8/25/14 – Our incredible Sawbill guides, Dave and Amy Freeman, are embarking on another big canoe adventure. They are paddling from Ely, Minnesota to Washington, D.C. This time, they are not only teaching wilderness values as they go, but lobbying for clean water and maintaining the diverse, vibrant economy in northeastern Minnesota.
You can find out much more at: PaddletoDC.org

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single paddle stroke. An enthusiastic crowd encourages Dave and Amy as they paddle petitions (including the canoe itself) from Ely to Washington, D.C.

The portage trail may be rocky, but Dave and Amy will complete their mission to keep the BWCA Wilderness safe.

Amy and Dave in their native habitat.

8/23/14 – There is a research project underway here in Cook County that examines the impact of international workers in the local communities.
Part of the project is a survey of visitors, in which you are welcome to participate.
Former Sawbill crew member, Lee Stewart, started camping at Sawbill with her parents in the 1950s. Her mother, Lizzy Millard, would have been happy to see that her descendants are still camping at Sawbill. – Bill

Lizzy Millard’s descendants, Emily Elizabeth Stewart Thomas, Lee Stewart, Jane Elizabeth Thomas – 60+ years of family tradition and counting.

8/19/14 – Every customer who visits the Sawbill store knows that we have some pretty cool and unique merchandise, but now the Facebook community knows it too! A fan of the Red Cup Living products we sell recently visited the store and was so excited by our stock that she took a picture and sent it to the company. The photo got posted on the Facebook page of Red Cup Living, so now all their fans know where to find us! – Britta

The lovely photo that one of our customers sent in to Red Cup Living.

8/17/14 – Blueberry season is upon us! The pickins are ripe this time of year in late summer, and many, including the crew here at Sawbill, have been taking advantage of this glorious time of year to find our favorite spots and pick. One little known fact about blueberry season is that not only are the blueberries themselves prime for picking and baking into your favorite foods (pancakes, pies, muffins, etc.), but the leaves are also a valuable resource. Blueberry leaf tea is a very tasty, and very healthy tea that can be made simply by baking the blueberry leaves, and steeping them in tea. So have at it folks! Get out there and take advantage of the season while it lasts. Blueberry picking season usually lasts until the end of August. We could tell you some of our favorite spots, but we don’t want to give away all of our secrets now do we? – Mark

Crew member Emma Nelson picking for berries at her favorite spot.

These berries are naturals in front of the camera.

A well rounded harvest of both blueberries and their leaves

So many berries!

8/15/14 – It’s been quite some time since our last update on April Knight’s canoe trip from Sawbill to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Last time we checked in with her she was about to get on a barge going up Lake Winnipeg.

April boarding the barge to go north on Lake Winnipeg.
Now, it is our pleasure to inform you that April finished her trip last Tuesday on August 5th after over 80 days on the water. It’s great to have her back. What an inspirational woman! – Mark

April Knight at the end of her 80 day journey from Sawbill to Hudson Bay.

8/14/14 – Local photographer, Paul Sundberg, was recently on a canoe trip out of Sawbill. Lucky for us, he was nice enough to share some of his beautiful photographs from Alton Lake. To view or purchase photos from Paul’s recent trip follow this link to his website. -Jessica

8/11/14 – Heads up for a detour starting today on Highway 61 in the Little Marais area. You will be routed up Highway 1 in Illgen City and back down Highway 6 to Highway 61 in Little Marais. The detour is 13 miles in total and adds 7 miles to your trip.
The good news is that the detour is quite scenic and takes you through the community of Finland, which has a lot of Minnesota character. You will pass by the Finland Co-op which is the oldest cooperative venture in Minnesota. You will also pass the Finland Heritage Center and the entrance to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. -Bill
Here is a screen shot from the Minnesota Department of Transportation website:

8/10/14 – Former crew members often stop by and visit Sawbill; however, this year we’ve seen them in droves. Fifty former crew members have popped in to say hello so far, and it’s been great to see them and hear their stories. Hopefully we get all these visitors back next year! – Britta

Tess, Mary, and Dan are three of the fifty former crew members who have come back to Sawbill in 2014.

8/8/14 – Music abounds at Sawbill! On Monday, musician Dessa came to Sawbill for her first canoe trip with our very own Bill Hansen before performing at Lutsen that night. Yesterday evening, the 3rd annual Songwriter Circle took place at the crew campfire ring. Jerry Vandiver, a Nashville singer/ songwriter, was joined by Bill, Sam Barbour of the Illnois band le Percolateur, local musician and former crew member Eric Frost, and musician Boyd Blomberg, part of the Minnesota band Pushing Chain. All the musicians were wonderful, and Grace Blomberg (Boyd’s daughter) gave a special guest performance. The music went well into the night, to the delight of the listening crew and campground guests alike. -Britta

From left to right: Sam, Jerry, Eric, Boyd and Bill.

8/6/14 – The busy season is squarely upon us here at Sawbill. This past week we sent out one of our largest outfitting groups of the season topping out at a whopping 45 people, split into 5 groups and traveling on 5 different routes. The group was from the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, Illinois and led by long time Sawbill canoeist, Mike Tilden. They had spectacular weather over the course of their trip and seemed to have had a great time overall. -Jessica

All packed and ready to go.

The canoe rack was a fraction of its former self.