Paddle and Portage: a New Website for the Boundary Waters

This is a quick bit of interesting news for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lovers. Paddle and Portage is a brand new website devoted to telling stories about the Boundary Waters and Quetico. It launched in January 2024.

The website is founded by Joe Friedrichs, formerly of the radio station WTIP and WTIP’s Boundary Waters Podcast. Matthew Baxley is also joining Friedrichs’ new adventure as part of the new Paddle and Portage Podcast. Baxley was Friedrichs’ co-host on WTIP’s podcast. He’s also a talented filmmaker and good host. He interviewed me about my Following the Winchell Expedition trip for a past episode of the Boundary Waters Podcast. WTIP’s Boundary Waters Podcast will change hosts to a rotating crew that includes Lindsey Gau and Bill Hansen.

The Paddle and Portage website also offers a membership-only digital magazine and an online shop selling Friedrichs’ two Boundary Waters books: Her Island: The Story of Quetico’s Longest Serving Interior Ranger, and Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters.

Here’s the vision statement for the new website: “We believe that storytelling has the power to connect people with the wild in a real, tangible way. Paddle and Portage media is our endeavor to bridge the gap between adventure and narratives, inviting our audience to experience the magic of the Boundary Waters and Quetico through the eyes and ears of those who live here, visit the area, or are still waiting to make that first trip to the canoe-country wilderness.”

It’s rare to see new websites (other than poor affiliate sites) and magazines devoted to paddling, so I’m excited and hope they succeed. Check out their new website here: Paddle & Portage.