6/11/25 – One day as I walked by the shower building I heard a male voice softly say “oh…my…god”. Clearly there could only be one explanation: this man was in the throes of “The World’s Greatest Shower”.
Anyone who’s been on a wilderness canoe trip knows the feeling. After a few days of canoe camping the layers of mud, sweat, sunblock and Deet really build up. Your fingernails are black, your hair looks like a dirty kitchen mop and you could grow potatoes in the spaces between your toes. By the time you glide into the Sawbill dock you’re coated with virtual second skin of this stuff. As you shoulder your packs one more time for the walk back to Sawbill base you start to think about one thing, a hot shower.

Designed by a crew member in the early 70’s for a class project, the Sawbill shower building is a study in functional simplicity. It’s spacious, clean and well lit. The warm pine interior and open lofted design (you can hear the birds and breeze in the treetops overhead) make it the perfect transitional space between the wilderness you just left, and the air conditioned, mosquito free comfort of the vehicle that will spirit you back to into the modern world.

A great shower can measured by two crucial metrics: water pressure and hot water supply. The spray from the Sawbill shower house comes out in a fine yet powerful stream. The perfect combo of crud removing force and shoulder muscle soothing finesse. The ‘hot’ part of the equation is even and endless, giving you plenty of time to hang your head and let your neck loosen up while you bask in the afterglow of conquering the elements.

So when that last portage is done and the canoe is finally off your shoulders make sure you stop in the Sawbill store for a cold drink and a hot shower. Oh… my… god indeed.

Damon