6/25/05 – The prescribed burn started by the Forest Service on June 17 reignited today, after eight days of heat, wind and drought.
After returning from her afternoon walk at 3 p.m., Cindy Hansen called the Forest Service to report large plumes of smoke at the site of the prescribed burn, about a mile south of Sawbill.
By 5 p.m. today, three separate fires had sprung up. The first of a dozen or so Forest Service vehicles arrived at the scene shortly after 5 p.m. and began to control one of the blazes.
As we stood on the Sawbill Trail, large gusts of wind breathed greater life into the unattended fires, which moved slowly from west to east burning up brush and trees left unconsumed from the original prescribed burn.
By 7 p.m., the Forest Service had more or less put out all the hot spots. But as we learned today, this fire will never really be out until Sawbill gets a long, saturating rain.

At 3 p.m. today, Cindy Hansen observed large columns of smoke coming from the sight of last week’s prescribed burn.

By 5 p.m., the burn had fully reignited, drawing concerned and quizzical looks from passing motorists.

Duane “Bear” Cihlar, a senior Forest Service fire technician, observes the blaze minutes before the full fire crew arrives.

6/22/05 – Summer has arrived at Sawbill. After a week of sunny 70 to 80 degree days, it feels as if the season has finally begun. The fishing is also picking up. In the photo above, Joshua Swensen proudly displays his recent catch at Cresent Lake. The small mouth was caught using a worm and a #6 hook. With many members of the Sawbill crew enjoying time each day at the lake, it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful summer.

6/19/05 – Lida, Sonya and Alison work to decorate a cake for Sawbill’s first festive dinner of the year. The theme for the dinner was cliches and the crew dressed for the occasion. Notable costumes included “once in a blue moon” and “not the sharpest crayon in the box”. The party was held a month late in honor of Cindy Hansen and Pat Nash’s birthdays, both of which were on May 17.

Two forest rangers gamely pose for a picture.

6/18/05 – In an attempt to combat forest fires in the Boundary Waters, the Forest Service initiated a prescribed burn just off the Sawbill trail on Friday, June 17. The burn covered approximately 74 acres and was meant to burn primarily the fine fuels, the smaller woods (3-inches thick or smaller) which greatly increase the risk of a massive, rapidly-spreading forest fire. The dedicated fire crew worked for two days to ensure that the fires wouldn’t greatly affect travel in the area and stayed well under control. A big thank you to the Forest Service.

6/16/05 – After spending the off-season working on a farm in Vermont, crew member Laura Smith returned to Sawbill yesterday, immediately putting her spud hauling skills to work. Laura returns to Sawbill for her fifth summer, making her one of our most experienced staff members. Laura and fellow crew member Jeff Green are engaged to be married next summer. Congratulations to Laura and Jeff and welcome back to work!

6/13/05 – Former Sawbill crew member and newsletter contributor Beth Rolf (now Beth Rehfuss) was married yesterday to Bill Rehfuss at the lovely Gale Farm Park in Minnetrista, Minn. Bill, Cindy, Clare, Carl and Adam Hansen and Lida Storch attended the event and even contributed by playing the “Beer Barrel Polka” after the ceremony. A pig roast and wedding dance followed the nuptials and continued into the wee hours. Congratulations Beth and Bill!

Bill, Carl, Cindy, Adam, Beth and Clare celebrate the momentous occasion.

Weddings are just more fun in a big, red barn.

6/9/05 – Kari “Karli” Anderson-Hermann, another of Sawbill’s seasoned employees, returned to the northwoods a few days ago. My apologies to Kari’s mother for not reporting this event sooner! Kari spent the past month rock climbing, backpacking, white-water rafting, and otherwise having a good time winding her way through Southern Utah and Arizona.

Never too busy to help, Kari assists a late evening caller with his upcoming canoe trip. Great work Karli!

6/7/05 – OK, check this out: Internet search giant Google unveiled a map and satellite imagery service a few months ago. On a whim, I decided to look up Sawbill Lake. If you zoom in all the way, you can actually see an individual canoe pulling away from the Sawbill landing–scary. The high resolution satellite photographs appear to have been taken early in the morning during the summer of 2003 or 2004. Click here to see the maps for yourself!