7/19/10 – Yesterday, crew members Luke, Kaj, Joe, and myself went snorkeling along the shore of Sawbill Lake in search of fishing lures and any other hidden treasure we could find. After an hour and a half of swimming through the beautiful (but chilly!) water, we returned to shore with blue lips and desperately in need of hot chocolate. Despite our frozen state, the escapade was completely worthwhile as evidenced by these photographs of all the reclaimed items from the lake. -Meg

The complete collection of tackle.

Some of the more unusual finds, including a flashlight and sunglasses.

A close-up of some of the loot.

7/19/10 – Carl and I took a wonderful canoe trip in Canada last week on the Kopka River which is about 3 hours north of Thunder Bay, Ontario. We went through our good friends at Wabakimi Canoe Outfitters in Armstrong. We had a very relaxing five days of fishing, bushwhacking, swimming and generally lounging around. – Bill

Carl admires the Double Falls on the Kopka River.

The Kopka has so many beautiful waterfalls that this beauty doesn’t even have a name.

Carl is dwarfed by this interesting cliff at the end of one of the crazy Kopka portages.

The infamous “billy goat” portage that requires a rope to lower the canoe, gear and even is needed to aid in climbing. I’ll never complain about a BWCA Wilderness portage again!

7/17/10 – Tom and Nan Gager, from Burnsville, MN, are celebrating their 40th year of camping at Sawbill this year and are also celebrating their 40th year of marriage! Tom writes, “Forty years ago we made Sawbill one of our stops on our honeymoon. We’ve always referenced it in our travels. We always miss it the day we leave until the day we return.”

Tom and Nan Gager.

7/15/10 – Crew members Jessica, Kaj, and myself were recently venturing around Alton Lake when we stumbled upon a sight none of us had ever witnessed before. Five loons were convened in front of our canoe, seemingly fishing as a group. The three of us had previously seen at most two or three loons fishing in such close proximity to one another. Amazed (and a bit confused) we paddled stealthily towards the fishing party until we were within twenty feet of the birds.
Soon, a few of the loons began issuing short and high pitched calls to their fellow creatures scattered all over the lake. We watched five loons turn into seven and then seven turn into eight as three more loons flew to the very same spot to join in on the festivities. The loons circled up and seemed to be corralling the fish, although their true purpose remains unknown to us.

The first five hunters.

The complete hunting party.
And now some zany loon facts. Of all birds, loons have the lowest wingspan to body-weight ratio. When you see them take off, you can tell- they take as much as a quarter mile of lake water to get in the air. In fact, it’s almost impossible for loons to take off from land, or to even walk properly (they have to furrow with their chest, doing a great wheelbarrow impression). The compensation for a lousy flying ability is that they are some of the best swimmers. Loons are also some of the deepest diving birds. Lake Superior fishermen have reported catching loons in nets up to an unbelievable 240 feet under the surface. They even fight under the water, propelling their sharp beaks into other loons that have dared tread upon their territory. Loons are some of the most solitary birds- they aggressively defend their territory against other loons, and often only choose one mate over the course of their entire life. However, according to author Bill Bryson, every fall loons of neighboring lakes have an “open house.” In groups of up to 20, each loon will lead the others to its nest. After a minute of observation, the other loons will erupt into a mass-chortle. Finally, loons have very few natural predators, but the two know adult loon predators are the bald eagle and the sea otter.
-Meg (zany facts courtesy of Kaj)

7/14/10 – Thanks to an unusually warm spring, blueberry season has almost already arrived up here, a full two weeks earlier than usual. I’m already thinking of delicious blueberry pie, backcountry jam, and melt-in-your-mouth blueberry cake. Or, you know, you could just eat them.
Luke found an excellent patch nearby that Meg, Jess, and I couldn’t resist checking out for ourselves. Sure enough, row after row of berries are just starting to ripen. In about a week or two, we’ll have more pickings than we’ll be able to carry out. Meg suggests making berry-picking a full-time Sawbill job. We’re keeping our spot secret, but you should be able to find blueberries and raspberries in any sunny clearing.
We weren’t the only berry-pickers out there–a fresh pile of scat proved a local black bear was getting in on the goodies as well. Bears here are easily scared, much preferring berries and other food it doesn’t have to chase, but getting close to one is still a thrill.

This article says that blueberries are full of phytoflavinoids. Yeah, I don’t know what those are either, but if it means more blueberry eating, then I’m all for it.
-Kaj

7/12/10 – This week we welcomed 25 Boy Scouts and their leaders from Troop 333 to the Boundary Waters. They hail from Prior Lake and Savage, Minnesota, and are spending their trip camped on the beautiful Alton Lake. For many of the boys, it is their first time venturing into the BWCA. We wish them a gorgeous trip filled with adventure and successful fishing!
-Meg

7/10/10 – Sawbill crew members like to take trips into the Boundary Waters, too. Recently, Jessica, Ellyn and I paddled for three days in the less traveled Frost River Loop. The Frost River isn’t a cakewalk (by the end of the second day, we had beaver-dam-hopping down to a science), but the challenge meant that we shared the route only with the moose. During the trip, we went cliff jumping in Cherokee, spotted bear cubs at Mesaba, and watched the stars come up over Hub.

Day one: Kaj (myself), Ellyn, and Jessica.

Jessica roasting smores. She likes marshmallows that resemble charcoal briquettes.

Resting after taking a morning paddle through the mist on Hub.

A feisty loon tries to scare off an opponent. Loons are very territorial–we watched a furious battle between four of them on Frost Lake.

Us hugging. Because we’re at Hug Lake.
-Kaj

7/5/10 – Establishing a new tradition for the 4th of July, the entire Sawbill crew celebrates with a mock dragon boat race. The race is not taken lightly. In the hour they had to prepare, teams put on intimidating face paint and developed elaborate strategies. In real dragon boat races, teams of at least 22 (and up to 80!) paddle a specially made dragon boat, like a long skinny canoe. Well, we don’t have any dragon boats here, so we improvise by jamming four people into our two-person Wenonah MN II Kevlar canoes. This year, four teams competed. Team Topless Pirates, with Cindy, Andy, Luke, and Sarah, was expected to win, even accused of being stacked by other racers. However, after a furious start, Team Dragon Force raced ahead by successfully butting the other teams onto the tip of a point. Team Dragon Force maintained the lead and won, becoming the Sawbill Dragon Boat Champions of 2010. – Kaj

Pat Eidsmo is the embodiment of Team Tucan spirit.

The Sawbill crew racing down Sawbill Lake with natural fireworks in the background.

Leif Gilsvick, Clare Hansen, Liz Foot and Kaj Snow in the post-race glow.

7/4/10 – Today, crew members Joe, Leif, Liz, and Kaj ran the annual Tofte Trek Wilderness 10K. They joined over 200 other runners, both locals and visitors coming to the northwoods for Independence Day festivities. The course was hard- runners slogged through waist-deep shoe-sucking puddles and up slippery slopes on the Superior Hiking Trail. Liz ran the whole race giving the number one sign, thanks to a heavily bandaged pointer finger, while Joe “took it easy” and finished in the top seven for his age group.

Sawbill runners, from the left; Karen, Liz, Leif, Joe, and Kaj. This is before the race, when we were still smelling like daisies.

The start of the race!

And the Sawbill runners afterwards, smelling more like mud.
-Kaj

7/2/10 – The last two new crew members have arrived for the summer. Meg Simon hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and attends college at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Meg’s grandfather, Larry Wilbers, has been a Sawbill canoeist for many, many years and is one of our favorite people. He has introduced many friends and family to the joys of BWCA Wilderness camping over the years and we’re delighted to have Meg on staff.

Meg Simon
Leif Gilsvik arrived a couple of weeks ago, but he is somewhat camera shy, so we neglected to announce his arrival. Leif just graduated from Two Harbors, Minnesota High School. He is attending Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan this fall on a cross country skiing scholarship. Gogebic has one of the top skiing teams in the nation, so you know he’s fast! – Bill

Leif Gilsvik