7/27/09 – Sawbill crew member Lida Storch just finished a bike trip around Lake Superior. The intrepid Alaska schoolteacher returned to the lower forty-eight this summer to work at Sawbill for a few weeks and pedal her heart out on the 1,200 miles of highways circumscribing the lake.
The trip started with Lida and three other Alaska schoolteachers biking the south shore leg from Superior, Wis., to Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. At that point two of the riders left and Lida continued with cycling partner Brian Tesch.
That’s when the road got rough, Lida says. The hills and mountain roads of the Ontario shoreline made for a challenging closing leg. Overall, the cyclists averaged 60 miles a day, and completed a 140-mile day to finish the trip in the Twin Ports on July 20.
After a few days of rest, Lida passed through here again to visit and go on a canoe trip with Caitlin and Katie. Looks like Lida is going to get the most out of her summer before starting school again in the fall. – Lee

Lida spinning.

Waterfall bliss.

Brian Tesch over the hills of Ontario.

The happy cyclists after their last day on the road.

7/24/09 – The first Sawbill crew member paid us a visit this past week. Tom Kubiak drove up from his home in Illinois for a multi-purpose visit to the North Country. Between stopping in Duluth to see family and pop in on a fiftieth class reunion, he spent a few days fishing and camping here.
Kubiak began working as a guide at Sawbill Lodge in the mid fifties and started working for Frank and Mary Alice in 1956. Now retired from a 25-year career in the United States Air Force, Kubiak remembers fondly his early years working in the area, and chuckles when recalling watching Bill Hansen catch a monster northern pike on Sawbill Lake when Bill was just old enough to cast a line.
To rekindle these and other memories of campfires past, the Kubiak clan visits Sawbill and the Boundary Waters every three or four years now. The proud grandfather says his affection for the place had spread.
“Sawbill, Sawbill, Sawbill. That’s all I hear.” Kubiak says, imitating his granddaughter. “Once Sawbill gets in your blood, it’s always there.”
Asked to give a word of advice to today’s Boundary Waters pilgrims, Kubiak offered a classic refrain: Be prepared for anything. – Lee

Tom Kubiak

7/22/09 – More wildlife sightings: Paul Gray sent us these photos from his recent trip in the area. After he snapped the picture of the wolf from the side, it trotted down the trail in front of his car for a quarter of a mile or so. It is likely the appearance of the car waylaid the wolf from a day’s hunt. I hope the moose cow and calf stay alert. Wolf packs (as well as bears and humans) present one of the greatest threats to moose populations. Lucky for the moose, their size makes them a foreboding obstacle for wolves to tackle, and they are usually good at evading contact. Wolf or no wolf, stay quiet and keep your eyes peeled while traveling through marshy areas like the one pictured. You’ll have a better chance to see a moose up close. – Lee

Wary wolf.

Moose cow and calf.

7/20/09 – Greg Fangel just sent us a nice photo email. Greg writes that he was driving to check on the blueberry growth in the area and met a fox family playing near the Sawbill Trail. As you can see below, the two kits proved especially photogenic. Thanks, Greg! – Lee

Kits at play.

7/18/09 – It’s not every day we see a house rolling by. In fact, Bill says it was a Sawbill first. Monday a semi-tractor pulled into the Forest Service parking lot adjacent to the outfitter. The driver was looking for Gust Lake, which is on the way to the Brule Lake entry point on the Grade Road, about seventeen miles away. Once he got his head, and his truck, pointed in the right direction, he continued the delivery, but not before getting his rig jammed in the intersection out in front of the store. All it took to get him through was some deft trailer backing and a gathering crowd. – Lee

This is what we saw from the front of the store.

That’s what I call a tight squeeze.

And away he goes.

7/15/09 – I caught this walleye on Sunday evening on an area lake. I hooked into it and I immediately knew it was not another 12-inch walleye. It made a few runs which made me think it could be a decent northern, but the fact it was staying down toward the bottom made me hope it was a large walleye. After about a five minute battle I got it within landing range, but naturally I did not have a net. After two missed attempts I was finally able to land it with my hands. I was lucky enough that someone was on shore with a camera and able to snap some photos. My main concern was getting the fish back in the water, which I was able to do quite quickly. The fish was 28 inches long and I’m guessing in the 8.8 pound range. Fish of my dreams! – Brian

Thanks Britt for taking this photo for me.

7/12/09 – Curtis Wyland sent us these photos from a trip he took in the middle of June with his friend Corey. The pair were fortunate enough to get a few snapshots of wildlife on top of having some great fishing. – Brian

Nice picture of a moose wading in the shallows.

Looks like Curtis had a rare opportunity to get up close to a moose in his kayak.

Nice smallie.

A snapper basking in the sun.

7/11/09 – I just returned from a wonderful six day canoe trip with my oldest daughter, Ruthie. Ruthie lives in Chicago now, where she teaches at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She hasn’t forgotten her canoe tripping skills though, so we completed a large five day loop from Kawishiwi Lake up through Malberg, and Alice to Fraser Lake. From there we headed through Wisini, Kekekabic, Knife, Amoeber (the requisite lake with a funny name – part of every good canoe trip), Cherry, Hanson and back to Kawishiwi through Gabimichigami, Little Saganaga and Makwa.
We had perfect weather, great fishing and many interesting animal sightings. It was a “busman’s holiday” for me, but it is still my favorite vacation. – Bill

Ruthie and I literally jumping for joy at the Kawishiwi Lake canoe landing moments before our trip began.

Fishing from a beautiful campsite on Gabimichigami Lake.

The reward for the hard work of fishing.

Early in the trip we saw a massive snapping turtle basking on a rock in the middle of the lake. Later we found this tiny baby snapper at the end of a portage. The little guy tried hard to bite me, even at it’s tender age!

Ruthie casts a long shadow across our tent site.

7/10/09 – Cassandra Wagner sent us these snapshots from her recent trip out of the Sawbill Lake entry point. Between good fishing and wildlife encounters, it looks like a memorable one. Thanks for sharing, Cassandra. – Lee

Cassandra Wagner and a nice smallmouth bass she caught on Kelso Lake.

Amanda Connolly hooked into her own smallmouth bass right at dusk on Sawbill Lake.

Bear crossing?

7/8/09 – Out hiking yesterday in the Superior National Forest, I came across a female ruffed grouse protecting its young. It became agitated as I approached on the trail, puffing up the feathers around its neck, strutting and flapping its wings, hissing and clucking. I snapped a few quick photographs and kept moving to avoid further fuss. The Minnesota DNR reports that spring drumming was up 44 percent over the 2008 counts, which it records as an indication of the overall population. That’s a good sign for the bird, and a compelling development for fall’s small game hunters. – Lee

Angry mother grouse.

A shot of the grouse, ruffled feathers and all.

The grouse, upon closer inspection, turned to run off the trail.