5/2/15 – Our talented friend, Tom Spence, was among the first overnight canoeists out of Sawbill this season. He tried to paddle out on the day before the ice went out, but didn’t get very far. He returned on the second day after ice out and spent a couple of nights camping on the north end of Sawbill Lake. – Bill

Photo by Tom Spence.

Photo by Tom Spence.


Photo by Tom Spence.

4/30/15 – The first paddle of the season. – Bill

Blue sky, blue water, high spirits.
Here are the last two editions of the Cook County West End News from WTIP-FM, North Shore Community Radio:
April 30th, 2015
April 23rd, 2015

4/29/15 – By 5 pm last night, all trace of ice had disappeared from Sawbill Lake. Minutes later, the first car with a canoe on top rolled in. The wilderness canoeing season is under way! – Bill

Sawbill Lake is ready for canoes.

4/28/15 – As of noon today, Sawbill Lake is more than 90% ice-free, which is the official criteria for ice-out. By sunset, it should be completely clear except for a few small remnants.
April 28th is very close to the average ice-out date for Sawbill Lake. In the past, the average ice-out date was May 1st, but in the last 25 years it’s been getting a little earlier. – Bill

The picture is a little deceiving, but in-person, it’s clear that the ice is more than 90% gone.

4/27/15 – The ice is looking pretty flimsy on Sawbill Lake today. I think it will go out today, or tomorrow at the latest. – Bill

Our beloved former crew member, Molly Breslin, married Sam Barbour in Ottawa, Illinois on Saturday. Many Sawbill crew represented at the celebration.

The first thing we did when we arrived back at Sawbill was check the ice. It made a lot of progress over the weekend, but was still hanging in there at sunset on Sunday.

4/26/15 – Another beautiful day here at sunny Sawbill. The ice is now down to 8 7/16″, to be exact. – Jessica

We were able to paddle around the ice to Mouse Island to snap this picture facing the canoe landing.

Honorary ice technician for today, Carla Hill, drills the test hole.

4/25/15 – Today Brian and I took a running start with our trusty Grumman and measured 11″ of highly degraded ice. Each day the ice has receded further and further from shore. Before you know it the ice measuring crew will be able to make a sightseeing paddle along the open shore after taking the measurements. We did have to break through a thin layer of skim ice, but the forecast is looking promising with nothing but blue skies today, and temperatures predicted in the mid to high 50s the rest of the week. – Jessica

Brian holding the canoe steady as I drill the hole.

There is a real technique to to drilling the test holes. I would say it’s an art-form really.

4/23/15 – No change in the lake ice for the last few days. The temperatures are still colder than usual and the sun is struggling just to melt the new snow.
Meanwhile, signs of spring are popping up here and there. – Bill

A fresh load of Wenonah canoes is a sure sign of spring, in spite of arriving in the middle of a mini-blizzard.

Frozen tie-down straps, sub-freezing temperatures and high winds made unloading the topmost canoes a challenge.

4/21/15 – For the second day in a row, we didn’t drill a hole in the ice on Sawbill Lake and here is why:

This was the scene when the sun came up this morning. We got another couple of inches during the day. The temperature stayed below freezing and the predicted low tonight is 19 degrees. – Bill

4/20/15 – It is cold and snowing here today, so we didn’t bother to check the ice depth. The melting has hit the pause button for the time being. – Bill