5/20/21 – On Monday, May 17th a fire started in the northwest corner of the Boundary Waters. The wildfire was detected northwest of Bezhik Lake on the LaCroix Ranger District of the Superior National Forest. At the moment, a lightning strike is believed to have started the fire.

This is VERY FAR AWAY from Sawbill, and officials have been responding to the blaze. The lake this fire started at is approximately 90 miles away from Sawbill. Crews began to respond and put out this blaze after it began to move closer to private property following its initial start. Superior National Forest spokesperson Tim Engrav said six aircraft and at least 40 firefighters worked to put out the fire, and officials are currently monitoring the situation.

Fires are a natural part of a forest’s life cycle. Low-intensity wildfires burn up fuel, plant debris, and dead trees. Therefore, they make room for younger trees and vegetation to thrive. Also, regular control burns can prevent massive scale forest fires. For more information on wildfires, checkout these articles from the BBC and WWF:

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160722-why-we-should-let-raging-wildfires-burn

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/forest-fires-the-good-and-the-bad

News Articles covering the Bezhik Fire:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7490/

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/05/20/boundary-waters-blaze-could-be-sign-of-busy-wildfire-season

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/fires/7035329-BWCAW-fire-estimate-downsized-to-950-acres

-Mia

5/19/21- It seems that summer has finally arrived here at Sawbill. The birch and willow now have their leaves and the once patchy canopy has finally filled in. Things have picked up a bit as everyone is taking advantage of the wonderful temperatures. Rain is in the forecast for the next few days, but that hasn’t deterred eager paddlers! We’re seeing more and more friendly faces every day and are getting into the summer swing.

A peaceful sunset over Sawbill Lake

There have been exciting happenings at the Outfit as we continue to receive new canoes, including a few new solos! This week has also been particularly notable for crew members. One crew member spotted a Lynx on the road toward Kawishiwi Lake early Sunday morning and, on Monday night, a handful of the crew saw the Northern lights during a night paddle. Crew members have been enjoying their free time by jumping off the dock, catching sunsets on the lake, and, of course, paddling! We’ve been enjoying the start of the new season and hope you are too!

-Siri

05/17/21- Fishing season officially started on May 15th and we are excited to see what kind of monsters people will catch this year! The weather has consisted of light showers mixed with warm sunny days which created a slow start to the season. The warm weather has also aligned with the beginning of the black fly season. Their presence has been officially announced and we suggest you bring a bug hat, shirt, and bug net for your tent/ hammock! Clare’s personal bug philosophy is LAYERS! Wearing layers and loose-fitting clothing will greatly help your battle with the bugs.

• -Diana

5/14/21- With the temperatures rising we have officially turned the water on at all three campgrounds that we manage! We have started cleaning all of the campsites and preparing them for campers! Outhouses have been scrubbed, trails have been brushed, and the fire grates have been cleaned out. We have started to see more happy faces in our store which has brewed excitement in our crew who are excited to take on the busy summer season.

We are excited for our store to be open this season and are providing the best Covid precautions for the safety of our crew and customers!

-Diana

5/4/21 – We’ve gotten word from the Forest Service that the order closing Sawbill Lake, Crescent Lake, and Temperance River campgrounds is lifted. It’s still freezing at night, so the water isn’t turned on and we aren’t maintaining the outhouses yet. That means, if you want to come camp you are welcome to and there are no fees being charged. All the same rules apply, and our store is open so we’ll still be here to greet you. Once the water is on (probably in the next week) we will begin cleaning and the campgrounds will all be open as usual.

Aside from felling hazard trees, we also rake around all the fire grates to remove the buildup of pine needles and other fuel hazards. Then the fire grates get scooped out, removing the ash from last season and making way for many happy campfires this year. Lastly, we some general brushing, stain picnic tables, repair signs…the list goes on! We’re taking full advantage of the beautiful sunny days to get things ship shape for this camping season!

-Clare

4/18/21 – The ice on Sawbill is officially out. We consider the ice out when the lake is 90% open water, and with the recent warm windy days the lake was ice free as of April 17th. Certainly, this is an early date for ice out. Typically we expect there to be ice on the lake until the first week of May. Dan did a little research into our archives to find some of the earliest ice out dates and came up with the following:

• April 21, 2017
• April 12, 2000
• April 4, 2010
• March 27, 2012

True to tradition, the Sawbill crew marked the occasion by “opening the beach club.” Resident swim enthusiast, Huckleberry the dog, says that this is his favorite holiday.

Meanwhile, we are busily preparing Sawbill for the season. With an early spring and some warmer days we are tackling many outdoor projects. The most important of which is working to firewise the property. Early spring coupled with a minimal snowpack can portend dry conditions. In an effort to be prepared, we have fixed a broken line in our robust sprinkler system and are now working to rake and trim a perimeter around all of our buildings. Living in the forest as we do, it’s important to realize that it’s not if, but when, a fire will burn through the area. Thinning out the brush and keeping the pine needles at bay can go a long ways toward protecting our infrastructure in the event of a fire.

There’s more snow in the forecast so we haven’t pulled the canoes out of storage just yet. If you’re itching to get an early season trip in though, give us a call and we can get you set up! We’re excited to start welcoming folks back to the wilderness.

-Clare

4/15/21 – Today we finally have blue skies and open water in front of the landing (see progress report below), although it appears there’s still a good amount of rotten ice hanging on further up the lake. -Jessica

4/13/21 – Official ice report; enough to support an otter. -Jessica

4/11/2021 – A sure sign the ice is making moves toward sinking into the watery abyss happened on Friday when the lake rose substantially topping the edge of the canoe landing (the recent steady rain is probably contributing a little as well). Each day it’s risen slightly and the ice is really looking dark toward the north.

While walking on the lake path the other day I ran into one of the neighborhood snowshoe hares. They informed me that last seasons styles were on the way out. Skinny jeans and side parts are now a thing of the past. -Jessica

4/8/21 – Another sure sign of the approaching paddling season is the return of the Sawbill Crew! To celebrate his return for a third season, we let Sawyer do the ice measuring honors today. With the aid of the ever trusty Alumacraft he shimmied his way out onto the ice, demonstrated perfect auguring form, and measured 13″ of fairly porous ice. -Jessica