6/29/10 – On Saturday, June 26, former crew members Eric Frost and Jessica Wallendal (affectionately known as Frosty and Jessa) were married here in Tofte. Needless to say, Sawbill was an exciting place this weekend with former crew members passing through before and after the wedding. Sawbill’s own Reverend Bill Hansen conducted the ceremony in Tofte Park on Lake Superior. Blessings were given by Bill, but also by nature as the weather finally cleared up for the ceremony after a long spell of dreary weather.
Congratulations Frosty and Jessa, and best wishes from all of us here at Sawbill!

Beautiful setting, beautiful wedding!

Sawbill babes, past and present.

6/28/10 – Recently, four members of the Sawbill crew returned from a short trip into the BWCAW. Reports of excellent fishing and delicious wild strawberries made the trip a true success. Strawberries have also been seen growing in the campground as well.
– Luke

Tyler with a largemouth bass, quite rare in the area.

Wild strawberries, small but packed with flavor.

6/26/10 – Ben Hauser, from Sun Prairie, WI caught and released two nice small mouth bass (18 5/8″ and a 18″) on Sawbill Lake on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Ben is the grandson of Jack Brenegan who has been coming to Sawbill for over 30 years.

6/21/10 – This morning, while driving to-and-fro from a transportation, I was happily surprised by the amount of wildlife I saw. On the way to pick up my passengers I spotted a cow moose, three deer, and at least a dozen rabbits. After delivering my passengers to their entry point I witnessed about six wolf pups walking down the road. I was only lucky enough to snap a picture of the moose, but seeing all the wildlife made the four hour drive well worth it.
-Jessica

Moose standing in the brush along the side of the road.

6/19/10 – Over the past week there have been sightings of adolescent moose, deer, and merganser trying to put up with the soggy weather.
Today, Sawbill crew member Carl Hansen spotted a baby rabbit nestled into the corner of a bike rack. With quick thinking he snapped a few choice pictures of the cute ball of fur.
-Jessica

Baby rabbit trying to stay warm.

6/15/10 – Ed Erickson, from Chetek, Wisconsin, sent us these amazing pictures of his encounter with a loon on Alton Lake. In more than 50 years here at Sawbill, I’ve never heard of a loon trying to take a fish off a stringer. Here is photographic proof that anything is possible. – Bill

(All photos by Ed Erickson)

6/14/10 – Recently Sawbill Canoe Outfitters has welcomed a new crew member, Kaj Snow. Kaj is originally from Decorah, Iowa, but will be attending his Junior year at Carlton Collage in Northfield, Minnesota where he is majoring in Chemistry.
After a few long days of cutting and splitting wood, Kaj says that the thing he most enjoys about Sawbill so far is the sauna.
-Jessica

Kaj taking a break from cutting wood.

6/12/10 – Yesterday, while waiting out the rainy weather, some of the Sawbill crew members made it a point to practice their knot tying abilities. First, they started out with one of the most important knots for a crew member to know, the trucker’s hitch. This knot comes in handy when tying down a canoe to a vehicle because it is easy to untie without leaving a tangle of leftover knots.
Once mastering the trucker’s hitch they moved onto a more difficult knot, the bowline, which is just as handy. They also practiced lashing as well as the butterfly knot.
-Jessica

Sarah patiently trying to teach Pat and Tyler the bowline.

An example of Tyler’s handy lashing ability.

6/12/10 – Greg Braun from Mason City, Iowa, sent along these great pictures that are typical of things you can see in the BWCA Wilderness at this time of year. Greg and his cousin, Scott, also saw a bull moose, ruffed grouse, ducks, geese, osprey, eagle, turtle, possible pine martin and a wolf swimming across Cherokee Lake.

Pink lady slipper orchid.

Tiger swallowtails.

6/11/10 – We received this nice note and amazing picture from frequent Sawbill paddler Le Vong Lo:
Hey Sawbill staff,
I just wanted to say thanks for another excellent trip. We brought two new guys with us this year and they can’t stop talking about the trip and about next year.
Just wanna share a picture and brag a little 🙂 about a 45 inch monster northern I caught. We almost tipped the canoe pulling him on board.
Looking forward to catching him again next year.
Thanks
Le Vong Lo

Le Vong Lo and (wow) big fish.