10/29/17 – Before the last of our summer crew departed to their various winter destinations, we made sure to celebrate a busy and beautiful fall with the annual pumpkin carving party. This fall has been one to enjoy–warm days full of paddling, hunting, and outfitting BWCA visitors.

Fall, though, seems to have abruptly left us. While much of the North Shore of Lake Superior got hit with big wind and waves, we at Sawbill experienced our first winter storm. Seven inches of snow fell overnight on Thursday, and by all appearances, it is here to stay. Typically we have a few snow falls that melt away before winter really sets in. The forecast for the next week though shows all freezing temperatures and more snow expected.

The canoes have all been put into winter storage, and our store is buttoned up. We are here year round, and will be answering phones and email whenever we aren’t out skiing. We are still refurbishing used kevlar canoes for sale, and will post them on this website, under the Sawbill Store tab, as they are ready. The lakes haven’t frozen over yet, and I don’t expect they will until late November. Opportunities to paddle the lakes while the forest is so snowy are limited, so now is the time if you want to see the frozen woods from a canoe!

-Clare

10/12/17 – Fall color is in full swing here at Sawbill, but so is the frosty fall weather! Due to freezing temperatures at night, the Forest Service shut off water in the Sawbill and Crescent Campgrounds today. If you made a reservation for any sites on these two campgrounds and would like a refund, please go through recreation.gov. Additionally, the Temperance Campground is now closed. The Outfitters is still open for business for those hardy souls who want to come and enjoy the season!

-Britta

10/1/17 – It’s hard to believe it, but October is here! Leaves are changing all up and down the Sawbill Trail, and the temperature at night has reached 34 degrees! The key to fall camping is layers.

As of today, you no longer have to reserve a permit for overnight camping in the Boundary Waters. Simply fill out one of the paper permits at the entry point landing, keep the top copy for yourself and file the other in the designated box.

The sun is setting pretty early these days, so be sure to get out on the water by mid-afternoon if not earlier to get your camp set up before dark.

Happy October!

-Elena

9/29/17 – Dolly the English setter went missing near the Temperance River campground, midway up the Sawbill Trail, on Wednesday. If you are in the area, please keep an eye out, and let us know if you find her.

9/22/17 – Today is the autumnal equinox, the day with equal parts sun and night, and the official beginning of fall.

Autumn is an important time to be on the lookout for moose, as it is their mating season. While you might see more moose because of this, please take care, as bull moose can be aggressive during this time of year. Viewing from a safe distance is always awe inspiring and quite the treat. Happy fall!

-Britta

9/15/17 – Recently, the Quetico Superior Foundation ran a lovely feature story about Sawbill. The article starts:

There is an outfitter at the end of the Sawbill Trail, to the northwest of Lutsen, Minnesota, where customers and staff return year after year and whose names are remembered. They become part of a kind of family tree, a network of people connected to the place and the family at its center. The Hansens, and now the Shirleys, have been running Sawbill Canoe Outfitters since 1957, creating more than a business. It’s a place where annual traditions, lifelong friendships and marriages have been born. Their story suggests that it’s still possible to combine business with the magic of introducing campers to canoe country and raising a family.

You can read the full article on their website, here.

-Clare

9/7/17 – The first signs of fall are appearing here on the Wilderness edge. The small maples in particular are already quite brilliant.
We are now operating on fall hours, 8am – 7pm.
-Clare

9/2/17 – Every Labor Day we kick off the fall season with a group of friends who are more like family now. These musicians arrive this weekend each year to fish all day and play music in the canoe yard all night. It’s a treat for us and the best way to welcome to fall!

-Clare

8/23/17 – Last week Sawbill was featured in not one, but two articles in the Duluth News Tribune. Since not all of our newsletter readers are from the Duluth area, we are re-posting an excerpt from one of the articles titled “Stories from Sawbill: Bears and other visitors make an outfitter’s life interesting” by Sam Cook. The full article can be read here.

Bear comes shopping
One day, Bill Hansen was working in the outfitting office when an employee, John Schrag, popped in.
He said, ‘I have a question,’ ” Hansen recalled. ” ‘Should there be a bear in the store?’ ”
“No. Is there one?” Hansen asked Schrag.
“Yes,” Schrag replied.
So, the two of them walked down to the outfitting store. Sure enough, there was the bear.
“He was fully in the store, but he was kind of holding the door open with his back end,” Hansen said. “I said, ‘Nope. Out you go.’ And he ran off.”

We love hearing about your own Sawbill stories, so please send them and any pictures you have from your trip to info@sawbill.com! – Elena

8/21/17 – The Forest Service has received a handful of reports of bear activity in the Boundary Waters this summer and has asked us to pass that information along to our customers.
Bears have been spotted in campsites on Ogishkemunchi, Gneiss, Knife, Duncan, and Seagull. There was no aggressive behavior in any of these cases, although some of the bears did make a mess.

Water bottles that the bears had chewed on. If you put drink mixes into your water bottles, it is a good idea to store them in your food pack at night. Bears love sweet scents!
Keeping a clean camp is key to preventing bear activity. Hang your food packs well above the ground, and not in the most obvious tree if possible
If you do see a bear, shoo it away by making yourself bigger than the bear (e.g. standing on your toes, arms above your head) and make a lot of noise.

Zoomed-in photo of one of this summer’s visitors. – Elena