9/19/06 – We received some interesting photos today. Larry Wilbers sent these two photos:

Steve, Ed and Larry Wilbers (father, son and grandfather, respectively), posing before their Sawbill canoe trip in 1983.

The same trio in 2006. Ed still gets to wear the dorky lifejacket 🙂
Nancy Grimes sent this gorgeous picture of Burnt Lake:

Burnt Lake just before sunrise in early September.

9/18/06 – The rain has finally come to Sawbill! We have had a few days of very welcome moisture to help squelch the forest fires north of Brule which have not yet been contained, but are not currently spreading. It has been called to my attention that there have not been enough pictures of the natural beauty which surrounds us so I am including some fall photos of the Sawbill area. I am also including a photo of Jessa Wallendal who, along with Ruthie Hansen, Bhupesh Pattni and Eric Frost, rounds out the new fall additions to our crew. More to come soon! -Corey

A placid morning near Sawbill Creek.

A bright red maple along the Sawbill Trail.

A birch grove with some early yellow leaves.

Carlton Peak in full fall bloom.

Our newest employee and long time Sawbill friend, Jessa Wallendal.

9/17/06 – We received this nice email this morning:
Hi there,
I just wanted to drop a line and let you know how much I enjoyed staying in the Sawbill campground. I usually stay at Baker Lake so this was a nice change. I emailed some pictures I took when I went out on Sawbill Lake in one of your canoes with my Yorkie. She had a blast, had never been in a canoe before so I was surprised to see that she was very relaxed during our 3 hour adventure. She even has a little portaging under her belt now as we went to Alton Lake as well.
Without giving you my life history I will just say I have cared for my husband, who is quadriplegic, for the past 17 years. Things have taken a great toll on me lately and my trips up the Sawbill Trail this summer have allowed me to “escape” into my own world of peace and tranquility as I am happiest when I’m out in the woods. The only problem I run into is that I never want to leave!! Your staff was friendly as always and helpful. I look forward to visiting you again soon.
Pookie says to say hi to Mary Alice, Homer and Izzy!
Take care,
Melanie Vittitow and Pookie Bear

Melanie and her dog relaxing in the sunshine on the Alton portage.

Pookie Bear is geared up for canoeing.

9/16/06 4 PM – Here is a good map of the Famine and Redeye fires burning north of Brule Lake. We did receive a small amount of rain this morning, but the remainder of the day has been cool and overcast. More rain is predicted for tonight.

9/16/06 9 AM – There are several new fires burning in the BWCA Wilderness. So far, none of them are threatening Sawbill. Some of the routes that our customers use are closed. Everything north of Brule Lake and east of Long Island is closed. The route passing through Long Island up to Tuscarora and Little Sag is open. The Gunflint Trail has been evacuated as a precaution. Rain is expected today, but also high winds, so we’ll see what happens.
Amazingly, there are no campfire restrictions in place. The forecast calls for much cooler and wetter days ahead, so let’s hope that it is accurate. Low water continues to be annoying on many routes. On the positive side, last week’s frost has really set the foliage ablaze.
Follow these links for more info:
Fire-related BWCAW Closures
Red Eye and Famine Fire Update

9/13/06 – As you can see from the lack of newsletter entries, this is a very busy time of year for us. While use of the BWCA Wilderness is down, many of our employees are gone, so we are busier than ever. Luckily, we have more help this fall than we’ve had in many years.
The weather has continued to be beautiful. Every day is sunny and warm, although the nights are starting to get cool. We had four nights of frost in a row last week. The underbrush is starting to turn colors and the trees will follow soon.
It is quite dark by 7:30 pm now, so we have adjusted our hours to 8 am – 7 pm.

9/4/06 – Today is yet another sad day at Sawbill. Three more crew members are leaving us. Alison Behm (Kathy) is moving to St. Paul to begin her first semester at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Missy Peschman is also moving to the Cities to attend Northwestern Medical Institute and our very own Pat Nash is taking off for a two week vacation in Alaska. We will miss you all and wish you the best of luck in your adventures.
Today also marked the end of Labor Day weekend which in turn marks the end of our peak season here at Sawbill. Our bluegrass friends and their families left this morning so tonight we will be without music. Unless I get out the guitar and start singing away, but no one wants that! -Corey

Kathy and Missy all smiles on the summit of Carlton Peak.

Missy gets two photos on the website today with this one of her and Nash just before they left Sawbill.

9/4/06 – Brianna Luduigson and her family had a great encounter with a black bear on Sawbill Lake yesterday. They were out fishing when they heard a bear splash into the water just north of the Sawbill campground. They watched it for several minutes while it appeared to simply enjoy a little soak. It eventually ambled back up on shore and into the forest. Although it was sighted within a quarter mile of the campground, no one saw it in the campground overnight. It is always fun to see a bear in the wilderness that is not actively trying to eat your food. – Bill

A large black bear enjoys a Labor Day weekend swim in Sawbill Lake. Photo by Brianna Luduigson.

9/2/06 – Yesterday was a very busy day for Sawbill. The annual pre-freshman canoe trip from Carleton College showed up in the afternoon and kept us all busy. Then in the evening we were entertained by a group of bluegrass musicians who come and stay in our campground every summer. The banjos, guitars, mandolins and various other instruments and voices rang out into the clear star-filled night. Here’s a few photos from the campfire jam session. -Corey

Pete Mathison holds forth on the bass during the bluegrass jam.

Eric Frost takes a turn on the upright.

Kathy (or Alison as some people insist on calling her) plays her cello at the jam.

8/31/06 – This is the saddest time of year as the majority of our crew is leaving. Kari and Johnny Anderson-Hermann left yesterday. The whole crew saw them off with the traditional Sawbill Salute. Today is the last night for Davey Bodeau and Matt Hartmann who are leaving to start their fall semesters at the University of WIsconsin, River Falls and the Gustavus Adolphus, respectively. We will miss you all this winter, but look forward to seeing you again next summer. -Corey

Matt and Davey waving goodbye on their last day.