4/13/23 – After reaching a high of 79° yesterday the solid ice held steady at 22″, with the top slush layer dwindling to 6″. In the woods we have just under 2 feet of snow which means we lost over a foot in the span of a couple days. Looking at the forecast however, it appears we’ll soon be headed into second winter. -Jessica

4/11/23 – This afternoon’s ice check revealed 22″ of solid ice, plus 11″ of slush.

We reached 72° for a brief few moments this afternoon which has really done a number on the structural integrity of the snow (posthole city in the woods) and added a good amount of water on top of the ice past Mouse Island. -Jessica

4/6/23 – Yesterday afternoon Clare started off the ice out countdown by drilling the first test hole of the 2023 season. She reported 24″ of solid ice, with 18″ of snow and slush (some frozen, some unfrozen) on top of that.

Meanwhile in the woods we still have a good 3 feet of snow. Sooner or later things are going to start melting…right? Stay tuned for further updates! -Jessica

3/31/23 – Yesterday afternoon while out for a walk my eyes caught a telltale sign of spring! The first pussy willow sighting of the season! Today I noticed a few more have come to join the party. -Jessica

3/22/23 – As of today the snowpack has officially outgrown the yard stick with an average depth of 37 inches. -Jessica

3/15/23 – Over the past couple weeks I’ve been looking at the yurt wondering if I should do another round of snow removal. Ideally the snow will slide off by itself in warmer weather, but no such luck so far. Hearing about the Duluth mall’s partial roof collapse yesterday was all the motivation needed to get the job done…

In other news, we now have a snowpack of 32″ in our neck of the woods. Each Wednesday I measure the snow depth and send the total off to the Minnesota DNR. They use this measurement, along with others throughout the state, to put together a snow depth map published every Thursday afternoon (see link for the most up to date map). Also interesting to compare and contrast are the past snow depth maps which go back to 2016. -Jessica

2/14/23 – Have you, or someone you know, been stopped flat in your planning tracks due to Sawbill Lake permits being fully booked for your prospective entry day? Fear not! Here at Sawbill we specialize in the art of tying canoes onto vehicles, so you can take destiny into your own hands and explore a different entry point in the area. Three canoes you say, but only one vehicle? We can handle it! Compact car? We’ve got you covered! No roof rack? No problem!

Long story short; if your trip has you starting somewhere other than Sawbill Lake we’ll secure the canoe(s) onto your vehicle and provide all the ropes, straps, foam pads, racks, etc. needed to get where you’re going. This comes with all rentals at no extra charge. -Jessica

2/8/23 – Tis the season for removing snow from the buildings around Sawbill. Like most things around here there’s a particular process for getting the job done. I cut snow blocks using an old campground sign and then Dan comes in with a giant shovel to break them loose and push them off the edge. It’s one of those things that’s a decent amount of work, but pretty darn rewarding once you see the progress and think about the weight of each block being removed.

-Jessica

1/28/23 – If you’ve ever stayed at the Sawbill campground, there’s a good chance you’ve interacted with one of our fabulous hosts. Our most recent hosts have found themselves new jobs with less summer availability, so we’re on the search for the right person or people to step into that role.

If you’re interested, send us an email at info@sawbill.com and we’ll send along the job description and a link to the application.

-Clare

1/19/23 – This morning Huck and I decided to put on our reconnaissance hats and head out on the lake. It was a bit breezy but we persevered north past Mouse Island (gotta get the information out to the masses). We were the first tracks on the lake since the most recent snowfall (Tuesday/Wednesday) and are happy to report relatively easy travel through 6-12″ of fluffy snow and very minimal slush. If I really dug down I could find slush, but I had no problem walking around in my mukluks. -Jessica