Paddle and Portage

10/09/2025

UPDATE ON FIRE NEAR BWCA AND LAKE SUPERIOR:

The fire near George Manitou Crosby State Park is now approximately 160 acres. Minimal fire activity was observed into Thursday, but high winds Friday could spread the fire, according to information the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center shared with Paddle & Portage Oct. 9.

Yesterday, multiple aircraft were brought in to support firefighters on the ground, providing water drops that helped cool and slow down the active flames. The fire is burning in mixed maple hardwoods and fall leaf litter. The fire is primarily located in a remote ridge area of the George Manitou Crosby State Park, and the steep terrain is making access into the fire area more difficult for firefighters.

A portion of the Superior Hiking Trail within the George H. Crosby Manitou State Park will temporarily close at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10, due to the Crosby Fire. The trail will be closed between Caribou Falls State Wayside Rest to the Lake County Road 7 (Cramer Road) access points. The state park remains open.

A predicted change in weather on Friday calls for increased and shifting winds from the south to northwest, creating a potential to push the fire toward the trail. The closure of the Superior Hiking Trail is out of an abundance of caution, fire officials report.

Firefighters have made progress containing the fire, which is now 25% contained. With better access to the fire perimeter, the fire has been mapped at 160 acres.

Firefighters will continue to focus on suppression efforts today utilizing aircraft resources as needed and establishing a containment line around the fire.

Warmer temperatures are forecast today with southerly winds, gusting up to 20 to 25 mph. The relative humidity is expected to be higher than yesterday, ranging from 35 to 50 percent or higher along the North Shore. Showers and a possible thunderstorm are possible Thursday night.

On Wednesday, firefighters detected smoke in a remote area near the Caribou River, approximately 10 miles southwest of Lake Superior and Tofte. The fire is south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and will go through an investigation as conditions improve, fire officials confirmed Thursday with P&P.

Image courtesy of the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center.

10/09/2025

A moose roaming the flatlands of Nebraska has been spotted in numerous locations around the cornhusker state in recent weeks. Wildlife officials first received reports of the moose in the central part of Nebraska in late September. Those reports continue into October, according to information KSNB Local4 shared with P&P this week.

Wildlife officials in Nebraska and Minnesota say it's possible, even likely, the moose wandered south from the land of 10,000 lakes. A wildlife official we spoke with said it's also possible the moose came from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and traveled to Nebraska during the ongoing rut (mating season).

We spoke with Nancy Hansen, the area wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources based in Two Harbors, about the situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcVlKF1BCi8&t=375s

https://paddleandportage.com/2025/10/09/moose-roaming-nebraska-may-have-traveled-from-bwca-wildlife-officials-say/

Thanks to KSNB Local4 for the video.

10/08/2025

WILDFIRE REPORTED NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR AND BWCA:

The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center reports that firefighters detected smoke in a remote area near the Caribou River within the vicinity of the George Manitou Crosby State Park, approximately 10 miles southwest of Lake Superior and Tofte. The fire is south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The initial acreage is approximately 30 acres. The fire is smoldering and creeping in mixed hardwoods and leaf litter, according to fire personnel.

Firefighters with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest, along with multiple aircraft, are responding to what's being called the Crosby fire.

The fire is in an area thick with dead or dying balsam as a result of spruce budworm.

Follow fire updates here: https://mnics.org/wpress/firefighters-responding-to-the-crosby-fire-near-crosby-manitou-state-park/

File photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest

10/08/2025

is an artist-in-residence with the Listening Point Foundation, Inc. in Ely, Minn.

The performance in this video took place in early October at the Listening Point Foundation headquarters in Ely, the home Sigurd Olson lived in for many years.

Olson wrote many of his books in the writing shack at this property. Courtney worked on a song about Sig while she was staying at the house at the top of the hill in Ely. Click here to view the first live performance of that new song: https://youtu.be/XUMBCCF2L20?si=9apJbRl6vdkZbigZ

10/08/2025

We had a lot of feedback on our story after it was published about the DNR using motors to conduct fish research in the BWCA Wilderness.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Post them in the comments or email [email protected] and let us know.

The DNR has been using motors inside the federally protected BWCA Wilderness for many decades. The uses of motors range from the stocking of fish by airplane to the studying of fish populations using boats and nets on the many scattered lakes across the Boundary Waters. The DNR is allowed to use motors in the nation’s most visited wilderness. This permission comes from the U.S. Forest Service.

As for the approximately 150,000 people who visit the wilderness each year, the consensus is split between supporting fisheries management, and discomfort with the arrangement, particularly when it comes to the use of motors in the wilderness. It’s also possible some of the people who visit the BWCA Wilderness have no idea the DNR uses motors to study and stock fish in the wilderness. Until now.

https://paddleandportage.com/2024/11/25/dnr-fish-research-in-the-boundary-waters-involves-motors-in-the-wilderness/

DNR Fish Research in the Boundary Waters Involves Motors in the Wilderness by Joe Friedrichs | Nov 25, 2024 | Subscribers Only, The Magazine EJ Isaac (left) from the DNR talks with Jeremy Harmon of the Forest Service after a flight to Little Saganaga Lake in the BWCA Wilderness. Photo by Joe Friedri...

10/07/2025

Jim Crigler is traveling Minnesota and other states to talk about his new book, Echoes On The Water. The book details Jim’s 2017 solo paddle of the Mississippi River. That year, at age 67, Jim paddled from the river’s headwaters at Lake Itasca to New Orleans. Jim says the journey was about more than personal endurance. It was a powerful mission of honor, he explains, in raising awareness for Vietnam War Gold Star Families who had been forgotten for decades.

Jim spoke with Joe from Paddle & Portage along the banks of the Devil Track River not far from Lake Superior. They spoke on a fine fall day in early October. Watch the full video podcast here: https://youtu.be/d7GEi37QFpo?si=VAPqQnerW0ZjcuGp

Order Jim’s book and learn more about it here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239642269-echoes-on-the-water

We’ve heard from Jim on the P&P Podcast before, when we paddled Brule Lake with him and members of his family and his friend Herb’s family. A favorite lake of the former helicopter pilots turned BWCA paddlers, Herb’s ashes were scattered on Brule last summer. Listen to that episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4vm01wKRRs

10/05/2025

The power of a place can change lives. It can also determine where someone lives, and how they live.

The Boundary Waters is one such place. In this episode, we learn how two families have been, and continue to be impacted by the power of place.

Find the new episode here: https://paddleandportagepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-family-life-boundary-waters-edition/?token=9f7d1e38ab7ab31ff88e01988796545c

This episode is made possible with support from:
Sawtooth Outfitters
Loons Nest Coffee
Solbakken On Superior
Gunflint Wilderness Guide Service

10/03/2025

A small group of kayakers started Team River Runner in 2004 with the goal of helping veterans get on the water. They now offer paddling opportunities to veterans and their family members in more than 60 locations across the nation, including the Yellowstone River in Montana.

Team River Runner USA seeks to get physically and/or visually impaired veterans in kayaks or other watercraft. This summer, M Baxley from the P&P Podcast traveled to the edge of Yellowstone National Park to learn more about the paddling clinics, and to speak with some of the participants. The adventure took Baxley from Minnesota to Montana.

Join the road trip turned paddle trip to hear the full story. https://paddleandportage.com/2025/10/01/helping-veterans-find-their-way-on-the-yellowstone-river/

To learn more about Team River Runner, visit their website: https://www.teamriverrunner.org/

This episode is made possible with support from the Bending Branches, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., the Yellowstone River Motel, and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.

10/02/2025

Great to see the Boundary Waters region and the local woods brought virtually into classrooms nationwide this week.

Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano, a Tribal member of Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and University of Minnesota graduate student, shared cultural and historical perspectives on fire in this region.

Lane Johnson, a source we’ve talked with about the history of fire in the BWCA, was among those participating in the educational program.

Shout out to Alison from the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness for her presentation about fire safety.

Watch the classroom video here: https://www.expeditionsineducation.org/fire-and-water.html

More on history of fire in the BWCA here: https://paddleandportage.com/2024/10/14/history-of-fire-near-the-boundary-waters-allows-opportunity-to-reflect-on-indigenous-history/

10/01/2025

Despite a shutdown of the federal government that starts today (Oct. 1), the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will remain open.

The BWCA is the most visited wilderness area in the nation, though October and late fall and generally quiet times across the canoe country. Nonetheless, the shutdown will not impact recreation opportunities inside the wilderness.

In previous government shutdowns, including 2013 and the longest such event in U.S. history from 2018-19 that lasted 35 days, the BWCA Wilderness remained open.

Regarding BWCA Wilderness access, all overnight permits become self-issued starting today (Oct. 1), which coincidentally is the first day of the shutdown.

Paddle and Portage reached out for comment to officials from Superior National Forest regarding the government shutdown. Joy Vandrie, a spokesperson for Superior National Forest, told Paddle and Portage all communication about the shutdown needs to go to a general email address for the United States Department of Agriculture.

Read the full story in this P&P report.

BWCA Wilderness Remains Open Despite Government Shutdown by Joe Friedrichs | Oct 1, 2025 | News | 0 comments BWCA Wilderness sign. P&P file photo News BWCA Wilderness Remains Open Despite Government Shutdown By Joe Friedrichs October 1, 2025 BOUNDARY WATERS – They can keep paddling and portaging. ...

09/29/2025

Towboat operations can continue in the BWCA Wilderness following a court ruling Monday.

At stake were how many motorized boats the U.S. Forest Service should allow select businesses to operate in the BWCA Wilderness. In her ruling, Judge Nancy Brasel denied a request from the environmental group Wilderness Watch to stop, reduce, or further restrict motorized towboat usage in the BWCA.

Paddle and Portage reached out to the Forest Service for comment on this story. In statement sent Sept. 30, Superior National Forest Supervisor Tom Hall said the ruling was "good news" for Boundary Waters visitors.

‘It is good news that towboats in the BWCA (Wilderness) are able to continue, and the American public is still able to access and recreate on their public lands,” Hall said.

Meanwhile, in a conversation with Paddle and Portage Sept. 29 with Kevin Proescholdt, the conservation director for Wilderness Watch, he said the organization was “disappointed” in Monday’s ruling.

Get the full story in this P&P report.

Towboat Operations Will Continue in the BWCA Wilderness Following Court Ruling by Joe Friedrichs | Sep 29, 2025 | News | 0 comments Towboats in the BWCA will be allowed to continue. P&P file photo from W***y Vosburgh News Towboat Operations Will Continue in the BWCA Wilderness Following Court Ruling...

09/29/2025

Family and friends of a Wisconsin man missing near the Gunflint Trail sat down with Paddle and Portage Sunday afternoon at a local restaurant in Grand Marais to reflect on the search and to share stories about Wayne Storch.

Storch, a 74-year-old man from New Richmond, Wisc., is believed to be somewhere in the vicinity of Pine Mountain Lake. Cook County Search and Rescue, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, the U.S. Forest Service, and other assisting agencies spent time over the past week looking for him. They combed ridgelines and bogs and remote timber. Nothing turned up despite the extensive searches.

Family of Wisconsin Man Missing on the Gunflint Trail Remains Hopeful as Rescue Efforts Suspended by Joe Friedrichs | Sep 28, 2025 | News | 0 comments Joey Biener looks over a map on his phone of the Pine Mountain Lake area near the Gunflint Trail. Photo by Joe Friedrichs News Family of Wisconsin Ma...