6/17/01 – Red and Sis Tabor are back for their umteenth
vacation in the Sawbill Lake Campground. They came up here after
spending the weekend at Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte celebrating
their 50th wedding anniversary with their family.
Congratulations!

Sis and Red Tabor after 50 years of matrimony.

Our last new employee for the season arrived this
week. She worked for two days and then trekked to the Twin Cities
to register for the University of Minnesota. She is back now and
learning fast. Shannon Grace has just graduated from Duluth East
High School. She is an experienced BWCA Wilderness camper, having
traveled widely with her parents since she was a small child.
Welcome Shannon 🙂

Shannon Grace

6/16/01 – All is well with the telephone system now. Thanks
for you patience if you had trouble on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I just returned from visiting my daughter, Ruthie Hansen, at
her new apartment in the Hyde Park section of Chicago. She is
continuing her education at the University of Chicago and
working. Many of you will remember her smiling face around
Sawbill over the last 19 years. She is adapting to city life very
well and will be visiting (hopefully) in September.

I also visited briefly the First Congregational Church of
LaGrange. This large suburban Chicago church has been a faithful
Sawbill client for more than 30 years. It was fun for me to
finally put a concrete mental image to a place that has been a
part of my life for so long. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to
visit any of my many LaGrange friends. – Bill

6/12/01 – We will be down to one telephone line here at
Sawbill for the next 24 hours or so as we move our microwave
equipment to the new tower. It looks a lot like the old tower.
Please be patient as all phone calls, Faxes, credit card
purchases and Internet use must vie for time on the old radio
system. Other than that, the weather is beautiful here, and I’m
looking forward to entertaining myself this evening by climbing
one tower and shouting over to the other one.

6/7/01 – In 1996 a fire burned some of the country near South
Temperance Lake. The fire traveled southeast, eventually
extinguishing near Homer Lake. I went to Vern Lake the other day
to explore the burned area. From a distance, floating in the
canoe, the density of regeneration struck me. Spring colors
painted every nook and cranny. I had visited the same area two
weeks after the fire when everything was black or the white of
scorched granite. Now, the green under the wispy dead trees was
thick, like a mat of curly hair. Near where I beached my canoe,
several spruce trunks were stripped clean of their branches by
the fire. Stretching long and pointy into the sky, they were
stunning, seemed like totem poles erected in mute testament to
the conflagration. On closer inspection, I found their charred
skin polished. Small seams of old sap laced the trunks. The
sap’s various shades of amber embedded in the inky black
were brilliant. Nearby, a lone jack pine, completely burned, was
covered in fire-opened cones. It looked like a tree in bloom.
Fanning out from its base was a sea of small jack pines two to
four feet in height. A pair of small falcons, American kestrels,
flew around the area perching on dead treetops. Their rapid,
shrill calls: “kli, kli, kli, kli, kli” were the only
sounds accompanying the wind. As I walked, I came to a growth of
aspens suckering up from the roots of their burned forebears.
They sprawled like a field of mature corn, and I was soon
enmeshed, a bit lost. I exited the aspens and crossed a sloping
hill colonized by blueberries. Judging by the heavy set of
blooms, it seems a good berry season is in store. The
blueberry’s enthusiastic pollinator, the black fly, attacked
me, so I headed for the canoe. I drifted with the blessed wind,
which felt cool and clean sweeping the black flies from my neck,
back to their blueberry duties. I lay down in the canoe, letting
the sky pass by. Two bohemian waxwings perching on a dead spruce
were hawking for insects. Very high in the sky an eagle was
looking around. I stayed in that corner of regenerating forest
all day, my senses aroused and brimful. There is so much going on
in the woods. What a relief to be among it all. – OB

5/28/01 – The new Sawbill crew members are arriving in batches
now. Jeff Green and Bhupesh Pattni are also from Virginia, MN.
Bhu and Jitesh (below) are brothers and Jeff is their good
friend. Jeff just finished his freshman year at Bemidji State
University and Bhu finished his sophomore year at the University
of Wisconsin in Madison. They’ve had a hectic introduction to
Sawbill during the busy Memorial Day weekend.

 

5/23/01 – Another new employee has arrived. Jitesh Pattni is
from Virginia, Minnesota and has just finished his freshman year
at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon. Welcome Jitesh!

Jitesh Pattni

5/19/01 – Summer is getting underway. The leaves are about
half out. The black flies appeared today, but haven’t started
biting yet. The dogs (Homer and Sunnie) have been swimming three
times today and now are napping in the office giving off the
robust aroma of wet dog. It is busier this weekend than last.

We have another new employee. Beka Wilson is from Decorah,
Iowa and is a student at Humboldt State in Arcada, California.
Welcome Beka 🙂

5/14/01 – It was a major break with tradition to have an
opening of fishing weekend that was actually good weather.
Typically it is cold, rainy and windy (if not snowing). This year
it was sunny and warm except for a brief shower on Saturday.
Fishing was generally slow, as it usually is this early in the
year. The notable exception was Smoke Lake, where several limits
of walleyes were taken. Two large bass were caught on Alton by a
group of dental students from Milwaukee. Steve Geving and his son
Garrett, from Duluth, caught one small northern on Alton. They
saw a moose on Kelso Lake. Steve has been camping and fishing at
Sawbill for more than 50 years. Jon Heinzen, from Tofte, caught
quite a few walleyes on nearby Crescent Lake. Louise Trachta, who
works at the Northshore Market in Tofte, caught a large Muskie on
Crescent.

5/8/01 – Sorry, I forgot to mention that all the lakes in the
Sawbill area are now clear of ice. I assume that all the lakes in
the entire wilderness are ice free. It has been warm, windy and
raining – a deadly combination for ice and snow. Several years
ago, we skied on Sawbill Lake on May 9th. Last year, the ice went
out in the second week of April. – Bill

5/7/01 – This just in from the Forest Service:

Campfire Restrictions in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness (BWCAW)
and Surrounding Areas

As of midnight, Wednesday, May 9, 2001, the Superior National
Forest is
restricting the use of campfires, charcoal, and wood burning camp
stoves to
the hours between 7 pm and midnight in the blowdown area on the
Forest.
Propane and gas camp stoves will be allowed at any time of the
day in the
restricted zone.

A written description, lake lists, and maps for the restricted
area is
posted on the Superior National Forest website http://www.snf.superiorbroadband.com/bwcaw/bwcawvud2000.html
or
available through any Superior National Forest office or BWCAW
permitting
office.

These restrictions are part of an overall strategy to reduce the
potential
risk for visitors and surrounding communities while still
allowing for safe
use of campfires. The need for these restrictions is due to the
effects of
a severe windstorm that blew down trees across a large area of
the Forest
on July 4, 1999. As a result of this large amount of fuel, the
risk is
significantly increased for a large wildfire that would start
easier,
spread faster and be difficult to control. The Forest Service
will continue
to monitor conditions and as fire danger levels increase,
restrictions will
also be increased.

Visitors are urged to take care in the use of campfires.
Approximately 50%
of the wildfires in the BWCAW start as a result of human
activities. Most
of these wildfires are from campfires that are not managed
carefully.
Please be sure your campfire is "dead out" before
leaving it unattended.

All visitors are encouraged to bring camp stoves so they can
respond to
changes in campfire restrictions. Visitors can find out about
current
restrictions by checking our website http://www.snf.superiorbroadband.com/bwcaw/bwcawvud2000.html,

or contacting any Forest office or BWCAW permitting office.

In the Sawbill area, this means that the routes roughly west
of Alton Lake have no fire restrictions and everywhere else does.
So far, the restriction means that you can’t have breakfast or
lunch fires. For most people, this isn’t much of a hardship. –
Bill

5/3/01 – Its official! Sawbill Lake lost its ice early this
morning. A brisk north wind kicked up after several days of
steady south winds. When the ice sheet shifted, it just broke up
and sank out of sight. Natasha Warner was the winner of the
betting pool. The traditional opening of the Sawbill Beach Club,
which means a quick dip in the frigid water, has been scheduled
for Saturday when former crew members John "OB"
Oberholtzer and Paul "Lundie" Lundgren can be here to
participate. Also on Saturday, we will send out a reconnaissance
mission to check the ice on Alton and other nearby lakes. – Bill

5/1/01 – Sawbill Lake’s ice has become too flimsy and
honeycombed to actually measure. It looks like it will go out
tomorrow or the day after at the latest.

Sawbill Lake 1 PM, 5/1/01

Our third new crew member arrived today. Molly
Heekin is from Evanston, Illinois and has been working for the
last year at Active Endeavors, and outdoor store in Evanston. She
is headed for graduate school in New York this fall. Welcome
Molly!

Molly Heekin, ready to tackle unwrapping the 52
new Mad River canoes pictured behind her.

4/30/01 – What a difference a few days can make. Sawbill
Lake’s ice cover measured only 12" last night, only half of
what it was just three days ago. The snow is all gone except for
piles where the drifts used to be. A week ago we were slogging
through 6" of fresh snow in our pack boots. The high
temperature yesterday was 77 degrees and the low last night was
57. With warm weather forecast all week, the ice could be gone in
just a few more days. – Bill

4/26/01 – The lake ice measured 24" this afternoon, but
the top 18" is watery slush. Only 6" is hard ice. The
ice is detached from shore and floating. I needed to use a canoe
as a bridge to get out to the ice pack. I discovered the 18′
slush layer by trying to step out of the canoe and immediately
sinking nearly to my knee in nature’s slurpee. The ice on one of
the small ponds along the Sawbill Trail will probably go out
today. – Bill

4/24/01 – With 3" of moisture and 6" of fresh snow,
the lakes and rivers are brimming with water. Although the rain
must have degraded the ice somewhat, it is still 25" thick
this morning. If you have an early May reservation, don’t panic
yet. The weather forecast is for very warm weather for the
foreseeable future. I was tempted to set a ski track on the
campground roads this morning, but by 9 am melting had already
begun. The skis are put away and I guess that is where they
should stay (sigh).

Looking from the canoe landing back toward the
store at 9 a. m.

4/19/01 – The ice on Sawbill Lake is 27" thick.

4/18/01 – We received our annual truckload of new Wenonah
Kevlar canoes yesterday. Each canoe comes wrapped in shrinkwrap
plastic. When it is removed from all the canoes, it forms a
dumpster sized pile of waste. The only empty dumpster at Sawbill
is down in the campground, accessible only by unplowed roads,
still covered with 18" of snow. Our solution for
transporting the waste was to load it into a Royalex canoe and
tow it with the snowmobile. This works surprisingly well. The
plastic canoe slides easily over the wet snow and its shape makes
it track perfectly behind the snow machine. Carl, Clare, Beth and
Justin all took turns riding in the canoe while I drove. The
sheer silliness of it was cause for much hilarity. Sorry, we were
having too much fun to stop and take a picture.

Brand new Wenonahs in the sun.

4/17/01 – We had 4" of new snow, the temperature didn’t
get above freezing yesterday, and the low last night was 14F. I
skied up Sawbill Lake yesterday into the teeth of a 30 mph wind.
It took me half an hour to get to Kelso Bay and fifteen minutes
to get back. Along the west shore there were a few spots where
last week’s warm weather had opened up some water. The blowing
snow had turned this open water to slush. As I skied by, an otter
popped up through the slush about six feet away. I don’t know
which of us was more surprised. The otter ducked back under the
ice and did not reappear. This time of year they can travel great
distances under the ice by breathing from air pockets that are
trapped on the underside of the ice.

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters 4/16/01

4/13/01 – Carl and I measured 29" of lake ice right in
front of the canoe landing last night. As we drilled the hole we
watched an otter run down the length of the opposite shore – run,
run, sliiiide, run, run, sliiide… The ice is not very solid,
except for the bottom twelve inches or so. We’ll be reporting the
progress of the ice melt every few days for awhile. As ice out
day draws near, we’ll do a daily report.

The second Sawbill crew member has arrived for the season.
Justin Hoekstra is from the Chicago area and is the younger
brother of former Sawbill crew member Erik Hoekstra. He will be
attending the University of Illinois, Chicago, in the fall.

4/11/01 – The first Sawbill crew member of the season has
arrived. Beth Rolf has most recently been living in Minneapolis,
but is originally from Glencoe, Minnesota. Welcome Beth.

4/7/01 – At 6 AM this morning it was pouring rain with 30 mph
winds and the temperature hovering at 34 degrees. I am guessing
we’ve had well over an inch of rain in the last few hours. The
snow, which was 30" deep less than a week ago, dwindled to
20" yesterday and is down to 12" today. This is the
most unpleasant and dangerous weather that this part of the world
has to offer. It is much easier to deal with 30 below than this.
I spent 15 minutes cleaning pine needles out the gutters this
morning. Even in that brief time my shirt was getting wet under
my rain suit and my fingers were numb and fumbling. This is one
of the very few mornings that I was actually grateful to not be
camping.

We’ve received many expressions of sympathy since Gust’s death
on Thursday. Thanks to everyone. Here are a couple of samples.

Eric Frost writes from Katmandu, Nepal:

Hi Sawbill -Perhaps the greatest gift to my outlook on life
was seen through a dog’s smile. Guster was a fully doctrinated
professor of the courses in relaxation. Walking through the
campground with him taught me the beauty of slowing down and
letting life catch up at it’s slower speed. He saw new leaves on
trees and stopped to nap at them, not out of exhaustion, but
rather out of appreciation. He appreciated the cold floor of the
Dome, even when CO+ groups of 9 were wondering what they had
gotten themselves into. It was only through a simple wag of the
tail that showed his genuine gratitude of being fed from
abandoned fire grates and being able to dig his nose in a rotting
birch stump. He was content in his lot of being a scavenger (of
which I think perfection is too weak of description), knowing
that Carl or Clare would still feed him at the end of the day. He
didn’t seem to care that the world was seemingly passing him by.
Maybe it’s just the fact that I admired him for remembering me
summer after summer. Nonetheless, he’s more noble of a character
than most of my duo-pod friends. He’s a loss not only to Sawbill,
but to those who he taught the righteousness of the humility
which he took in every step: good dog, and a great friend of
mine. – Frosty

And this from the Freiermuth family:

We are terribly saddened by the news of Gusts passing. Gust
was an inspiration to dog lovers. It was his good nature that
convinced us to get a Golden Retriever (Elmer) that is now almost
9 years old. Sawbill was made a destination of ours at times over
the years because the kids wanted to see and feed Gust. He never
failed to show up at our campsite and in the true spirit of the
wilderness, left it better than he found it through his kindly
spirit and friendliness. Even in his death, Gust brings to us a
reminder of the reality and fragility of life and an appreciation
of what we have. When all of Gods kindly animals gather together
someday, they’ll call Gust BOSS. – The Freiermuths, Gary,Deb,
Alison and Nick

4/6/01 – Many of you will be sad to hear that Gust, our large
affable golden retriever, died yesterday evening. He drowned in
Sawbill Lake after falling through a hole in the ice near the
headwaters of Sawbill Creek. Gust had fallen through the ice
before, but he was always able to touch bottom and could easily
jump out. This time, the ice broke in a way that trapped him over
deep water and he succumbed to cold and fatigue.

Gust live the most perfect life a dog could ask for. He never
knew the leash or the kennel. His backyard was an unbroken
wilderness larger than several states. He had hundreds, if not
thousands, of people who petted and loved him. He was a genius in
two distinct fields of endeavor: He had an amazing ability to nap
often and hard; and he was the best campground moocher that ever
lived. He had perfected the art of looking starved and pitiful
while actually being grossly obese. He was the most mellow of
souls. He never had a fight, was infinitely patient with toddlers
and puppies, and exuded a quiet dignity. He will be sorely missed
by all.

Gustavus Adogus Hansen 1990 – 2001

4/3/01 – Beautiful spring weather is here today. At 7 PM it is
still 45 degrees. Although the snow is settling fast, we still
have about 30" on the ground. We are starting to get
inquiries about the projected ice-out date. It is always
dangerous to predict ice-out. Within the next week or two we’ll
start posting regular updates on the ice thickness. Right now it
is more than two feet thick. We are enjoying the frozen surface
for skiing and kite flying.

3/28/01 – Many things are happening at Sawbill this time of
year. The weather is altering the landscape dramatically.
Although, looking out the window, it still appears to be full
blown winter. In spite of having a solid 30" of snow on the
ground, the warm sun is making its power felt. The snow has
crusted over with a layer so dense that ski or snowshoes allow a
person to stay right on top. We have taken advantage of this
condition to enjoy a few wild skates down the rivers that drain
into Lake Superior. The snow has formed itself to the contours of
the river, so a skier flies along over a smooth but rolling
terrain with frequent open holes filled with running water.
Yesterday on the Temperance River, we found the remains of a
deceased great gray owl. A little farther down stream we found a
half eaten white tail deer. Life and death on the river.

Former Sawbill crew members Steve and Kate Surbaugh have
announced that they are expecting their first child. This is very
exciting news for two reasons. first, because Steve and Kate will
be wonderful parents and they are very happy about their
impending parenthood. Second, because it represents another
generation of potential Sawbill crew members 🙂

I have been privileged recently to participate in the Blandin Community
Leadership Program. The program is designed by the Blandin
Foundation to cultivate and strengthen leadership in rural
Minnesota communities. It starts with a week long retreat with
twenty four members from a single community. The training is very
well done and it was great to spend so much time networking with
twenty three interesting members of my community. – Bill

3/9/01 – Today is Ruthie Hansen’s 19th birthday. Happy
birthday Ruthie 🙂

I saw a pine marten while skiing last night. It was only about
a mile from here. This morning there was a fishing rod
mysteriously displaced from its shelf in the store. A feeling of
pine marten dread crept over me, but I could find no other sign
of a marten in the store.

The Forest Service dog team was here yesterday hauling planks
up to the Ada/Scoop Lake portage. Extensive boardwalk work will
be done on that nasty little portage this summer. This is good
news for those of us who have slogged through the slime there
during the last decade.

The Forest Service musher reported very little slush on the
lakes between here and Ada,

3/6/01 – We had a visit from a Barred Owl in the middle of the
day yesterday. This morning, on the excellent radio program,
"For The Birds", Laura Erickson reported that many owls
are hanging around houses and bird feeders. They are apparently
starving due to the deep snow and a downturn in the small mammal
population. Many people are finding dead owls, although our owl
flew off under its own power.

Sawbill Outfitters is a proud member of Northeastern Minnesotans For
Wilderness which is working to organize the many people who
support the wilderness and happen to live in northeastern
Minnesota. Visit their site for more information on BWCA
Wilderness issues and what you can do to help protect the BWCA
Wilderness.

2/28/01 – We received about 13" of snow over the weekend.
Near Lake Superior, 24" fell and in the highlands just
inland from the big lake 30 or more inches fell in some places.
One of my extracurricular activities is substitute driver of the
snow cat that grooms the 70 kilometers of cross country ski
trails that lace the hills above Lake Superior in Tofte. The snow
cat, brand named Pisten Bully (which means mountain goat in
German, I’m told), is a large machine with a 170 horse power
diesel engine. It is actually designed for grooming downhill
skiing runs, so it has an incredible ability to climb hills. In
spite of this ability, in the face of 30+ inches of fresh powder,
even the Pisten Bully had trouble. On the first pass, it had all
it could do just to punch through, without grooming the trail
flat or setting the tracks. On the second pass I was able to lay
down a nice track and skating trail, but suffered from what
groomers call "falling off the platform." In years of
very deep snow, the repeated grooming actually builds up a raised
platform, layer by layer. Eventually, this platform surface is 3
or 4 feet off the ground, surrounded by a sea of soft snow. When
climbing the hills pulling the heavy grooming equipment, the
machine will sometimes break off the edge of the platform and
wallow sideways into the powder snow, which acts a lot like quick
sand. Fortunately, the machine is powerful enough to maneuver
back onto the trail, allowing another attempt at climbing the
hill. This scenario repeated itself dozens of times during the 25
hours of grooming I did during the last two days.

I actually groom two additional small trails by snowmobile.
One is here at Sawbill and the other is behind Birch Grove
Elementary school in Tofte. The snowmobile is also susceptible to
"falling off the platform," although the solution for
that dilemma is to physically lift the snowmobile back up on the
trail. This is a particularly difficult task while standing in
chest deep snow.

The bright side of all this travail is that the ski trails are
in beautiful condition and should stay that way for awhile 🙂
Bill

2/22/01 – We are back from a lovely vacation in the mountains
of British Columbia. We snowboarded, downhill skied, and cross
country skied until we could barely stand up. It is beautiful
country populated by very friendly people.

Today, as if to welcome us home, a beautiful red fox strolled
up to the house and hung around under the bird feeders for a few
hours. At times, we were only about three feet away from him,
separated only by a window pane. Homer, the golden retriever
puppy, was asleep on the back porch the whole time. He is a very
curious dog and would have loved to make the acquaintance of Mr
Fox.

 

2/12/01 – Several of us, including the all the current
newsletter contributors, will be heading out on vacation for the
next week. Frank and Mary Alice will be available by phone, for
questions or reservations. I will be checking the email from
afar, but probably will not be able to post newsletter entries
until we return. We are making our first family visit to the
Canadian Rockies. Skiing of all types will be the activity of
choice. We are excited for this new experience and will probably
have a few stories to tell. – Bill

2/11/01 – Real winter weather is a welcome relief after three
years of abnormally warm Februarys. We had 7" of snow a few
days ago and last night the temperature dipped to -27 F. This
morning, the clouds have returned and it is snowing again.

Minor disaster struck on Friday night when a freak accident
ended up frying my laptop computer. I won’t go into details, but
it is safe to say that spilling Chardonnay on a laptop is good
neither for the computer nor the wine. While most of my data was
backed up, some emails that came in on Thursday and Friday are
now locked in an inaccessible hard drive. The technicians assure
me that the data will be safe, but unusable for the next week or
so while the computer gets fixed.

2/7/01 – Yesterday was Frank Hansen’s 80 birthday. Frank is,
along with Mary Alice Hansen, the founder of Sawbill Canoe
Outfitters. He is also a child psychologist, former county
commissioner, and participant in too many community organizations
to list in one place. He is also my father. He celebrated with a
small family gathering at Superior Shores in Two Harbors. Frank
received many cards and emails from former Sawbill crew members.
Most people are expressing amazement that Frank is 80 due to his
generally more youthful appearance and activity.

1/30/01 – Dave Freeman has been living at the Sawbill Lake
Campground for the last few days. He has been testing and
preparing for his six week Border Country Adventure, which starts
on February 1st. He will be joined for the full length of the
trip by his faithful sled dog, Tundra. For the first week of the
trip he will also be accompanied by John "OB"
Oberholtzer. For the last week of the trip, Dave will travel with
Harriet Settle. All, except Tundra, are former Sawbill crew
members. Dave will be updating his website, bordercountryadventure.com
by satellite phone during the entire adventure. He has hundreds
of school children signed up to follow his adventure and learn
about the winter wilderness.

1/19/01 – We received this email and photograph from Tom
Weiss:

The attached photo is one that I took in early September 2000
at the east end
of Grace in the early morning. A low layer of fog lifted and left
just a
little bit towards the southeast. It was an incredible sight.

Grace Lake, September 2000

1/15/01 – I had a wonderful set of skiing experiences this
past weekend. Adam Hansen, on vacation from college, invited six
of his old friends from high school to come up and visit. On
Friday, the seven college students, the four resident Hansens,
and OB spent an enjoyable day at the Lutsen Mountains Ski Area
shredding some alpine action. I spent the morning working on my
snowboarding technique, which means trying to get down the hill
without major injury. In the afternoon, I put on the downhill
skis for the first time in nearly ten years. Saturday, I enjoyed
a perfect circuit of the "Picnic Loop," a local ski
trail that is famous for its 30 kilometers of remote beauty. On
Sunday, I skied down the Cascade River to its mouth with OB and
former Sawbill crew member, Will Decker. Four styles of skiing in
three days – nirvana. – Bill

Better companions for a day of sublime back
country skiing cannot be found. Will Decker and John (OB)
Oberholtzer. 1/14/01

Ice climbers encountered along the Cascade
River on 1/14/01. As we skied below, I thought of all the various
and rich activities taking place on this magic day in this
charmed place.

1/9/01 – We received the following email today:

Hello! I just wanted to share with you the wonderful sight my
husband
and I just watched. We live 16 miles from a lock/dam on the
Mississippi
River in northeast Missouri. The river is mostly frozen with only
a
small amount of open water below the dam. We counted over 70 bald
eagles. Some immature and a few golden eagles in about 1/4 of a
mile of
the river. Some were in trees on the rivers edge while most were
either
flying or sitting on the icy river. Some would fly toward the sun
and
cast a shadow on the ice while others would fly low over the open
water
and present a perfect reflection in the ice blue water. We were
lucky to
see one grab a not so lucky fish in its huge talons. Not only did
we
thrill at seeing the majestic birds, but many were even
vocalizing to
us. Most winters we see a few eagles, only 10 or so, but with our
"extreme" winter we have had so far, there were many
more than normal.
Luckily, winter is on hold temporarily for us, with 2 days in a
row
above 32!!!!
We really enjoy your newsletter, keep up the marvelous
descriptions.

Jan Kitzing
Lewistown, MO

PS Seeing the eagles makes us even more anxious to go north

1/1/01 – I observed my traditional New Year’s moment last
night by greeting the midnight hour on the ski trail. Every year
brings a new revelation. This year, the sky was overcast with a
light, hazy overcast. The planets and the brightest stars were
glowing behind the haze, tuning them into fuzzy balls many times
their normal size. My headlamp had weak batteries, so I turned it
off except for the tricky sections of trail. As my eyes adjusted
to the blackness, the twin tracks of the trail began to softly
glow for about six feet in front of my skis. The trees, stumps,
and snowbanks only became visible when they loomed out of the
darkness about twelve feet ahead. I found myself flying down the
trail, only able to react to changes that were happening
immediately. The sense that time was passing became suspended and
I skied in the moment, with my heart in my throat.

There is a new section to our ski trail this year. It runs on
a logging road down the middle of a huge clear cut just south of
here. This state land has been logged almost continuously since
the ’70s. It appears that the logging is over now, and the
remaining tote road makes a fine ski trail. The wide open spaces
of the clear cut offer an unusual perspective here in the dense
boreal forest where normally you can only see a few hundred yards
in any direction. When I reached the top of a small rise in the
clearing, I could clearly see the lights of Grand Marais
reflected on the low clouds some forty miles away. The airport
beacon at Grand Marais and the microwave tower near Lutsen were
also visible. As I stood feeling somewhat crowded by these signs
of encroaching civilization, I noticed another glow in the west.
It appeared to be moving toward me and growing alternately bright
and dim. I realized that it was Frank and Mary Alice driving home
along the Sawbill Trail, returning from their New Year’s party in
Schroeder. I couldn’t see the headlights themselves, nor could I
hear the slightest trace of engine or road noise. I turned and
resumed my headlong rush through the night toward home and a new
year. – Bill

12/26/00 – We have had a wonderful holiday here at Sawbill so
far. Our college students, Adam and Ruthie Hansen, have returned
from Madison and Chicago respectively. The weather has been
classic winter – mounds of fresh white powder, temperatures below
zero every night, and northern lights dancing among the stars. We
all enjoyed the extra Christmas day gift of the partial solar
eclipse, that bathed the landscape with soft golden light at
midday. We have a big ski planned for later today, but first we
need to haul some firewood into the houses for our furnaces. The
cold weather is causing large gaps to appear in the stolid wood
piles. – Bill

12/20/00 – Vivian and Willard Stevens have been camping on the
Sawbill Campground for as long as I can remember. Viv sent the
following e-mail today:

Hi Bill,

The following incident happened while we were at Sawbill in
August.
Thought you might get a kick out of it. Should have sent it to
you a
long time ago.

While Paul and LeAnn and their kids were on campsite #3 in
August they
were feeding nuts and whatever to the chipmunks. One day Paul put
out
four peanuts and 4 pistachios on a rock to see what the chipmunks
would
prefer. When he came back some time later, he was surprised to
see that
the pistachios were gone, but the peanuts were still there.
Guess that goes to show that you have some chipmunks, and maybe
red
squirrels, who have discriminating tastes. None of the ordinary
for them
when they can get the best!

Have a super Holiday Season!!!!

Vivian Stevens (and Willard, too, I suppose)

12/17/00 – Cindy and I were invited by our friends Scott and
Lee Bergstrom, who own Thomsonite
Beach Resort, to go on a sleigh ride on the Gunflint Trail.
The sleigh rides are given be Mark and Nancy Patten of Okontoe
Camp. The beautiful sleigh is pulled by two Belgian draft horses
over two miles of lantern lit trails. Mark, who is a cheerful
soul, keeps up a running commentary during the ride. The trail
crosses a small lake, a creek and makes a stop at the
"Kissing Tree." A vault of stars arches overhead, snow
blankets the spruce trees that line the trail, steam rises off
the broad backs of the giant, peaceful horses, and Mark sings
Christmas carols in a beautiful baritone. After the ride, the
Pattens welcome you into their home for a cup of home made hot
chocolate. Their house is a turn of the century hand hewn log
building that they moved from the nearby community of Isabella in
the early ’70s. They have since learned that it once served as a
bordello for the early 20th century logging camps around Isabella
and was known among the loggers as "The Clinic."

The Gunflint Trail is a paved road that requires quite a bit
of salt to keep the numerous corners and hills from being too
slippery. Moose have discovered the salt and get down on their
knees in the middle of the road to lick it up. It is a
magnificent sight, but also a significant road hazard. We counted
11 moose on our trip up to Okontoe. – Bill

12/14/00 – Cindy and the kids saw an unusual moose on the way
to school yesterday. It was a large bull, that on first glance,
seemed to have only one antler. It is not unusual to see a moose
with one antler that has dropped off, although usually in late
January or early February. As they drew near to this bull, they
realized that he had both antlers but one was huge while the
other was very small. The stunted antler was perfectly formed,
but tiny. It must be a pain to carry around such a lopsided load
on top of your head for six months. – Bill

12/12/00 – We have been under a cold snap here for the last
few days. The temps have not topped zero for highs and have been
near minus twenty every night. The full moon of December seems to
bring on the season’s first real cold snap every year. It does
make for some brilliant nights. It is the only time we feel the
need for window blinds on our bedroom windows, as the moon is
bright enough to fool us into thinking it is dawn at all hours. –
Bill

Steve Krahn has relisted the vintage Sawbill
Lodge postcard on eBay. It is a nice black and white shot of
the lodge in its prime circa 1951. The building pictured still
exists at Sobakken Resort in Lutsen. It was disassembled and
moved there in the early ’80s.

12/8/00 – We had a typical fluke North Shore snow storm
yesterday in the Tofte area. Tofte received 16" of snow
during the day, while for twenty miles in any direction,
including here at Sawbill, total accumulation was 2" or
less. Fortunately, the thickest snow fell on the ski trails that
lace the hills above Lake Superior. Grooming is scheduled for
Saturday, so trail skiing will be on the agenda for Sunday. –
Bill

12/2/00 – I could feel the shoreline moving by. On ice skates,
I challenged myself to trace the lake, to stay as close to the
edge of land and water as possible. I had to quickly move my
skates slaloming partially-covered boulders, leaned my shoulder
into fragrant, fluffy cedars, clicked my skates on wickets of
branches held up from submerged windfalls. I saw cul de sacs of
the lake I had never seen. I left arcs of skate tracks in little
nooks that would not have accommodated canoe or skis. Behind a
curtain of cedars, I skated into a very small shrine. Its floor,
covered in a fresh linen sheet of snow, glowed in the shadows. It
felt good to move with the lake this way, like dancing with an
old, familiar partner. It’s my favorite time of year. The lake is
entranced, perfectly still, as if holding its breath before the
next exhalation of snow. Until then, it feels like time has
stopped. We work less, postpone errands and chores, so we can
move on the lake as effortlessly as stockinged-feet on a vast
ballroom floor. Soon, the snow will come and fill in the molds my
skate’s and Bill’s skate-skis have etched into the lake. Later
this winter, when I am trudging along in snow shoes, I will lift
up all the snow and press it into my memory like a printer’s
carved wood block. The image of long graceful strokes covering a
huge canvas, will seem fantastic, like a spell written in an
ancient language. I will smile and laugh, as I do so often,
recalling the wonder of these woods. OB

11/29/00 – I skied to the north end of Sawbill Lake for the
first time this morning. I was pleased to see the fresh tracks of
a wolf pack on the lake, something I only saw a couple of times
last year. At the mouth of Kelso Bay, it was clear that they
lounged for awhile, including six piles of scat. It appears they
have been eating a lot of white tail deer, probably the offal
left by the recent fire arms deer hunting season. Otter tracks
were also evident. They only travel one way on the winter lakes –
run, run, run, sliiiiiiiide. Each slide is eight to ten feet
long. It looks like fun. At the very north end of the lake there
was a lead of open water in front of an active beaver house. An
otter was resting on the ice near the open water. After
inspecting me, she dove under the ice. I skied over and stood
near the hole, hoping she would reappear. Alas, she was smarter
than I gave her credit for. I could actually hear the water slosh
under the thin ice as she swam back and forth, but she avoided
resurfacing. I wonder if she could see me through the thin ice
and scant snow cover, or perhaps she could see the ice sag
slightly under my weight. There were several fresh trails from
both pine marten and fisher crossing the lake. – Bill

11/25/00 – Derald Storlie, owner of our nearest competitor
Sawtooth Outfitters, and a good friend, died suddenly an
unexpectedly yesterday of a heart attack. He was in Waseca,
Minnesota, helping his mother arrange her affairs after the death
of his father just two weeks ago. He was ice skating with his son
when he died, which was his favorite activity in the world. It is
hard to imagine a nicer guy than Derald. He will be sorely missed
by many. – Bill

11/22/00 – I tried to ski on the lake again yesterday. Most of
the ice seemed fine, but some of the snow covered areas creaked,
cracked and gurgled as I strode over them. Before I got more than
100 yards my skis abruptly shot out from under me and I crashed
down flat on my back on the unforgiving ice. The cartoon move
included multiple bounces of my noggin. I lay on my back and
watched the grey clouds glide by, thinking to myself "this
is not going well."

Being a slow learner and a born optimist, I tried again today.
Another inch of snow fell overnight, covering much of the bare
ice on the lake. Last night’s below zero temperatures (first of
the season) thickened the ice to about 3" – plenty to
support a skier. I was able to ski comfortably along the shore
all the way to the Smoke Lake portage. Pine marten tracks laced
along the shoreline. When I turned to head back, I was treated to
a fleeting purple sunset, not in the west, but in the south with
a slight westerly trend. The euphoria of gliding through the
deserted wilderness soon made me forget my aches and pains
(literally in the butt) from yesterday’s big fall. – Bill

11/21/00 – Sawbill Lake froze over on November 19th. I tried
(foolishly) to ski on it on the 20th. My first step onto the ice
was my last, as my foot plunged straight through into the frigid
water. Fortunately, I was smart enough to choose a shallow spot
for my first step.

Cindy and I just returned from Chicago. We attended the
wedding of former Sawbill crew member Chris Nelson. Chris was
originally a camper with the Flossmoor Community Church, a long
time Sawbill client from the south side of Chicago. Also in
attendance at the wedding were Karen Blackburn and John
Oberholtzer, both former Flossmorians and former Sawbill crew
members. Both Karen and John (OB) have chosen to settle near
Sawbill in the charming town of Grand Marais, Minnesota. The
wedding and reception were in the tradition of Chris’ bride,
Euridice Chrones, who is Greek. It was fun to experience the
elaborate Greek Orthodox ceremony and the authentic Greek dancing
at the reception. The night before, Chris and Euridice treated us
to a wonderful Greek dinner in Chicago’s Greektown district. The
biggest culture shock for Cindy and I was rush hour traffic on
the Chicago freeways. They are a quite a contrast to the good ol’
Sawbill Trail.

Along the way, we stopped to visit crew members Adam Hansen
and Ruthie Hansen. Adam is a sophomore at the University of
Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin and Ruthie is a freshman at the
University of Chicago. – Bill

11/14/00 – The absence of an entry here is partly due to our
annual moving of the computers from the office behind the store
to the office in our home. With the networking, inevitable
upgrades and the sheer scale of the task, it takes us awhile to
get organized again. Now the store is dark and cold, the water is
drained, the inventory packed away, and the electricity shut off.
The ground is covered with snow, but not enough to ski yet. The
lake hasn’t frozen, but some of the small ponds have skimmed
over, so we expect lake ice this week. As always, we have our
fingers crossed for smooth ice thick enough to skate on.

Dave Freeman, long time Sawbill crew member, is embarking on
an interesting and ambitious project this winter. Border Country
Adventure is the name he has given to an epic winter camping trip
that he is taking to raise wilderness awareness among the public.
Assisted by a sled dog, Dave will pull a sled across the length
of the BWCA Wilderness for six weeks beginning February 1st. He
will be updating his website via satellite telephone during the
entire adventure. Visit his website
bordercountryadventure.com now for more details. We will be
following Dave’s progress with interest.

Sawbill related items continue to pop up on eBay. Last week
there was a vintage postcard from Sawbill Lodge circa 1951. I was
going to put a link to it here, but apparently was too slow and
it is already sold. Currently there is a vintage
Sawbill Outfitters grey hooded sweatshirt available from a
seller in Duluth. This is very amusing for us. We still sell them
new in the good ol’ sawbill Store. – Bill

11/4/00 – Some would call it adventurous, some would call it
sheer stupidity. That’s right folks it’s another episode with the
Sawbill Polar Bear Club! I guess it’s not much of a club any more
seeing that I’m the last remaining member, but for the sake of
continuity we’ll call it a club. The weather was beautiful today
after several days in a row of gloom and rain, so I had to jump
at the opportunity to freeze my tail off. Also, I vowed to get in
the lake on my last day of work at Sawbill and sadly, that day
has come. Again, I forgot to bring a thermometer with me so I
can’t give a precise measure of the temperature of the water in
Sawbill Lake, but here’s a little description to give you an idea
of where it’s at. The Polar Bear Club members never jump in the
lake just one time , it’s simply not allowed, an encore is
required. Today upon pulling myself out of the lake after the
encore I actually got a brain freeze, you know, an ice cream
headache. Needless to say, the whole experience was fairly
intense. I’d like to dedicate today’s jump to the Sawbill Crew
Late Season Bachelors Association (SCLSBA) and two of its three
members, Eric "Frosty" Frost and John "The Man
with the Plan" Mlade, here’s to you boys.

So it’s time for me to say good-bye to Sawbill and make the
big move off into my post undergraduate future. I owe quite a bit
to this wonderful place, more than I could ever express in this
newsletter. If any of you are in the New York Metro area, please
look me up, I’ll take you on a paddle down the Hudson! Take care
everyone. Cheers! – Hoeky

Sawbill Outfitters Store, 8:30 a. m., Saturday, October
7th.

10/31/00 – As of midnight last night, the summer-long fire
restrictions in the BWCA Wilderness have been lifted. Of course,
there is literally nobody in the wilderness right now, so it
really doesn’t matter. Our last canoeists came in yesterday.
We’ve had a few calls about early November, but I suppose it
depends on the weather. The snow buntings have arrived from the
arctic in the last few days and the snow is never far behind
them. – Bill

10/28/00 – Got a bit of snow last night – just enough to cover
the trees and ground.

We received this message from Ed Dallas, the Poet Laureate of
Sawbill:

Tell Carl that I know how he feels with the owl flying over
him. Some years ago I was running the dogs over in the Aitkin bog
country and it was just after sun down when it is just about
ready to go dark when the dogs all look back at me and many of
them bent down as they ran, I, quickly, turned around to see this
huge Great Grey talons out flying for my head!! (I’m sure he/she
was after my beaver hat). It does make the heart pound faster!!
Have a good one.

Ed

ps………… Carl, watch your hat now!

10/25/00 – Carl Hansen, age 10, had a couple of notable
experiences last night. After school, he was doing something
outside, between the store and the Sawbill Trail. A pickup truck
pulled to a stop on the Sawbill Trail, less than 100 feet away.
The driver, who was screened by trees and brush, jumped out and
fired a shotgun blast at a grouse directly in Carl’s direction.
Cindy, Carl’s mom, heard the shot and ran out to confront the
reckless hunter. It is illegal in Minnesota to fire a gun that
close to a house, campsite or road. Cindy not only chewed out the
thoughtless hunter, but turned in his license plate number to the
game warden. An hour later, Carl was walking alone to dinner when
he heard a faint whooshing sound over his head. He looked up in
time to see a great grey owl gliding just a few feet above his
head. With a five foot wing span, the great grey is an impressive
sight at close range. Two hours later, Carl reported that his
"knees have just now stopped feeling like rubber."

10/23/00 – Another string of gorgeous weather favored the
small crowd of canoeists that visited over the long weekend. The
third weekend in October is when the teacher’s union holds its
conference in Minnesota, giving school children Thursday and
Friday off. We had a nice visit from former crew members Mick
Mickelson and Carol Winter. They had never met each other, even
though they both worked here during the 70’s.

10/5/00 – Snow! Yes that’s right campers, it’s snowing in the
northland. The temperature today barely made it over 40 degrees
and unfortunately with the snow came dreary skies. Of course it’s
not quite cold enough for any accumulation on the ground, but
that might not be too far off. The current forecast is calling
for temperatures in the 20’s over the next few nights and snow
is predicted to continue for the next few days as well. We’ve
been blessed for quite a number of days with clear blue skies
which the crew has had the opportunity to take advantage of. Several
of us have been ru
nning down the quiet Sawbill trail lately enjoying
the wonderful fall colors and smells. Yesterday I had the opportunity
to take a bike down the Pancore Lake road (about 10 miles or so
from us down the Sawbill Trail) to none other than Pancore Lake.
The largely unused designated trout lake is quite a sight this
time of year. Another road on my journey took me to a spot where
I stopped to watch a local resident work on his beautiful new
home. To end the day perfectly I hiked to Britton Peak, just a
few miles up the Sawbill Trail from Tofte. The vista from Britton
is not to be missed , if you’ve not seen it before stop and take
the 1/3 mile hike the next time you’re in the area. The 180 degree
view of Lake Superior along with the wonderful sight of the changing
foliage was absolutely breathtaking. Well, time to go check on
Bill’s progress draining the water from the shower house……..Wait
a minute, I just looked out the window, the snow is sticking and
piling up quickly! More snow tales to come. -Hoeky

First snow on the puppy.

9/30/00 – Ed Dallas, the Poet Laureate of Sawbill, writes:

IT WON’T BE LONG NOW

At this time of year,

those who paddle

out from the Sawbill

find each night’s campfire

a bit warmer,

sleeping bag zipped

all the way up,

stronger morning coffee

and portage trail mud

mimics potter’s clay.

Oh, some will enjoy crispness

of blue sky dotted

with winter-chased geese

and yellow aspen-leaf rain

while others

(garageless city dwellers)

see only hardships

brought on by dreaded

WINTER PARKING RULES

and City Officials eager

to call SNOW EMERGENCIES.

9/29/00 – We had a visit on Wednesday from Wilson and Jane
Arbogast. In 1934, Wilson and Jane, along with their father George,
stepmother Jean, and two other brothers, built Sawbill Lodge on
the south end of Sawbill Lake. Theirs is an amazing depression
era story. They built a beautiful log lodge and twelve cabins
from trees cut right on Sawbill Lake. It was a true northwoods
pioneer effort under very difficult conditions. Wilson had many
pictures from those times and I was impressed with how happy everyone
looked. It was a hard life, but a great life. Sawbill Lodge went
out of business in 1980. The Arbogast kids left the lodge to join
the military during WWII. Their father and Jean divorced and Jean
ran the lodge until she sold it in 1960. Jean started us in business
in 1957 when she spun off the outfitting business to my parents,
Frank and Mary Alice Hansen. – Bill

9/28/00 – Annie Pearson (nee’ Stritmatter), former Sawbill
crew member, now lives in Nicaragua. She sent up this picture
of a 47′ aluminum boat that her husband, Marcos, made. It is the
second of three that he is making for an organization called Alistar.
It will be used on Rio Coco for hauling freight and people to
remote towns. Annie asks if we would like a few for BWCA Wilderness
use. They only weigh two tons.

Pictured below are Brad (Gus) Gustason and friends who biked
from Duluth to Sawbill and back last weekend. It took them four
days total. They had wet and cold weather, but were revived by
the Summit beer selection in the Sawbill store and the sauna.

Homer the puppy is thriving. Gus and Sunny have taught him
well, as you can see…

9/23/00 – Gus and Sunny, Sawbill’s most popular residents,
would like to announce the arrival of their new friend, Homer
Howard Hansen to Sawbill.

Homer, age 8 weeks.

Sawbill customer Eric Flom sent along this picture from the
fires in Montana this summer. Impressive.

Photographed by John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management,
Alaska Fire Service

9/17/00 – Yesterday morning, Dave and Harriet, who live in
a camping trailer here at Sawbill, woke up at 6:30 a. m. to some
strange noises outside their door. Peering out the window, they
discovered two canadian geese standing in the driveway honking
at each other. I’m aware that geese are common, especially in
urban areas, but we rarely see them here except flying overhead
in "v" formation.

9/14/00 – Picture taken by Dave Freeman in front of the Sawbill
Store. The pine martens are casing the place…

9/13/00 – A variety of news here at Sawbill. Moose continue
to be sighted at a record pace. I saw three in one trip to town
a few days ago. All were bulls who were starting into their annual
mating period known as "rutting." These gentleman were
obviously preoccupied and unwilling to concede possession of the
road without a stare down. One huge bull even took a few threatening
steps in my direction. I was stopped a respectful distance away,
but still shifted quickly in reverse – just in case.

Ruthie Hansen departed yesterday, bound for her freshman year
at the University of Chicago. People have expressed amazement
that a country girl like Ruthie would choose one of the most urban
campuses in the country. But, she is looking forward to the excitement
and cultural enrichment that Chicago can offer. Perhaps we can
entice her to submit a few impressions of Chicago from a northwoods
point of view for this newsletter… if she has time.

Sawbill crew member Erik Hoekstra had an unfortunate accident
with our big 3/4 ton pickup truck yesterday. He was driving down
the Grade Road with the recycling trailer in tow and got sucked
into some soft gravel. After a few fishtails, he ended up in the
ditch. It was unlucky that the embankment was deep and steep at
this point and the truck ended up on its side. Erik was thankfully
unhurt. The truck is now in Richie Nelson’s body shop having most
of its sheet metal unwrinkled.

The fall colors have started in earnest along the Sawbill Trail.
The maple hillsides near Tofte are showing about 20% red. Farther
up, the underbrush is fully aflame with color. The birches and
aspen are showing sudden splashes of yellow which are beautiful
set against the vivid green background.

9/4/00 – David and Kathryn Olson, from New Jersey, have traveled
many miles in canoe country over the years. They took the pictures
below on their trip a couple of weeks ago and have many more on
their website.

9/3/00 – We received this story by email this morning:

A LIVELY PORTAGE — POLLY TO KAWASACHONG, BWCA, 2000

By Brand Frentz

We were forewarned to stay alert on the double portage from
Kawasachong through Townline to Lake Polly in the South Central
BWCA. In mid-July outfitter Bill Hansen’s Sawbill Newsletter (www.sawbill.com)
told about a smart, aggressive, and apparently pretty hungry bear
who had been marauding along that trail. The bruin reportedly
sneaked up on people, then when their backs were turned darted
out and grabbed the food and ran! That put me on edge, but in
fact we saw no bears in a week (probably because a good hazelnut
crop had ripened). As it turned out, the wildlife was not as wild
as their human counterparts. What we did see was some portage
action, portaging, some original styles and interesting problems.

It was on the return trip. We had worked hard to get from Little
Sag to Koma in one day, and started the last day late, and sore.
As we moved slowly homeward the 190-rod portage from Townline
to Kawasachong loomed as the back breaker.

As luck would have it, we faced a brisk south wind, right in
our faces — just as it had been out of the north and right in
our faces when we came in. Because we were worn down to start
with, it did not surprise me that as we crossed Lake Polly a pair
of athletic young guys in an old 17-foot Alumacraft easily overtook
us. We exchanged a few words, and they told us their impressive
route: put-in at Hog Creek and in six days they had gone all the
way west to Gabbro Lake and then back up the Kawishiwi River.
To me that is a long trip, and they looked stronger than ever.
We wished them good speed, although they already had it, and paddled
on behind.

By the time we reached the portage they were loaded, each with
a big pack on his back and a small one in front. What they did
next did surprise me. They bent over and picked up the boat together,
flipped it up over their heads and set it down with the seats
resting on their big packs. This portage starts with a mean little
rocky climb. They bounded up it like mountain goats, and out of
our sight for good. So that is one way to carry the canoe, and
it obviously was working for them.

We got loaded, Vycki with the food pack and incidentals, me
with the canoe (Penobscot 16) and my day pack. Before going far
we met a woman, then a man, then another, all with light loads
and reserved (if not sullen) attitudes. One of them warned us
that there were "terrible mudholes" on the second portage.

Then I came to the next curiosity of this portage, two women
struggling with a red Penobscot 17. It was on the ground as I
came up, and I couldn’t help noticing that it had no yoke. Instead
it had two broken pieces of wood connected to the gunnels, and
nothing between them. They told me that one of the guys had been
carrying it on the previous portage, and the yoke "just broke."

Very unfortunate, I agreed, so what are you doing now? They
were on a day trip from Kawasachong to Lake Polly to fish, and
they were determined to push on. How? They had secured PFDs to
the bow and stern seats, then bent their heads forward and put
the boat there, resting on their necks. Now that is a hard way
to portage! I had to admire their grit, and wished them good luck.
More with portaging than fishing.

After we completed the portage normally, me making a second
round for the two other packs (equipment and clothing), we paddled
across Townline to meet the day’s main challenge. We had now been
warned that it was muddy in addition to being long. We loaded
and crossed over. Things seemed okay. Along the way we passed
two young couples, who said a friendly "Hello," and
gave a fleeting impression of uncertainty. At the put-in I rested
a minute admiring our old friend Kawasachong, then started back
for the final pull — two 40-pound packs, front and back, and
me already dragging. I thought to myself, "I’ll at least
enjoy the walk over, with nothing to carry."

You bet! I hadn’t gone 100 yards when I came up to one of the
young guys, struggling with a huge red seabag, a 17-foot Mad River
Explorer on the ground next to him. Although I could see the problem,
I said, "Hi, what’s up?" He muttered something about
this portaging being a tricky business. "Here," I said
with my best BWCA manners, "Let me have that bag. The canoe
is plenty by itself." He looked astonished. He muttered a
breathless, "Awesome!" as I took his pack and he took
the canoe.

As we walked I told him that it was normal for me to help him
out, and that the other day on this very portage a guy had done
the same for me. He told me that this was their first time in
the BWCA and he didn’t know how he could carry the pack and the
canoe at once (this was the first real portage of their trip).

Before long we overtook his wife, who was cheerfully carrying
two more big seabags, front and back. He beamed to her, "Look
what this awesome guy is doing. He’s taking our pack." Well,
they were from Chicago, where I guess "awesome" is a
popular word, and helping out strangers may not be as common on
the street there as on portage trails in the BWCA. We chatted
about the beauty of the woods as we approached the muddy section.

Now I had been through this mud already. It was okay. I just
sloshed through in sandals, right down the middle where the trail
once was. My friends from Chicago had not seen it. In fact they
had only been in the BWCA for a couple of hours. Suddenly just
ahead I heard, "Yiiiy!" and saw the woman sinking, right
down to the packs! I dashed up and grabbed one arm, and another
guy who happened to be coming the other way came over quickly
and held her up on the other side.

Then slowly, carefully, we lifted her and her two big packs
out of the rippling mudhole. When she was back at ground level,
we set her down in the middle of the trail, where the mud was
3-4 inches deep but solid underneath. She gasped for air. Her
husband with the Explorer on his shoulders came up just then,
and she excitedly told him what had happened. More "awesomes,"
and everyone was happy.

The reason she went in, she said, was that she didn’t like
the looks of the mud on the trail. So she stepped off to the side,
where it appeared to be grassy but was not.

We crossed the rest of the trail together in fine spirits.
At the end, the Townline Lake put-in, I politely suggested that
they consider double portaging next time, and they agreed enthusiastically.
They thanked me, of course, and I said, "No problem, anybody
would’ve done it." As I grabbed my two packs and headed across
the portage for the last time I heard her say to her husband,
voice crackling with emotion, "Wow, that was exhilarating!"

I was so anxious to tell Vycki about my adventures that I completely
forgot that this was supposed to be the big challenge of the day,
and the portage was over in a flash. Time flies when you’re having
fun. (The fatigue hit later, as it always does.)

9/2/00 – A man just walked into the store with a 27.9 lb Northern
Pike tied to a paddle. He told us he caught the huge fish on a
little spoon and 6 lb test line. Unfortunately our digital camera
is having some technical difficulties, so we weren’t able to get
a picture of the fish. We’re storing it in our freezer for the
rest of the weekend. I was afraid to tell him that the last time
someone stored a huge fish in our freezer, Adam pulled it out
and threatened to use the stiff fish to play a few rounds of wiffle-ball.

Labor Day Weekend is in full-swing here at Sawbill. The campground
was full last night, and is full tonight too. There’s been a steady
stream of people in the store and dome all day long. I know the
summer’s coming to an end when I overhear kids in the store discussing
their school schedules. Oh my.

Sincerely Yours, -Ruthie

9/1/00 – 108 Carleton college freshman arrived at Sawbill today.
In the morning they will split into 12 separate groups and venture
into the wilderness on 12 different routes. Former crew members
Natasha "BA" Warner and Annie Strupeck are here to help
out over the busy weekend. It’s great to see some different faces
sitting behind the counter in the store. I’d like to write more,
but Hey! There’s work to be done!

Signing off, -Ruthie