7/29/07 – Now that we are fully staffed for the summer our official photographer Jim TerBeest took our annual crew photos. Who ever said Sawbill is all work and no play! – Katie

7/25/07 – The Sawbill babes took Grand Marais by storm last night with our high heels and our red lipstick. That’s right, another Ladies Night Out has come and gone. The weather was idyllic, our outfits were smokin’ and the food was fantastic. We hit the art galleries, the Tavern, the Angry Trout for dinner and finally Sydney’s for the best frozen custard a girl could ask for. Heads were turning if we do say so ourselves. Stay tuned this week for pictures of the Dome Dance going on tonight here at Sawbill as well! – Caitlin

Arrrrrrr!

Fresh herring served with spinach fettucine at the Angry Trout. A trio of otters was playing in the bay alongside our table throughout dinner. Doesn’t get any better than that.

The Sawbill babes strolling through Grand Marais.

7/23/07 – These Bullhead Lilies are easy to find in the shallow marshy areas of the Boundary Waters. Aside from their obvious aesthetic appeal they are also a favorite meal of moose. Sure enough I saw moose a few days ago on Alton pond munching away on the pretty yellow bulbs. He would dunk his whole head in the water and then come up with a mouthful. Actually people can eat the rootstalks as well if you boil them like potatoes. – Caitlin


Bullhead Lilies on the Kelso river.

7/21/07 – The 2007 Sawbill crew is complete at last! The first half of the season is always marked by the anticipation of the new arrivals. Now that all fourteen of us are here we can finally get down to business enjoying the group and spending every waking moment together. Unfortunately, the roster does not stay full for long with the first departures coming up in August. – Caitlin

Liz is back for a second Sawbill year. In the fall she will start her senior year at the University of Puget Sound. Tess is also a Sawbill sophomore and a second generation crew member. Her mom, Carol, worked here in ’78 and ’79. Tess will start her second year at Carleton College in September.

Lida and Molly demonstrate that just because we live in the woods doesn’t mean we can’t look good. Flipping canoes in stilettos is no problem for these Sawbill babes. Lida is a Sawbill vet, returning for her fifth season. The rest of the year she works as a teacher in New York. Molly works with teenagers in Chicago when she is not renting Duluth Packs and washing canoes at Sawbill. She brings three years of experience back with her this year.

7/18/07 – Waking to his alarm and the faintest bit of light coming through the window at 5am, Lee, one of our Sawbill crewmembers, went out for a paddle and some fishing before work one day this week. Although the fish weren’t biting yet, he did meet some early rising wildlife, probably surprised to see a person out with them at that hour. Even more impressive is that Lee managed to snap some fantastic photos of these beautiful creatures. Dawn and dusk are typically the best times of day to see wildlife. I think I’ll be setting my alarm a little earlier tomorrow. – Caitlin

Morning mist on Sawbill lake.

A family of otters stops their playing to stare.

The bald eagle with the dark head feathers is still an adolescent.


These Merganser ducks are also known as Sawbills giving the lake its name.

7/17/07 – Thirty years ago in Omaha, Nebraska a group of friends decided they needed a summer adventure away from business school. They ended up going canoeing in the boundary waters through Sawbill and have been back every year since. Although the roster has changed some over time the gregarious nature of the self-named Consortium is always the same. Famous at Sawbill for their appreciation of cold beverages, their mad cooking skills (pepperoni rolls are one of their specialties), and their good humor, we are always happy to see them. – Caitlin

The Consortium before their 2007 trip, from left to right: “Swap Gas” Bob Glowacki, “Astronomer” Marc Blatchford, “Bushwhacker” Dave Reynolds, “Marmaduke” Denny Wiederholt, “Many Knives” Ken Bond, “Sugar Bear” Rich Hill, “HMFIC” Pete Cummings, “Portageur” George McNar.

They caught this nice Northern with a large lure in it from a previous angler on Trail Lake. They removed the lure and threw it back right after the photo.

The Consortium enjoying their post-trip beverages.

7/16/07 – Today felt like the start of the busy season! Fortunately, the energy among the crew seems to grow as the work does. It’s that contagious summer excitement. And the sun has finally decided to come out after a week of regular showers making lots of happy canoers. Fishing reports coming in have been great. – Caitlin

The daisies are everywhere, including this spot on the trail down to the lake.

The last bit of sunlight glints off the bottom of a resting canoe.

7/13/07 – We received the following email from long-time Sawbill paddler Steve Gedron:
Hello Sawbill. I’ve just completed the 2007 DNR loon counting on area lakes, and here are my totals:
Sawbill lake- – 7 adults, 1 juvenile
Smoke lake- – 2 adults, 1 juvenile
Burnt lake- – 8 adults, 2 juvenile
Flame lake- – 1 adult
Take care,
Steve Gendron
Social Worker/loon counter/wise acre

7/12/07 – I saw the first ripe blueberry of the season today. Most are still a soft green, just testing our patience, but a few have gotten enough sun to sweeten up. In fact, colorful little berries have replaced the flowers of many plants now, much to the delight of humans and animals alike. Look back at my entry from 5/25 to see how far they’ve come. So far I’ve tasted a blueberry and a strawberry, and although they are only half the size of the grocery store mutants most people know their flavor is infinitely superior. – Caitlin

The nasty Black Flies we put up with in May are important pollinators for the blueberry plant. Gotta put up with the bad to enjoy the good!

The Wood Strawberry is the parent of 90% of all cultivated strawberries.

The Dewberry or Dwarf Raspberry looks like a small raspberry plant as its name suggests; however, the berries look better than they taste.

The Bunchberry is a favorite of grouse, chipmunks and Rock Voles. People find the mealy fruit with large stones less appealing.

7/11/07 – Loon chicks have started to hatch in the BWCAW. These tiny chicks leave the shore and their nests behind within 12 to 24 hours of hatching. It is speculated that these loons may not touch land again until they begin to breed in a number of years. During the first few weeks of life baby loons are under constant care from either parent, and are often seen riding on the back of a parent for safety. As with all wildlife close contact with humans can be damaging. Always remember to give loons and their chicks ample space.

A loon family fishes on Grace Lake

John Breslin enjoys the loons from afar