5/11/07 – All is quiet at Sawbill this morning. We’ve been getting people who didn’t know about the entry point closures rerouted to alternate entry points and answering many, many phone calls. The fire made an unusual southward run last night, driven by high north winds. Now the winds have switched to the east and it is moving slowly back to the west, headed toward where it began. Sunday is still the best chance for rain, so keep your fingers crossed.
If you need to switch your entry point, or just want to investigate what permits are available for upcoming dates, you can do it online at www.bwcaw.org.. You can also call the permit reservation office toll free at 1-877-550-6777. Or, call us and we will help you.
At this point, we have no idea how long the closed entry points will be closed. It all depends on the weather and the behavior of the fire. As always, we will post information here as soon as we receive it.

The Ham Lake Fire was just a subtle glow in the north last night, but appearances, from this distance, are deceiving. It was raising hell along the Gunflint Trail. Fortunately, no one has been injured and very few, if any, additional structures have burned.

5/10/07 – 10 P. M. We’ve just been notified by the Forest Service that the Sawbill Lake and Baker Lake entry points to the BWCA Wilderness have been closed until further notice. This includes both overnight and day-use. They do not expect the Ham Lake Fire to threaten Sawbill directly, but the fire has reached a size that has triggered the decision to clear everyone out of the eastern end of the wilderness.
Late reports from the firefighting team indicate that the fire more than doubled, perhaps as much as quadrupled today. Most of that growth was in Canada, but with a fire this size, behavior is unpredictable, so the Forest Service is trying to err on the side of caution.
Call or email if you have questions. – Bill

5/10/07 – The Ham Lake Fire exploded to the east today running into Canada at least five miles and probably further. The forecast is calling for winds to move from west, to northwest, and finally to north tonight. If that happens and the wind doesn’t slow down, it could potentially push the fire back into the U.S. east of the Gunflint Trail. As a precaution, the Forest Service has closed a bunch of BWCA Wilderness entry points. until further notice. In our area, they closed the Brule Lake and Homer Lake entry points.
It is still very unlikely that this fire will burn down to Sawbill, but we are watching it carefully and will post any relevant information here. – Bill

5/9/07 – We have been getting quite a few calls and emails about the status of the fire at the end of the Gunflint Trail. It is highly unlikely that the fire will impact any of the routes in the Sawbill area. If there is any change, or if any new fires start, we’ll post the news here immediately. – Bill

Kari and Homer watch the plume from the Ham Lake Fire from the canoe landing on Sawbill Lake yesterday evening. The fire cloud gives the illusion of being quite close, but is actually more than 20 miles away. Once your mind adjusts to the actual distance, you realize how big the cloud is.

5/7/07 – It is terrribly dry here right now and there is a complete burning ban in place. This ban applies to all of Cook and Lake Counties and includes all recreational fires including charcol grills. Simply put, no fires at all in northeastern Minnesota until further notice.
There is a large, destructive fire burning currently at the end of the Gunflint Trail. The fire is not threatening us, or the vast majority of the BWCA Wilderness, at all. However, it is threatening many homes and businesses at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Our thoughts are with our friends up there and hoping for the best possible outcome. You can find good, up to date information on the Ham Lake Fire, as it has been named, at www.inciweb.org. Or, for the local angle, try the website of our excellent community radio station, WTIP.
Time flies for us during this time of year. Every day is a blur of work as we bring each part of our facility on line, process a flood of incoming stock, clean, organize, and welcome the early visitors. All of this with a very small (and hardworking) crew. Two new crew members are experiencing the seasonal start up with us this year. – Bill

Caitlin Coomes, hails from the Stillwater, Minnesota area, and is a graduate of Carleton College. Caitlin’s aunt, Ellen Lock, was a crew member 1990 – 93.

Pat Hughes hails from Portland, Oregon and is a graduate of University of Redlands in California.

4/28/07 – The first picnic of the year is another time-honored Sawbill tradition. – Bill

Mary Alice is the chief organizer of picnics.

Homer joins Kari and Jessa at the picnic. He’s looking for his plate.

The perfect s’more marshmallows and the not so perfect.

4/25/07 – I thought I was done with a particularily bracing tradition here at Sawbill: the opener of the Sawbill Beach Club. They keep pulling me back. With enticement of a Sawbill dinner and sauna, I was persuaded into getting the season going. The ritual requires all present Sawbillians, old or new, to get naked and get into the lake as soon as the ice is out. It is very scary and feels brutal. Then, there is a warm feeling in the evening sun, knowing the paddle season is here and soon all our old friends are heading our way. It is also fun to be the photographer. Wish you were all here. Welcome to the summer. EAT CHEEZ! OB

The Godfather: Just when I thought I was done, they keep pulling me back in.

Beating a hasty retreat…

Cindy, Kari, Jessa and Pat enjoy some sunshine after their dip.

4/24/07 – Today is the official “ice out” date for Sawbill Lake in 2007. Just one week ago the ice was 18″ thick and perfectly safe to walk on. It has been warm and we received more than a inch of warm rain over the weekend. Also the ice had been weakened by an intense warm spell in mid-March. This date is about a week early according to long term experience. Of course, when you take the warming climate into account… – Bill

Homer observes the remnant of the winter’s ice on Sawbill Lake. This picture was taken at about 3 pm, but I fully expect that this ice will be almost gone by midnight.

With the rapid melting and the recent rain, the lake level is just a few inches from flooding the canoe landing. This is normal water level for this time of year.

The lake ice takes on a very interesting honey-combed appearance as it melts.

4/23/07 – Sawbill crew members Dave Freeman and Eric Frost are deep in the rain forest of Peru on their latest educational adventure with the non-profit Wilderness Classroom Trans-Amazon Expedition. After spending the last few weeks biking from the Pacific Ocean over the Andes Mountains, they have now embarked down the Amazon River watershed in their Wenonah canoes.

Sawbill crewmembers are part of the team paddling across South America.
Try following the expedition on the Trip Tracker Map on their website. If that doesn’t work on your computer, use the Google Earth option. If you don’t have the Google Earth application, you can download it for free. It’s a fun tool for planning canoe trips in the BWCA Wilderness too. – Bill

4/17/07 – Spring is quickly arriving at Sawbill. Yesterday was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the 60s, flawless blue skies, and no wind. The lake ice took a hit, but is still 18.5″ thick with about 10″ of really solid ice. I might try skiing this afternoon. The pictures tell the tale. – Bill

The snow has melted away except for drifts and piles. The lakes are mushy on the surface, but pretty solid underneath.

18.5″ of ice about 100′ off the Sawbill Lake canoe landing.

Homer inspects the hole used to measure the ice thickness.

South facing points are starting to show some open water. Stream outlets and shallow ponds are also opening up.