6/1/08 – Spring’s blanket of green comes late in canoe country. But, it’s finally here. During the last two days, the boreal floor has sprouted to life with plants just as eager for winter’s end, and summer’s arrival, as we are. – Eric


Two species of violets, the wooly blue violet and the downy yellow violet have just recently become visible – a few weeks overdue. These tiny, delicate flowers will grow to be larger as the solstice approaches. Rather than these colorful flowers dispersing seeds, violets will grow a second flower at the plant’s base.

Flowers of wild strawberries dot the forest floor. Until they fruit, mouths around here will be drooling in anticipation.

6/1/08 – Aaron Johnson sent along these pictures of an eelpout that he caught on Alton last week. Eelpout are fairly common in BWCA Wilderness lakes, but are rarely caught. They are bottom feeders, so they are usually caught when the fisher person accidentally lets his or her bait rest on the bottom.
While they look somewhat eel-like, they are actually members of the family Zoarcidae. There are 220 species world wide. I’ve seen them up to five pounds come out of Alton over the years, usually caught in the winter. They are quite delicious to eat – often called the “poor man’s lobster” by locals.
Their odd appearance has also spawned a host of nicknames. The most common around here are lawyer, burbot, fish doctor, or what I said the first time I caught one when I was a kid, “What the h*** is that ugly thing?” – Bill

Aaron Johnson with his unusual catch on Alton Lake.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

5/29/08 – Some exciting news at Sawbill today. John Barnett and Lucinda Lundey became engaged yesterday in the middle of their 6 day canoe trip. John proposed to Lucinda in middle of Sawbill Lake as they were paddling on their way back. Now if that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is. – Carl

(L-R) James McGlamery, Steven Barnett, Lucinda Lundey, John Barnett

5/28/08 – Frequent Sawbill visitors will recall that we have what appears to be a doghouse with no door in front of our store. The structure is actually a fancy cover for our well. Today Cindy and Hazel Oberholtzer spruced up the doorless doghouse by planting some flowers on the roof.

Cindy and Hazel show off their handiwork–a mix of petunias, verbeena, and calibrachoa.

5/27/08 – After the busy weekend, the Sawbill crew begins to work on all the clean up jobs–not as glamorous as outfitting groups, perhaps, but just as important. Consider this another typical Tuesday at the office.

Bill tackles the annual chore of cleaning the water tank. Because Sawbill’s water is not chemically treated, minerals and algae can slowly build up inside the tank.

A view from the inside.

Meanwhile, Ellyn and Carl clean, refuel, and test our camp stoves. By tonight, the stoves will be back on the shelf ready for tomorrow’s canoe trips.

5/25/08 – Today was our first 70 degree day at Sawbill since last September. On a related note, the Sawbill Glacier, located on the north side of the store, is in danger of disappearing forever, or at least until next winter. Those who would like to see this majestic ice formation should probably come tomorrow.

The Glacier, seen here, was once the size of a large snowbank.

5/24/08 – Memorial Day weekend at Sawbill is a picture-perfect one so far: today was sunny and calm, with good fishing reports coming in throughout the day (from Smoke and Burnt Lakes especially). At the risk of provoking the mosquito gods, the bugs have been surprisingly non-existent so far this year–hopefully, the start of a mild bug season.
Memorial Day weekend also brought a number of first-time visitors to the Sawbill area. The Claycomb family from Bloomington, Minn., arrived at the Sawbill Campground late yesterday evening. Although the Claycomb’s first Sawbill camping trip got off to a slow start (their “new” used 1960s-era pop-up camper needed some last-minute improvements, such as current tabs and functional tail lights), the family of four spent the afternoon exploring the islands and bays of Alton Lake.

(From left) Ruth, Nancy, Alex, and Doug Claycomb found their way to campsite #18 last night at midnight, but made the most of a beautiful day today.

5/24/08 – We have a minor route update for those planning trips out of Brule Lake this summer. Grassy Lake, one of four small lakes linking Brule to Winchell Lake, is very low and close to impassible due to a blown beaver dam. Groups heading to Winchell Lake are advised to travel through the Cone Lakes to avoid this trouble spot. We will provide further updates throughout the summer if the situation changes.

5/23/08 – We got some old school Sawbill crew visitation today. Jitesh Pattni is going on a canoe trip in three days with his Mom Lisa. Until then, Jitesh can be found wandering around the Sawbill area drinking coffee and eating bacon.
Laura Greensmith is pitching in for the weekend, helping out with the Memorial Day crowds and mixing drinks in her new Vortex® hand-crank blender. We are very grateful for Jitesh and Laura’s presence.

Jitesh Pattni at home in his element.

Laura Greensmith shows off the merchandise.

5/22/08 – Folks driving from Minneapolis to Sawbill this week would be forgiven for thinking that they are traveling back in time. While the tree leaves are in full bloom in southern Minnesota, they get progressively smaller as you travel north. Here at Sawbill, we’re still waiting for our leaves to bloom. But red, green, and brown buds dot the tree branches–a positive sign for what a warm Memorial Day weekend has in store.

The birch and aspen appear brittle and dead compared to the pines. In a couple of weeks, that illusion will be gone.

A customer today measured the water temperature of Sawbill Lake at 42 degrees F. Refreshing, no?