6/20/14 – Here is this week’s edition of the Cook County West End News from WTIP, North Shore Community Radio. – Bill

6/19/14 – Several Sawbill crew members have gone out paddling recently, which has opened up plenty of opportunities for the traditional crew prank of snoosing, that is, hiding useless junk in the gear packs of the snoosees for them to discover while on the trail.
Last week Mark and I carelessly left our packs out the night before our departure, so we ended up paddling and portaging 60 miles with an impressive collection of miscellaneous equipment hidden in our stuff.
Since then, vigilance has greatly increased. We were barely able to hide anything in the packs of the Sawbill ladies for their trip this week, and before Nils left on Tuesday he was able to extract everything except a big crescent wrench and an air hockey striker.
Legendary snooses of the past have included a vacuum cleaner, a giant plastic penguin named Roscoe, and of course the infamous time that a pair of determined snoosers caught up with their victims while on the trail, stole their lightweight kevlar canoe in the middle of the night, and swapped it for the biggest, heaviest Grumman they could find.
To read more about the heroic snoose exploits of a decade ago, take a look at our newsletter entries from July 11-13, 2004. – Peter

Mark on Tuscarora Lake with some of the items that we discovered in our gear that evening. The big pancake griddle was a bear to portage, but we know that it could have been a lot worse!

6/15/14 – Now presenting… our legacy ladies! For the first time in recorded history we have three current crew members who descend from former Sawbill staff. Emma, Ana, and Britta each have a parent who worked here during the late seventies/early eighties. Additionally, our last legacy lady is visiting crew member Ellyn Krieg (’10-’12), whose father worked here during the very same time period. Clearly the Sawbill spirit is a heritable trait. – Nils

Left to right: Emma (daughter to Scott Nelson), Ana (daughter to Rose Koch), Ellyn (daughter to Paul Krieg), & Britta (daughter to Carol Winter).

6/14/14 – Rainy June days have put a damper on many canoeing trips lately. Yet, the stormy weather also provides necessary nourishment to local flora. Many wildflower species have been flourishing recently, aided by the combination of extended sunlight and heavy showers. – Nils

Wild Clematis in full bloom along side the Sawbill Trail.

Nodding Trillium found along the hiking trail to Carlton Peak near Tofte.

Blue-bead Lily on the Superior Hiking Trail.

6/13/14 – Here are the last two editions, June 12th and June 5th, of the Cook County West End News from WTIP, North Shore Community Radio. – Bill

6/12/14 – Many interesting creatures of the north woods have been seen recently roaming around or near the Sawbill area. Among those spotted include several moose, bald eagles and pine martins, as well as a timber wolf and a Canada lynx. Of the moose sightings, two have been radio collared cows with young calves.
A few adolescent black bears have also been seen close to Tofte, though none near Sawbill Lake. – Nils

Pine martin seeking a bird’s eye view.

Local cow modeling her fashionable new necklace.

6/9/14 – Summer may have just begun, but the Sawbill crew has already sent off one of our own. Leif Gilsvik has been part of The Sawbill crew since 2010. Many of you frequent visitors may know Leif and how great of a crew member and joy to be around he is. Leif leaves the Superior National Forest to attempt to hike the 746 mile Great Divide trail of the Canadian Rockies. Starting in Waterton Lakes National Park just north of Glacier National Park near the Canadian-U.S. border, the divide runs between Alberta and British Columbia. If any person can conquer the great divide, it is indeed our own Leif Gilsvik! Leif will be greatly missed by the Sawbill crew here, but we wish him the best and safest of travels. – Mark

Leif’s last fish on Smoke lake.

6/9/14 – Meet the 2014 Sawbill crew!

(l-r back row) Nils John Anderson, Peter Wagner, Mark Hansen, Matthew Buck. (l-r middle row) Laura Hoppe, Emma Nelson, Kevin Taralseth, Jessica Hemmer, Carla Hill, Ana Koch. (l-r front row) Lindsey Price, Bill Hansen, Phoebe, Cindy Hansen, Britta Dornfeld and, last but not least, Roy.

6/4/14 – Last week was filled with lots of smiles and reminiscing as former crew members reunited over Memorial Day weekend here at Sawbill. – Emma

Returning crew from back left: Jeff and Amelia Greensmith, Bhu Pattni, Bill Hansen. Middle: Cindy Hansen, Pat Nash, Katie Nulicek, Lida Casper, Kyle and Mia Casper. Front: Laura and Jonah Greensmith.

Who doesn’t love Sawbill babies!? From left to right is Amelia and Jonah Greensmith and Mia Rose Casper.

6/3/14 – April sent a self portrait from Wolf Pack Island, while enjoying a bug free afternoon of map consulting (featuring her canoe in the background). While leaving the lake, she was even able to hear a pack of wolves in the distance. – Emma

April after a nice cold afternoon swim