6/18/15 – Sawbill upped its resident critter count by two this past week when a pair of bats decided to take a snooze on the side of our store.

This little guy (or girl) perched very close to the life vest washing station, so we took extra precaution not to spray him with water.

Knowing how much we value our nap time, crew members gave the bats their space.
We have also experienced some spectacular sunsets here in the last few days. Two nights ago, crew members and customers alike gathered by the shores of Sawbill Lake to take in the incredible colors, serenaded by a chorus of loons.

Photo taken by crew member Laura Hoppe.
Business continues to be steady up here, with increased visits from Boy Scout troops and school groups now that school is out. In fact, it is shaping up to be our busiest June yet – and we wouldn’t have it any other way! – Elena

6/14/15 – We have been experiencing some lovely weather here in the north woods. Temperatures in the last week have been in the upper 60s to low 70s – perfect canoeing weather. All the rain we got earlier in the season is paying off; the woods are lush and green and flowers are starting to bloom in earnest. “When the weather is like this,” said one returning customer, “it’s hard to leave.”

Beautiful views just from the landing at Sawbill Lake

Roy enjoys a quick dip in the lake
A good tip for future trip planning, Sawbill keeps a record of each day’s weather, with records stretching back to 1997. This is an excellent resource for deciding when to come to the BWCA. Wondering what the weather will be like mid-July? You can see the average temperature for the last 19 years.
Last week, the Sawbill crew had its first Festive Dinner, held at 9:15 pm after everyone gets off work, so we can all eat together and fully enjoy each others company. The theme? Wild, Wild West! A good time was had by all. Yeehaw! – Elena

The crew all decked out in their best “Westive” gear

6/12/15 – Business has been bustling here at Sawbill, with newcomers and seasoned veterans alike heading out under (mostly) clear blue skies to enjoy time away from the hubbub of everyday life. A returning father-daughter duo described the last few days up here as “heavenly,” and we the crew have to agree.

A gentle but steady breeze down at Sawbill Lake keeps the bugs away
Former crew member Beth Lynch recently visited Sawbill and sent us a lovely account of her trip as well as some photos, featured below:
Bill & Cindy,
It’s always great to come home to Sawbill and the BW. Thanks so much
for the lovely *light weight* canoe! So much easier to portage than
our first generation kevlar Mad River.
We had a wonderful trip. Early summer is so nice for flowers (I
especially love the service berries) and warblers, and everything
seems fresh and clean after the winter’s rest. And, we think that a
spring trip is always a great way to leave a hard year of teaching
behind.

We put in at Baker Lake and spent a wet, windy night hunkered down at
a site on S. Temperance, then paddled up to Frost Lake where we spent
the next two nights.
It had been decades since I’d been on Frost Lake. The rocky site was
gorgeous. We spent a lovely afternoon exploring the Frost River, where we saw no one except for this moose. I finally got a nice moose photo.

It was fun to walk the sandy beach near our site, and the mossing was
spectacular. I now carry a 10x magnifying lens and moss collecting
packets on all of my canoe trips. There are so many cool species in
the north woods. Yep, I’m a botany geek.

After the two (very cold, but no frost) nights on Frost, we came back
south to camp on Cherokee. Such a beautiful lake, and very quiet this
time of year. The next day we returned to the Temperance lakes and
river for a final night on the peninsula of Jack Lk. On N. Temperance
we met a couple who we figured were in their early 70s; both of us
hoped we’d still be taking canoe trips in our 70s.

Thanks again. I hope your summer is a good one.
Beth
In other exciting news, Mike Wilkinson, a professional multimedia director with a passion for travel photography chose the BWCA to test out the new Lowepro Pro Runner x450, a new camera roller bag designed to travel just as well on dirt trails as on city streets. His review can be found here.

Wilkinson’s Pro Runner pictured here out on the water
Wildlife sightings have been picking up – just yesterday, a returning trip reported seeing a wolf on Kelso Lake. Unfortunately, their camera was safely packed away at the time, so they were unable to take a picture. Crew members have also reported seeing a bear a few miles from Sawbill. – Elena

6/10/15 – High winds and heavy rainfall were experienced by all up here on the Sawbill Trail. The result – several fatalities of the arboreal variety.
This sizable aspen, formerly blocking the trail, was victoriously confronted by Bill yesterday. Thanks, Bill!


A conifer fell here the day before yesterday, temporarily interrupting our water supply – That’s life in the North woods!
– Olive

6/8/15 – Attention, bird nerds! Yesterday, an American Woodcock was sighted along the side of Sawbill trail, to the delight of myself and the lucky Sawbill customers in my transportation group.

As a migratory bird, the American woodcock lives in the North (southern Canada, Maine and the Great Lakes region) during spring and summer but spends the cold months in the South (Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas). While migrating, woodcocks fly at the unusually low altitude of about 50 feet (compared to Canada Geese, which migrate at an altitude of about 3,000 feet).
Welcome back, woodcock! We hope to see more of you this summer! – Olive

5/31/15 – Former Sawbill crew members like to stay in touch. Lida Casper sent this picture of her adorable daughter, Mia, rocking her classic Sawbill hoodie while eating lefsa at the farmers market.

Mia stays warm with a sweatshirt and lefse.
Nils Anderson, now a naturalist at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota, stopped by this week for a short canoe trip and snapped this nice picture of a bull moose. – Bill

Seeing a moose in the wild is always a treat.

5/28/15 – Frequent Sawbill visitor, Steve Thyren, sent along a nice note and picture today. – Bill
Thanks for setting us up with the canoes! We had a great time. When I asked my girls if they would like to come back some day, Allison said: “Well Dad, maybe just 100,000 more times!” – Steve Thyren
Here is a picture of her paddling on Sunday morning… dead calm.

5/23/25 – The yearly Wine Lake trip, eagerly awaited by a select group of Sawbill gentlemen, departed on Saturday.

The re-telling of “enHansenated” stories is an essential part of the Wine Lake trip.

Roy wanted to come along, but he wasn’t invited. Maybe next year, Roy!

The landing dock used by Sawbill customers to enter Sawbill Lake has been extended to twice its former length. That means no more traffic jams!

The former dock, known as the iPod Classic of docks, was in need of an upgrade.

This is cause for celebration!

5/22/15 – Eden Prairie High School students participating in the Camping, Climbing, and Canoeing class stayed in the Sawbill Campground last weekend.

All 108 students were very polite and had a lot of fun.

A student showing off his skills – what a catch!

Already looking forward to next year.