About this episode

This episode discusses the recent closure of the BWCA Wilderness due to wildfires and features stories from affected paddlers.

Smoky skies, closures, evacuations, and displacement of people have dominated conversations across the Boundary Waters region during recent days. The BWCA Wilderness shut down July 14 amid a series of wildfires and excessive heat. The length of the closure is unknown at this time. Quetico is also closed at this time due to numerous wildfires burning in and around the park. In this episode, we hear from Laura Nelson, a resident of Washington D.C. who was among a group of six paddlers airlifted from Quetico July 14. We also hear from Aubrey Helmuth-Miller, who drove with her family from Ohio to paddle a canoe in the BWCA, only to have the wilderness shut down soon after they arrived to Ely. Music in this episode from The Upstream Drifters and Ian Tamblyn. Photo credit for this episode to Pam Wright for Paddle & Portage media. Hear more stories like Aubrey and Laura's on our YouTube page.

People in this episode

Guests: Laura Nelson, Aubrey Helmuth-Miller

Topics covered

• Boundary Waters
• wildfires
• evacuations
• outdoor recreation
• paddling
• wilderness closure

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Upstream Drifters, Ian Tamblyn

Places: Washington D.C., Ohio, BWCA Wilderness, Quetico

More episodes of Paddle and Portage Podcast

• Summer BWCA Stories and Updates From Ely · July 9, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Quetico Park Revisited: Paddling in From the South · July 1, 2026 · 32 min
• The Rising Cost to Cancel a BWCA Permit · June 26, 2026 · 33 min
• Quetico Telephone Reporting and BWCA Filming Policy - News Track · June 21, 2026 · 58 min

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