Big Red Canoe - Friends of the Boundary Waters podcast

Solo camping in the Boundary Waters is its own thing. No partner, no safety net — just the lakes, the sky, and your own company. In this episode, we sit down with Miguel Garcia-Gosalvez, a solo canoeist who was born in Spain, fell in love with wild places as a boy in Europe, and found his deepest connection to wilderness in the Boundary Waters. Miguel has spent years paddling alone, and he's recently begun writing about it at mycanoelife.com — putting language to the feelings solo campe...

H.J. Res. 140 was signed into law this week, stripping federal protections from 225,000 acres surrounding the Boundary Waters. What happens now? Experts from Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Friends of the Boundary Waters break down the state-level legal tools that can still protect this wilderness — and the path forward from here. Guests: Kathryn Hoffman, Executive Officer, MCEA Joy Anderson, Supervising Attorney, MCEA Aaron Klemz, Strategy Officer, MCEA Chris Kno...

How do you navigate a challenging wilderness when you can't even see it? In this fascinating and deeply moving episode, we sit down with Kelly Carver, who has been paddling the Boundary Waters for over 40 years—including the past three decades since he became legally blind. After being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease following his first BWCA trip in 1982, Kelly refused to let vision loss stop him from experiencing the place where he says "part of his soul" resides. Kelly takes us in...

Proper food storage and bear-aware camping practices aren't just recommendations—they're life-saving skills that every Boundary Waters visitor needs to master. Alex Messenger learned this lesson the hard way when a 600-pound grizzly bear nearly killed him during a remote Canadian wilderness expedition, an experience that transformed him into one of the region's most passionate advocates for bear safety and wilderness preparedness. On this episode of the Big Red Canoe Podcast, Alex channels h...

Author Frank Bures joins us on the podcast to discuss his compelling new book, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories. Frank shares riveting tales from a century of canoe racing, including the forgotten history of the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby—a grueling 450-mile race on the Upper Mississippi that changed modern canoeing forever. The conversation takes a personal turn as Frank recounts his own harrowing rescue on the Mississippi an...

Want to introduce your kids to winter camping but not sure where to start? Join us as we chat with Anthony Quill, an adventurous Minnesota Dad who's mastered the art of getting his young children excited about camping in Minnesota's winter wonderland. Anthony shares how his family transitioned from international living to embracing the frozen wilderness, starting with backyard adventures and working their way up to dog sledding expeditions and hot tent camping near the Boundary Waters. Then...

Two adventurous cyclists embark on an epic journey from Minnesota to New York, pedaling around Lake Superior through Canada, all to support Friends of the Boundary Waters. One of the riders, Mike Quirk, joins us to tell tales from the trip. The ride was to take 30 days and cover almost 2000 miles. But like any true adventure - things didn’t quite go as planned. And before the trip was over, Mike found himself swapping out his bike for a canoe to cover some of the middle-Canada miles on the Ot...

In this episode, we dive into the unexpected high water conditions in the Boundary Waters this season. After a dry winter, Northeastern Minnesota faced a surprisingly wet spring and early summer, culminating in a major storm on June 18th that caused flash flooding and damage across the Superior National Forest. We sit down with Ginny Nelson from Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters in Ely to discuss how these conditions have affected outfitters and Boundary Waters visitors. Ginny shares her e...

On this episode of the Big Red Canoe podcast, we're joined by Devin Brown and Cory Maria Dack to discuss their remarkable paddling journeys down the Mississippi River. Devin Brown is preparing to become the first Black woman on record to solo kayak the entire length of the Mississippi River, from its source in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Her trip planned for 2024 is driven by a dream over a decade in the making - to find healing and connection for self, and to connect with African Americ...

We revisit the fascinating story of the legislative and political battles leading up to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act of 1978 by talking to three of the individuals who shaped it and fought for its passage: Chuck Dayton, Jan Green, and Kevin Proescholdt. In this look at a key chapter in Boundary Waters history, they share their insights and personal experiences that led to this important step for the BWCA Wilderness, and founding of the Friends of the Boundary Waters. T...

How could you make your Boundary Waters trip even better? Check out these 25 tips, that cover all aspects of a BWCA canoe trip. Drawing from his experience of paddling hundreds of days through the Northwoods, Pete Marshall, Communications Director at Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, shares an informative list for intermediate paddlers to move faster, be more comfortable or just have a richer experience in the BWCA. Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more i...

The trails of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area offer endless possibilities, and you're sure to find a sense of awe and wonder around every corner. And some Boundary Waters trails connect to an even larger network of trails called the North Country Scenic Trail; a footpath stretching over 4,600 miles from the west side of the Missouri river and North Dakota, all the way to the Appalachian trail in Vermont. On this episode, we're joined by Matthew Davis NCTA regional trail coordinator, who gives ...

Are there monsters, ghosts, or even more creepy things lurking in the BWCA? In this episode, we'll hear your stories from a contest when St. Paul-based Lake Monster Brewing teamed up with Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness to create a new Minnesota legend. We asked you to submit your tall tales, to bring a BWCA monster out from the shadows and become immortalized on cans of Lake Monster beer. The response was outstanding, with a tremendous lineup of chilling, humorous and supernatural...