigns, and asks, …

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NCT Journal - Boyne Falls area 7:32

1M ago7:32

7:32

Turkeys, Deer, Orvs oh myBy Thomas Funke

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Michigan Trails Report August 2025 23:43

2M ago23:43

23:43

How many packs of Canadians have you smoked? Don't be this Brit, Sucks to be you if you haven't made a reservation!By Thomas Funke

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Wilderness Water Safety With Abby Golden 32:17

2M ago32:17

32:17

Abby Golden has been teaching at an organization called Wilderness Water Safety for 15 years. She is a certified lifeguard, wilderness first responder, and experienced wilderness trip leader. She has led trips in the Lake Temagami area as a trip leader for Camp Wabun and has traveled extensively throughout the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.…

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Kari Kennedy on Connection to the Boundary Waters 27:42

2M ago27:42

27:42

Kari Kennedy is the producer of Almanac, a popular and long-running news program on Twin Cities PBS. She's also in love with the Boundary Waters. The Gunflint Trail has become a home away from home, and trips to the BWCA Wilderness are a big part of that experience. Kari shares her story in this episode of the podcast. Support for this episode come…

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Portages, Pathways & Paddles: Frederic Baraga, Michigan’s Ultimate Triathlete. 19:43

2M ago19:43

19:43

By Thomas Funke

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Graham the Actor Arrives to the Boundary Waters 39:11

2M ago39:11

39:11

He first paddled on Seagull Lake. It didn't go well. A fishing boat had to rescue him. A few days later, he drove a transport tow. In a blizzard. Graham Schatz is working at Seagull Canoe Outfitters this summer. He is not a typical "Trail Kid," those who lug canoes and clean cabins at the resorts on the Gunflint Trail each summer. Graham is an acto…

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Million Steps: M28 roadwalk begins 14:06

2M ago14:06

14:06

Sidnaw to Parent Lake, more weirdos, saw a Merlin.By Thomas Funke

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Hudson Bay Girls Share Update From Norway House 19:09

2M ago19:09

19:09

Checking in with an update from their epic paddle are the Hudson Bay Girls. The four paddlers left Lake Superior and the Grand Portage in May. They're bound for Hudson Bay and share this update from Norway House, just north of Lake Winnipeg. In an update sent to Paddle and Portage July 21, they report: "We’re checking in from Norway House! We have …

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Kate From Bending Branches Talks with Erin From Lost Lakes 28:26

2M ago28:26

28:26

Kate Wright is the director of marketing for Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles. An experienced paddler, Kate and her husband are taking their young child to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the summer of 2025 for the first time as parents. Kate spoke with guest host Erin Walker from the Lost Lakes YouTube Channel for this episode o…

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50 UP Hikes: Clark Lake Trail 14:10

2M ago14:10

14:10

Sylvania Wilderness loop trailBy Thomas Funke

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Million Steps: Sturgeon Gorge ”Zero” Day 10:29

2M ago10:29

10:29

Hike up to the gorge & wait for my friend Michelle to arrive.By Thomas Funke

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Permit News From the BWCA Wilderness 40:00

2M ago40:00

40:00

We've shared multiple news stories in recent weeks about permits for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From the cost of permits to the record number of permit cancellations last year, the Paddle and Portage Podcast team break it all down in this episode. Joining the podcast duo on the episode is a Minnesota resident and BWCA regular who go…

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Portages, Paddles & Pathways: Bay De Noc / Grand Island Portage 11:41

2M ago11:41

11:41

A little Geology, history, hiking & paddlingBy Thomas Funke

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Update From the Solitude of Four: Lake Winnipeg Awaits 21:55

2M ago21:55

21:55

As promised, here's an update from the Solitude of Four. The group shares this update just as they're preparing to start the lengthy paddle of Lake Winnipeg, a key benchmark on their journey to Hudson Bay. Backstory: Four paddlers and canoe guides from Wilderness Canoe Base on Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail are paddling north this su…

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50 UP hikes: Summit Peak 8:55

3M ago8:55

8:55

If you only have time for one hime in the Porkies, this is it.By Thomas Funke

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The Healing Power of the Boundary Waters 30:26

3M ago30:26

30:26

In February 2022, a Minnesota man was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting a Cook County woman at a condominium on Ski Hill Road in Lutsen, not far from Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters. According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 25, 2020, Cook County law enforcement responded to North Shore Health, the local hospital in…

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Million Steps: Silver Mountain & Sturgeon River 24:24

3M ago24:24

24:24

Last rendezvous with Julie & camp on the Sturgeon RiverBy Thomas Funke

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50 UP Hikes: Overlook Trail 9:24

3M ago9:24

9:24

Roots & Rocks....but thats what you get in the Porkies.By Thomas Funke

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The Call to Paddle North: Solitude of Four 25:29

3M ago25:29

25:29

Four paddlers and canoe guides from Wilderness Canoe Base on Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail are paddling north this summer. Leaving Seagull May 31, the group, paddling under the name Solitude of Four, are on a 1,250 mile canoe journey from our camp to Hudson Bay, Canada. It is a 2.5 month expedition through some of North America’s mo…

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Million Steps: On to Bob Lake 20:18

3M ago20:18

20:18

Bob Lake & some dude that looks like an old college roomateBy Thomas Funke

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Portages, Pathways, Paddles: Portaging between the Manistique & Tahquamenon 13:35

3M ago13:35

13:35

1/2 mile portage between the twoBy Thomas Funke

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Paddling Veteran Embraces the Penguin and Viking Within 35:38

3M ago35:38

35:38

Nathaniel Gueltzau (AKA The Penguin Viking) is a long-distance paddler and military veteran. After returning from Afghanistan, paddling became more than just a sport-it became a way to process emotions, navigate personal experiences, and find new purpose. The pursuit of pushing physical limits, overcoming mental hurdles, and feeling a sense of acco…

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50 Hikes on the NCT #7: Boardman River Headwaters 13:45

3M ago13:45

13:45

Pickeral Lake, through Kalkaska, to Guernsey LakeBy Thomas Funke

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Hiking Journal: NCT from Petoskey South 11:13

3M ago11:13

11:13

Suspected as a vagrant, cow patties, and made a new friendBy Thomas Funke

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50 UP Hikes: Tip Trail 8:42

3M ago8:42

8:42

The angst of Lake Superior & the peninsula effect.By Thomas Funke

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The Labor of Trail in the Boundary Waters 30:23

4M ago30:23

30:23

The Border Route Trail on the eastern side of the BWCA continues to grow in popularity and use. The trail is 65-miles long and follows the international border between Minnesota and Ontario. It is the first long-distance, wilderness backpacking and hiking trail in Minnesota planned and constructed by volunteers. In the spring of 2025, just as the i…

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50 UP Hikes: Oren Krumm Trail 5:21

4M ago5:21

5:21

Michigan Audubon Brockway Mountain Sanctuary in the Keweenaw.By Thomas Funke

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Million Steps: July 28, 1998: a Zero Day 9:04

4M ago9:04

9:04

Courtney Lake NFC taking a break from hiking.By Thomas Funke

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Michigan Trails Report - June 2025 26:53

4M ago26:53

26:53

Ice, Tornados, bugs oh my! Don't get trippy.By Thomas Funke

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Boundary Waters Conversation with The Barefoot Paddler 43:54

4M ago43:54

43:54

Mark Zimmer, more commonly referred to as the ‘Barefoot Paddler,’ spoke with the Paddle and Portage Podcast before the start of his 2025 paddling season. Zimmer is starting his 13th year exploring the BWCA. Mark typically spends late April or early May through October in the Boundary Waters. He catches walleye, lake trout, and pike. He forages wild…

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The Triumphant Wisdom of Old Man Ed in the Boundary Waters 27:48

4M ago27:48

27:48

Old Man Ed is a fixture in the Boundary Waters. He's been following, in the literal sense, the Paddle and Portage Podcast team for years. Often, he crawls from the water's edge and provides wisdom and perspective to the folks who make this whole thing go. In this episode, Ed arrives on the great fishing opener weekend, which includes Mother's Day. …

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Rick Slatten Talks History of Search and Rescue In and Around BWCA 1:13:51

4M ago1:13:51

1:13:51

Rick Slatten is the captain of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. He recently spoke with Joe on the Paddle and Portage Podcast about the highly publicized incident from Curtain Falls in the BWCA in 2024, and other events associated with search and rescue in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This episode is supported by Drury Lane Books, Co…

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Michigan Trails Report- Memorial Day 2025 23:02

5M ago23:02

23:02

Hiker Trash, Trail of the month, what the hell is going on at REI?By Thomas Funke

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The Status of the Forest Service as BWCA Paddling Season Begins 26:34

5M ago26:34

26:34

Resignations. Terminations. Confusion. Reductions. Limitations. These are all themes the U.S. Forest Service is seeing and facing on a routine basis as the 2025 paddling season arrives to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In this episode, we hear from Barb Soderberg. Soderberg's career with the Forest Service started in 1967 on Superior Na…

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Hudson Bay Girls - The Beginning 42:11

5M ago42:11

42:11

The Hudson Bay Girls is an all-female canoe team paddling a historic Voyageur Fur Trading Route in 2025. The expedition will take them on a 1,200-mile journey from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, Canada. Along the way, they will share their story to raise awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship, outdoor education, and gender equali…

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Let the Big Ones Go: A Science Update 31:35

5M ago31:35

31:35

Most people come to the Boundary Waters to engage with wilderness. Solitude. Peace. Escape. These are sentiments commonly shared by the more than 125,000 people who come to the BWCA each year. And while some people come to fish, not everyone does. Regardless of one's interest in angling, this episode gets into the science (and ethics) of why it's g…

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Hungry Hunter: A Fishmonger's Tale 28:38

5M ago28:38

28:38

The Hungry Hunter YouTube channel features outdoor adventure from the Boundary Waters and other places in the Upper Midwest. In this episode of the podcast, we learn what makes the channel's founder and content creator, Tom, click. Hint: He worked as a fishmonger for most of his life. This episode is supported by Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and Cooke…