12/4/14 – Our phones and internet were down all day yesterday, thanks to a fiber optic cable break in Tofte. It’s the price we pay for living in paradise!
Amy and Dave Freeman have finished their epic canoe trip from Ely, Minnesota to Washington D.C. For more information on what they are up to, you can listen to this week’s edition of the Cook County West End News or go to the Paddle to DC website.

Amy and Dave just hours after arriving in D.C. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen them wearing something other than their paddling clothes. Photo by Caitlyn Ward.
Here is last week’s edition of the Cook County West End News. – Bill

12/3/14 – Adam West, former Sawbill crew member, brought this cool video to our attention. It was filmed in August, 2011 on South Temperance Lake, which is a day’s paddle from Sawbill. – Bill

12/1/14 – Sawbill’s own, Adam Hansen, now an attorney, had a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States today. For you legal nerds, the case is Nickols v. Mortgage Bankers Association.

Former Sawbill crew members at the Supreme Court today: (l to r) Max Wilson 2000 – 2003; Adam Hansen 1980 – 2005; Nathan Ter Beest 2000 – 2003.
We had a visit this weekend from Tom and Margit Berg, long time Sawbill canoeists and friends. After coffee and conversation, Tom and Margit took a walk on Sawbill Lake. They were kind enough to send along these pictures of Phoebe (Chief of Outfitter Security) and Roy (Deputy Chief of Outfitter Security), who were thrilled to accompany the Bergs on their hike.


Happy dogs – coming and going.

11/21/14 – Dave and Amy Freeman, our wonderful and over-qualified guides here at Sawbill, are nearing the end of their latest epic human powered journey. They have paddled and sailed from Ely, Minnesota to Washington D.C. to deliver a canoe that is a floating petition signed by people who are concerned with the environmental and economic impact of proposed mining projects near the BWCA Wilderness.
Last night, they gave a talk at the University of Delaware, where they were greeted by long-time Sawbill canoeists Jean and Richard Krohn.

A Sawbill reunion in Delaware. (l-r) Amy Freeman, Dave Freeman, Jean Krohn, Richard Krohn. Jean is proudly wearing her Sawbill t-shirt.
Steve West, from the Duluth area, is one of the leading fishing experts in the Sawbill area. He sent along this picture from his latest vist, just a little more than a month ago.

Steve is holding the catch for his entire party, so no need to call the game warden.
Here is this week’s edition of the Cook County West End News from WTIP-FM, North Shore Community Radio.

11/20/14 – I failed to mention that Sawbill Lake froze over for the season on Monday, November 10th. It would have frozen a few days before that except high winds kept it open.
We’ve been receiving some great pictures from talented photographers. Dave Brislance is a Lutsen, Minnesota based wildlife photographer. He was kind enough to share some close ups of a bull moose he saw just off the Sawbill Trail back in October. – Bill

Photo by David Brislance.

Photo by David Brislance.

Photo by David Brislance.

11/15/14 – I am delighted to share the video of the original song, “My Sawbill Journey” by longtime Sawbill friend and well-known Nashville songwriter Jerry Vandiver. The images are from local master photographer, Paul Sundberg. – Bill

It’s obvious that Jerry and Paul share a love of Sawbill, the BWCA Wilderness and the great outdoors. I can’t thank them enough for their generous celebration of Sawbill.

11/13/14 – Here are some great pictures taken by talented local photographer Tom Spence.

Bull moose near the Sawbill Trail in early November. Photo by Tom Spence.

Morning fog in early November. Photo by Tom Spence.

Late season canoeists at the end of October. Photo by Tom Spence.
Speaking of late October canoeing, here is a link to a well written article by Greg Seitz from Wilderness News Online about his trip out of Sawbill a few weeks ago. – Bill

11/12/14 – Greg Grit, Technology and Engineering instructor at Plymouth, Minnesota High School, sent along this picture of his student, Kyle Schwibinger, with a pizza paddle that he made including a laser imprint of Kyle’s favorite outfitter’s logo. – Bill

Kyle is a frequent Sawbill camper and now can think of Sawbill whenever he removes a pizza from the oven.

11/5/14 – Tom and Carol Heinrich have an annual tradition of canoeing on Brule Lake very late in the season. They were kind enough to send along a couple of pictures from their trip last weekend. They may try again this weekend if the ice holds off. – Bill

Beautiful and unusual ice formations along the shore of Brule Lake, resulting from a combination of high wind and cold temperatures.

Brule Lake on November 1st.

11/4/14 – Two brave parties rented canoes over the last weekend, but I think the canoeing season at Sawbill is now officially over. One group camped on Smoke Lake and had to break ice to get to the portage on the way out.
The larger lakes are still mostly liquid, but all the small ponds and streams have skimmed over. The cold snap predicted for the near future should bring the winter-long ice cover.
Here is last week’s Cook County West End News from WTIP-FM, North Shore Community Radio.