4/11/20 – Huck and I headed out for a big walk on the lake the other evening. We encountered long shadows and beautiful clouds. -Jessica

4/9/2020 – Two updates from the past 24 hours:

1. Minnesota Governor Walz extended the “Stay at home” order until May 4th. This order not only requests that people stay home as much as possible, it also closes many types of businesses, including ours. We are still answering the phones, responding to emails, and taking reservations – so if you are planning a trip don’t hesitate to reach out! Our online store will also remain open.

2. The USFS has closed all campgrounds on the Superior National Forest until May 1. This includes both free rustic campgrounds (Baker, Kawishiwi, etc) and pay campgrounds (Sawbill, Temperance, Crescent, etc). These campgrounds are in effect closed due to winter conditions until that time anyway, so this doesn’t have much of a real world impact, for now. In the meantime, we have been instructed to develop an operations plan for campground management that is consistent with current CDC sanitation guidelines. We are hopeful that our plan, in addition to our current practice of diligent maintenance will enable us to operate the campgrounds when the time comes.

We’ll keep everyone up to date as we continue to learn more.

-Dan

4/7/20 – Slowly but surely it’s starting to feel a little more like spring around here. Stepping out my front door yesterday I was instantly swallowed up by the beautiful smell of decaying plant matter. That doesn’t sound like it would be a pleasant experience, but trust me, it smelled amazing. The snow had finally let loose all the smells it had been hoarding from us all winter long. -Jessica

4/6/2020 – Greetings Sawbill massive. During this really strange and unsettling time, we have been heartened to see the outpouring of love for the BWCA Wilderness and the prioritization of spending time/money on visiting this special place when uncertainty abounds. We have fielded numerous inquiries regarding the status of the BWCA in light of so many high profile closures across the country and world. Right now we are in a holding pattern. In part because it’s still winter on the Wilderness edge, with feet of snow on the ground and lakes locked up tight with ice. As we look forward, we are still uncertain how things will play out. We are expecting some guidance from the Forest Service in the coming days on both the campgrounds outside of the Wilderness in addition to travel/camping inside the Boundary Waters. We will share this information with you as we have it.

To date, “rustic” campgrounds on the Superior National Forest (fee free campgrounds such as Baker Lake, Kawishiwi Lake, etc) have been closed until further notice. No word on Sawbill Lake, Crescent Lake, nor Temperance River Campgrounds at this time. (Again, we are still shrouded in snow in this area, so all camping is basically limited for next month anyway).

While we wait, we are still accepting reservations in addition to fulfilling orders for merchandise and used canoes.

We hope everyone is finding solace in dreams and virtual connection to the Boundary Waters, a beacon of hope right now for all of us.

-Dan

4/4/20 – With the help of a few fresh inches of snow, I was able to celebrate the birthday of Sigurd Olson by heading out on a wilderness ski. -Jessica

We leave the high, bare slopes with their shifting snows and glide down into the close intimacy of birch and spruce, the trail winding in and out of thickets, down little slopes and up again, dodging under branches and around rocks and trees with the same feeling that portages give, or game trails, or any primitive paths through unbroken country. Cross-country skiing holds much of surprise and change, but best of all is the feeling of closeness to the woods themselves, to the sounds of birds and trees and the wind.

–Sigurd F. Olson, The Singing Wilderness, 226

4/3/20 – Last week I broke out the snowshoes and headed down a nearby logging road to take advantage of a bluebird day. I was mostly able to stay on top of the crusty snow, but every once in a while I’d break through up to my knees signaling that snowshoe season is coming to a close. Along the hike I found lots of moose sign from earlier in the winter, and you guessed it, scat (I just couldn’t wait another whole week to share). Everything I came across was melting out of the snow, so not very fresh, but fun to find in any case. -Jessica

4/1/20 – After all the encouraging feedback I received from my “Otter Poop” post last week, I decided to give the people what they want and feature a different woodland creatures poop each week in the newsletter.  All joking aside, I do enjoy finding these clues as to who we share the neighborhood with.  -Jessica

3/30/20 – Have you ever gotten to Sawbill and found that the t-shirt style you had your heart set on was out of stock in your size? We do our best to predict the amount of each size we’ll need to get us through the season, but inevitably some styles and sizes are more popular than others. This year we received our t-shirt order a little earlier than usual so, to give everyone a fair chance we decided to post a handful of each for sale on our website. New additions include; t-shirts, sweatshirts, a flannel, and a variety of baseball caps. -Jessica

3/28/20 – Join Dan and Clare for an evening chat about all things Sawbill and Boundary Waters. Have questions about what life is like here at the end of the Sawbill Trail? Questions about BWCA trips or routes? Follow the link to the event on our Facebook page. We go live tomorrow at 8pm!

3/27/20 – While the rest of us are diligently social distancing and wondering when we’ll be getting our next haircut, Huckleberry got a fresh new hairdo and is now ready for whatever mud season has to throw at him. -Jessica

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