As the Boundary Waters draws new visitors, journalist Joe Friedrichs shares cautionary tales from a beautiful place
A rainbow rises over the South Arm of Knife Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in July 2021.
Dan Kraker | MPR News
We are entering that time of year when adventurous Minnesotans start answering the call of the Boundary Waters, the pristine and isolated land and water we love so much in this state.
The Boundary Waters has seen an increase in visitors over the past few years, likely due to the pandemic. Regional journalist and paddle enthusiast Joe Friedrichs wants those visitors to remember that this beautiful northern landscape comes with its own hazards and potential dangers. On Tuesday, he will release a book filled with true stories of peril in the area.
Friedrichs joined MPR News host Emily Bright to share what he learned while writing “Last Entry Point: Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters.”
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
EMILY BRIGHT: We are entering that time of year when adventurous Minnesotans start answering the call of the boundary Waters, the iconically pristine and isolated land and water we love so much in this state. The Boundary Waters have seen an increase in visitors over the past few years, likely due to the pandemic.
Regional journalist and paddle enthusiast Joe Friedrichs wants those visitors to remember that this beautiful northern landscape comes with its own hazards and potential dangers. Tomorrow, he is releasing a book filled with true stories of peril in the area. It's called Last Entry Point, Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters. Joe Friedrichs joins me now to share what he learned. Welcome, Joe.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Hi, Emily. Good to be here.
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, well, thank you. Well, you are a serious paddler. What made you want to seek out these stories of dangerous things happening out in the Boundary Waters?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, I've been a journalist up here in Grand Marais for 10 years, so over 10 years now. And in my role at the radio station in town where I used to work, we would get the news releases when someone would die in the Boundary Waters.
And it happened more and more, it seemed. And just the news of that was often so brief. And it was a press release from the Sheriff's Department in Cook, or Lake, or St. Louis County. And minimal details, just someone had died. And here are the circumstances and notification pending when they let the family know and so forth.
So after eight years of that, I just got more curious about who are the people that I'm reading this news about on the airwaves, and then just going to the next story about the city council, or the county board meeting, that type of thing? And it just didn't have any depth to it.
So after one story in particular, in May 2020, I reached out to someone who I knew was associated with the person who had died. And she agreed to do an interview. And it was just this really heartwarming, but also a voice of concern for people saying, please be safe on your canoe trip and don't just go about it so lightly and not take serious how cold the water is in May and all of these risks associated with it, In addition to beautiful stories about this young man named Billy Cameron, who had come from Indiana. So that was the starting point of the book going, well, who are the other people that I've been reading about for eight years?
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, well, I love that it comes from the journalist in you saying, tell me the stories. Tell me more. And so tell me about Billy Cameron and the story that kind of launched this piece.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, Billy Cameron, as I said, died in May 2020 on Tuscarora Lake. It's in the Gunflint Trail area, South of Round Lake and the outfitter there, Tuscarora. And he was with two friends from Indiana. It was actually his birthday, his 29th birthday, the day before he passed away. They had been doing annual trips up from Indiana. It was his favorite place in the country.
He just loved it. He kind of planned his whole year around coming up. And they got a fishing lure snagged on Tuscarora. And the canoe capsized. And he went in. All three of them went in. They all had their life jackets on, which is particularly scary in this story. And he died from a shock of just that cold water.
His two friends made it out. They spent the night on shore in terror, essentially. And Billy was found the next day by the floatplane, The Beaver. And Natalie Iaconis is his girlfriend. They were about to be engaged. She did not know that. Or he was going to propose that summer. And Natalie is the person who I spoke with who shared this story with me about safety and Billy's passion for the Boundary Waters.
EMILY BRIGHT: Were there common themes in the stories you were hearing?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Just other people really wanting to express safety for other paddlers. And the reason I think that so many people were willing to speak with me after they've lost a loved one or been in seriously dangerous situation themselves is, OK, you're going to use the approach of what can we learn from this as opposed to just kind of an exaggerated, or highlighted, or sort of dramatic way of telling the story that we're going to learn something from these.
So that was the thread that wove it all together. Because the way that people get injured or die does vary. I mean, there's lightning strikes in the book, trees that fall down. Cold water drownings is definitely a recurring theme. But it varied.
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, all sorts of ways to get yourself in trouble. You know, in your book, you talked a lot about people who have been through harrowing experiences and search and rescue teams who have helped them. So what have you learned about staying calm and navigating crisis in these scary scenarios?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Sure, yeah, I think just not getting too confident in your own abilities. And I've been to the Boundary Waters many, many times now. It's one of the main reasons I live here in Grand Marais and Cook County. And we actually had this experience ourselves last May.
Our group went in on the fishing opener the day before the opener in mid-May last year '23. And our canoe capsized. And we went down a stretch of rapids, my friend and I. And I actually was in a very dangerous, life-threatening situation as a result of that. And I attribute it to not proceeding with caution, just overconfidence in my ability.
And we had our life jackets on and so forth. But you just have to be thinking and be present all the time, and not get caught up in the it's so great here. I love it here. This is so beautiful. You can have that. But you also need to be aware of just the current moment you're in.
EMILY BRIGHT: So don't get overconfident. Be aware of your surroundings. Any other takeaways that you want listeners to have even before they read your book?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: I mean, the life jacket component of it is such a key thing. I know the outfitters, and the Sheriff's Department, search and rescue, everybody really emphasizes that almost to the point that maybe it becomes just cliche, or overlooked, or yeah, yeah, yeah type response. But it's so important to wear your life jacket when you're in a canoe in the Boundary Waters.
It's a very basic thing you can do to help yourself or give yourself a better chance at the very least. That's a big thing, just wear your life jacket on these canoe trips. Even if it's a little bit uncomfortable, it's going to help you. And then it helps search and rescue. These are volunteers, people that have to go in there and try to help you if you're injured. So just be on the lookout for them. You're helping them by trying to help yourself.
EMILY BRIGHT: You know, there's been a lot of work done to make it clear that the Boundary Waters are public land and water and that everyone is welcome to enjoy them. And now, on the other hand, many people feel like they need to be wilderness experts if they're going to venture out. Is that true? And how do you strike a balance between safety and accessibility?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: I mean, the Boundary Waters has a lot of options for people. There's some entry points where you don't even have to portage, which is carry your canoe from lake to lake, where you can just base camp and take it easy, essentially. Then there's also the opportunity to get deep into the wilderness and go six, seven, eight, portages deep. And maybe you have a chance to see nobody for a couple of days on something like that.
So there's different tiers of accessibility for all kinds of people. I was actually just out not long ago, two weeks ago, with someone who was on their first trip, first time they'd ever been in the Boundary Waters. And the ice had just come off a few days before. And you just take it easy. That was like, we really embraced that sort of sentiment of, OK, we're going to stick closer to shore.
We're not going to do anything over the top here. And let's just proceed with some caution, but soak this all in because this is so beautiful. And that was the experience we got to share. So it's different tiers. There's a lot of different places you can go with a permit and just talk with the outfitters is a big thing, or the forest service, if you're picking up your permit, they're saying, hey, it's my first trip. What do you think I'm capable of?
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, what do you find so magical about the Boundary Waters?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, I'm a big angler. And so fishing is a big part of my trips. But just the experience of solitude at camp. When you get there, and you've got it set up, and you get the fire going in the evening, and it's calm and just gorgeous, you're looking across the lake.
I've lived in Montana and Oregon in the past. And I think that the Boundary Waters is the best place that I've ever lived for outdoor recreation. It's just so remote. There's so much wildlife. And it's just such a beautiful, beautiful place to spend time. And I hope that everybody who reads the book understands that it's my favorite place. And this is a form of advocacy for keeping this place safe. So that everybody can come here, enjoy it, and go home afterward.
EMILY BRIGHT: Well, that love is absolutely shining through in your voice. What are your plans for this season?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, we've got our fishing opener trip coming on May 10. We'll be going in on that Friday, the mid Gunflint Trail area, going after lake trout and brook trout, maybe some walleye. And then doing some paddling throughout the summer. One of the nice things about living in Grand Marais is we can just kind of zoom up there on day trips whenever we want. But we've got some overnight trips planned too.
EMILY BRIGHT: Well, Thank you so much for talking with us. Actually, one silly little question, not silly, but permitting is required starting May 1, this week, right?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Right, yeah, middle of this week. So if you're going in for an overnight trip, this is when you need to have a permit booked, it's the quota season the Forest Service calls it. So that starts this week. Be very mindful of that. You can still do a day trip paddle, though, for free. And you just self-register that at the kiosk.
EMILY BRIGHT: Gotcha. Well, Joe, thanks for your time.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Thanks, Emily.
EMILY BRIGHT: That was journalist and author Joe Frederichs. His book is called Last Entry Point, Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters. And that comes out tomorrow. And that's it for Minnesota Now. Thank you for being with us today. I will be back with you tomorrow.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Regional journalist and paddle enthusiast Joe Friedrichs wants those visitors to remember that this beautiful northern landscape comes with its own hazards and potential dangers. Tomorrow, he is releasing a book filled with true stories of peril in the area. It's called Last Entry Point, Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters. Joe Friedrichs joins me now to share what he learned. Welcome, Joe.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Hi, Emily. Good to be here.
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, well, thank you. Well, you are a serious paddler. What made you want to seek out these stories of dangerous things happening out in the Boundary Waters?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, I've been a journalist up here in Grand Marais for 10 years, so over 10 years now. And in my role at the radio station in town where I used to work, we would get the news releases when someone would die in the Boundary Waters.
And it happened more and more, it seemed. And just the news of that was often so brief. And it was a press release from the Sheriff's Department in Cook, or Lake, or St. Louis County. And minimal details, just someone had died. And here are the circumstances and notification pending when they let the family know and so forth.
So after eight years of that, I just got more curious about who are the people that I'm reading this news about on the airwaves, and then just going to the next story about the city council, or the county board meeting, that type of thing? And it just didn't have any depth to it.
So after one story in particular, in May 2020, I reached out to someone who I knew was associated with the person who had died. And she agreed to do an interview. And it was just this really heartwarming, but also a voice of concern for people saying, please be safe on your canoe trip and don't just go about it so lightly and not take serious how cold the water is in May and all of these risks associated with it, In addition to beautiful stories about this young man named Billy Cameron, who had come from Indiana. So that was the starting point of the book going, well, who are the other people that I've been reading about for eight years?
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, well, I love that it comes from the journalist in you saying, tell me the stories. Tell me more. And so tell me about Billy Cameron and the story that kind of launched this piece.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, Billy Cameron, as I said, died in May 2020 on Tuscarora Lake. It's in the Gunflint Trail area, South of Round Lake and the outfitter there, Tuscarora. And he was with two friends from Indiana. It was actually his birthday, his 29th birthday, the day before he passed away. They had been doing annual trips up from Indiana. It was his favorite place in the country.
He just loved it. He kind of planned his whole year around coming up. And they got a fishing lure snagged on Tuscarora. And the canoe capsized. And he went in. All three of them went in. They all had their life jackets on, which is particularly scary in this story. And he died from a shock of just that cold water.
His two friends made it out. They spent the night on shore in terror, essentially. And Billy was found the next day by the floatplane, The Beaver. And Natalie Iaconis is his girlfriend. They were about to be engaged. She did not know that. Or he was going to propose that summer. And Natalie is the person who I spoke with who shared this story with me about safety and Billy's passion for the Boundary Waters.
EMILY BRIGHT: Were there common themes in the stories you were hearing?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Just other people really wanting to express safety for other paddlers. And the reason I think that so many people were willing to speak with me after they've lost a loved one or been in seriously dangerous situation themselves is, OK, you're going to use the approach of what can we learn from this as opposed to just kind of an exaggerated, or highlighted, or sort of dramatic way of telling the story that we're going to learn something from these.
So that was the thread that wove it all together. Because the way that people get injured or die does vary. I mean, there's lightning strikes in the book, trees that fall down. Cold water drownings is definitely a recurring theme. But it varied.
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, all sorts of ways to get yourself in trouble. You know, in your book, you talked a lot about people who have been through harrowing experiences and search and rescue teams who have helped them. So what have you learned about staying calm and navigating crisis in these scary scenarios?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Sure, yeah, I think just not getting too confident in your own abilities. And I've been to the Boundary Waters many, many times now. It's one of the main reasons I live here in Grand Marais and Cook County. And we actually had this experience ourselves last May.
Our group went in on the fishing opener the day before the opener in mid-May last year '23. And our canoe capsized. And we went down a stretch of rapids, my friend and I. And I actually was in a very dangerous, life-threatening situation as a result of that. And I attribute it to not proceeding with caution, just overconfidence in my ability.
And we had our life jackets on and so forth. But you just have to be thinking and be present all the time, and not get caught up in the it's so great here. I love it here. This is so beautiful. You can have that. But you also need to be aware of just the current moment you're in.
EMILY BRIGHT: So don't get overconfident. Be aware of your surroundings. Any other takeaways that you want listeners to have even before they read your book?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: I mean, the life jacket component of it is such a key thing. I know the outfitters, and the Sheriff's Department, search and rescue, everybody really emphasizes that almost to the point that maybe it becomes just cliche, or overlooked, or yeah, yeah, yeah type response. But it's so important to wear your life jacket when you're in a canoe in the Boundary Waters.
It's a very basic thing you can do to help yourself or give yourself a better chance at the very least. That's a big thing, just wear your life jacket on these canoe trips. Even if it's a little bit uncomfortable, it's going to help you. And then it helps search and rescue. These are volunteers, people that have to go in there and try to help you if you're injured. So just be on the lookout for them. You're helping them by trying to help yourself.
EMILY BRIGHT: You know, there's been a lot of work done to make it clear that the Boundary Waters are public land and water and that everyone is welcome to enjoy them. And now, on the other hand, many people feel like they need to be wilderness experts if they're going to venture out. Is that true? And how do you strike a balance between safety and accessibility?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: I mean, the Boundary Waters has a lot of options for people. There's some entry points where you don't even have to portage, which is carry your canoe from lake to lake, where you can just base camp and take it easy, essentially. Then there's also the opportunity to get deep into the wilderness and go six, seven, eight, portages deep. And maybe you have a chance to see nobody for a couple of days on something like that.
So there's different tiers of accessibility for all kinds of people. I was actually just out not long ago, two weeks ago, with someone who was on their first trip, first time they'd ever been in the Boundary Waters. And the ice had just come off a few days before. And you just take it easy. That was like, we really embraced that sort of sentiment of, OK, we're going to stick closer to shore.
We're not going to do anything over the top here. And let's just proceed with some caution, but soak this all in because this is so beautiful. And that was the experience we got to share. So it's different tiers. There's a lot of different places you can go with a permit and just talk with the outfitters is a big thing, or the forest service, if you're picking up your permit, they're saying, hey, it's my first trip. What do you think I'm capable of?
EMILY BRIGHT: Yeah, what do you find so magical about the Boundary Waters?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, I'm a big angler. And so fishing is a big part of my trips. But just the experience of solitude at camp. When you get there, and you've got it set up, and you get the fire going in the evening, and it's calm and just gorgeous, you're looking across the lake.
I've lived in Montana and Oregon in the past. And I think that the Boundary Waters is the best place that I've ever lived for outdoor recreation. It's just so remote. There's so much wildlife. And it's just such a beautiful, beautiful place to spend time. And I hope that everybody who reads the book understands that it's my favorite place. And this is a form of advocacy for keeping this place safe. So that everybody can come here, enjoy it, and go home afterward.
EMILY BRIGHT: Well, that love is absolutely shining through in your voice. What are your plans for this season?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Well, we've got our fishing opener trip coming on May 10. We'll be going in on that Friday, the mid Gunflint Trail area, going after lake trout and brook trout, maybe some walleye. And then doing some paddling throughout the summer. One of the nice things about living in Grand Marais is we can just kind of zoom up there on day trips whenever we want. But we've got some overnight trips planned too.
EMILY BRIGHT: Well, Thank you so much for talking with us. Actually, one silly little question, not silly, but permitting is required starting May 1, this week, right?
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Right, yeah, middle of this week. So if you're going in for an overnight trip, this is when you need to have a permit booked, it's the quota season the Forest Service calls it. So that starts this week. Be very mindful of that. You can still do a day trip paddle, though, for free. And you just self-register that at the kiosk.
EMILY BRIGHT: Gotcha. Well, Joe, thanks for your time.
JOE FRIEDRICHS: Thanks, Emily.
EMILY BRIGHT: That was journalist and author Joe Frederichs. His book is called Last Entry Point, Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters. And that comes out tomorrow. And that's it for Minnesota Now. Thank you for being with us today. I will be back with you tomorrow.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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