7/29/98 – On my recent canoe trip I had a singular experience with wildlife. It didn’t involve the glamour animals like moose and bear. It involved the humble and lowly toad.

Although I have known since grade school that toads eat insects, I have never actually seen one catch a bug, other than on the Discovery Channel. On the night in question it was very warm and I was half out of my sleeping bag. Also, the tent was set up on a fairly steep side slope, so I had slid off my Thermarest and my arm was pushed hard against the screen door of the tent. The vestibule was half open and a huge, luscious, full moon was half way clear of the horizon, accompanied by a loon symphony. As I gazed upon this beautiful celestial body in a half sleep, I was startled by the silhouette of a huge, black creature blocking fully half of the moon’s face. As I quickly rose back to full consciousness, I realized that the creature was actually a toad who had hopped up on the edge of the vestibule at just the right angle to create the astonishing effect. As my eyes adjusted to my brain’s new perspective, the little fellow hopped inside the vestibule and was lost in the inky blackness of the earth therein. I soon fell back to sleep and might not have given it a second thought had I not been mysteriously awoken some half hour or so later.

The moon was fully up now and flooding the landscape with its magic light. I lay with my arm still tightly pressed against the no-see-um netting of the door, wondering what had disturbed me. Slowly I became aware of a light, but distinct, tap – tap – tap against my arm. I lay quite still for several minutes, mystified by this phenomenon. Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I carefully engaged my trusty mini-mag flashlight and pressed it to the screening to illuminate the vestibule space.

There was my friend the toad, camped out an inch from the mosquito netting, looking back at my blazing torch with what I took for indignation in his eye. He was capitalizing on the horde of mosquitoes, drawn to the warm-bloodedness of my arm through the netting. He was happily picking them off just as fast as they could land with intent to bite. I lay back down and carefully restored my arm to its vulnerable position. It only took about two minutes for him to recover from his moment in the spotlight and get back to work. Tap – tap – tap, about every ten seconds until I drifted off to sleep, protected by that wily predator, Mr. Toad.

7/27/98 – Yesterday we received our hardest rainfall since the 13th of March. During about six hours we received 1.17". The wildfires burning in the wilderness are presumably out and the water levels have rebounded slightly. It is surprising how quickly the evidence of yesterday’s rain has disappeared. Today is sunny, 70 degrees and breezy.

Don and Lorraine Anderson, long time seasonal residents of the Sawbill Campground and blueberry aficionados, report that many picking patches are barren of berries, others have dry berries, while others (they’re not saying where) are loaded with sweet, juicy berries. Raspberries are also ripening and promise to be at least mediocre this year.

7/25/98 – Moose sightings have been frequent on the roads recently. Luckily, speeds on our gravel roads are slow enough that moose car collisions are very infrequent. Typically, there is plenty of time to slow the car for a nice sighting of the moose, while it decides the appropriate course of action. When I see them from a long distance, I find myself squinting down the road wondering what crazy really tall people are standing in the road. I have learned that the moose sense of curiosity requires a fairly lengthy appraisal. Most moose stand staring, until a car is within 75-100 yards. Usually, the moose choose to flee, and they run down the road looking for a suitable entrance to the woods. This process is usually brief. Occasionally, a moose is more choosey – running a slalom course of indecision, hunting for just the right opportunity. We try not to stress the moose, so we drive slowly and stay far back. We are also motivated by the possibility of unusual behavior. It is not uncommon for moose to have brain worm, and those guys can act very strangely. They appear drunk and act uncharacteristically bold. A couple of winters ago, Cindy had a two hour standoff with a moose, which included a fair amount of judicious backing, as the moose approached her, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Years ago, a moose that was apparently content to stroll by Bill’s car, out of the blue, jumped up and crushed in the windshield. It returned to its casual saunter, after this strange bit of moose instinct had satisfied itself. Long waits are typical in the winter, as the steep, thick snow banks near the road are not conducive to a retreat from the road. As annoyed as I sometimes become about the delay, I am always pleased that my tardiness is due to a moose and not a traffic jam.

7/24/98 – Another fire has been discovered in the BWCA Wilderness. The Blue Jay Fire is just east of Polly Lake. It is less than an acre in size and is burning in a dried up beaver pond. This area was logged in the ’60’s, before the BWCA Wilderness was completely protected from logging. The Forest Service says that it probably won’t spread much unless the drought deepens dramatically. They are not fighting any of the fires burning in the wilderness, and there is no danger or concern for canoeists.

7/23/98 – A day in the life of a crew member at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters. I woke early today. I sleep in a loft in our outfitting building. A triangular skylight above my bed frames a small section of a large red pine surrounded by the sky. Like Monet’s haystacks, the color and mood of that red pine indicate the weather and season. This morning the tree was crisp against a cool morning blue sky. We are miles from the closest municipal power source, so my first task is to be sure our generators are in working order. I make the coffee for the customers and enjoy an hour of relative calm before the inevitable rush of a late July day. The rest of the crew arrives and we go to work renting canoes and talking to people about the wilderness. With so many buildings, facilities, and equipment, many small repairs are required, and we assign a different person to rectify these problems each week. This morning a broken flush stem on a toilet is the culprit. The work is varied, and I return to the office to deal with the previous day’s receipts. Our dogs have free run of the place, and they snuggle and snore at my feet, as I try to interpret a crew member’s cryptic note about a sale that went awry. Interruptions are the rule. The kids come in and out wondering what to do because summer is so boring. Sometimes, the intensity of the sky makes us drop our work to spend a moment in its splendor. The other day, a long line of yellow clouds marked the leading edge of a front that unleashed a fury of rain. So nice to be employed by, and work with, people who appreciate the spectacle of nature. The wooden gunnels on a kevlar canoe were returned broken today, a big job that must be started immediately, as most of our kevlar canoes are booked in the days to come. At the end of the day, the beautiful light lingering on the tops of our ancient red and white pines, reminds me that I need to update the newsletter with the sights, sounds and activities of our life in the Northwoods. I write these lines, with the editorial assistance of several talented crew members. Finally, the work is done. In the few hours before exhaustion, we play – a paddle like last night, a game of cards or a swim and sauna. Below the window in the dome, my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I can just make out the red pine under a canopy of dark blue and twinkling light.

7/22/98 – A storm rolled across the forest on July 14th, touching off numerous fires with lightning. By yesterday sixteen fires had been found. Two of them are within the BWCA Wilderness and are being managed by the Forest Service as “wildland fire use for resource benefit.” In other words, these fires will be watched closely and allowed to progress naturally if they offer no risk to civilization. One of the fires, named Bow Lake Fire, is near Malberg Lake and is about fifteen acres in size at this writing. The experts say it has little potential for dramatic spread due to its location near several large swamps. The other, called Fallen Arch Lake Fire, is near Lake Isabella and is only a half acre in size, so far. Neither fire has closed any portages, campsites or entry points yet. The rain yesterday dampened the fires, but did not put them out. With no rain in the forecast, it is likely that we have not heard the last of Bow and Fallen Arch Lakes.

7/18/98 – Fishing has been a little slow the past few days. Alan and Arlene Olson, parents of former crew member Patti Olson, managed to catch enough fish, but said it was work and that the walleyes just weren’t biting. Al and Arlene have been coming to the Sawbill campground for years. Two great people. Their age hasn’t deterred their youthful spirits, and together they portage and paddle to their secret spots just about every day. They have such a nice way with each other, and I suspect the ritual of fishing is a sweet joy in their relationship. Not too many couples fish together that regularly. The ones who do, always seem to have that special something in their marriage. They borrowed Patti’s lightweight kevlar canoe for this trip. Al is much happier portaging kevlar, after many years of labor under an old Grumman. It’s really nice for us to have the regulars return each year. The older folks restrict their activity a little more each year. Eventually they stop coming altogether, and that is always sad. Arlene enlightened me in this regard. She knows her and Al’s days of portaging and paddling are limited, but she is so glad for the time they had and adamant in her opposition to an accommodation that would allow for easier access. She likes the wilderness just the way it is, and wants it that way for her kids and grandchildren. Such gratitude and consideration in those sentiments. Luckily for us, Al and Arlene have lots of years left. Unfortunately, not enough to make us another Patti!

7/17/98 – Apologies to those of you who regularly check the newsletter. Our most frequent contributor, Bill, has been paddling with his family. Stay tuned for highlights of their journey. Upon departure of the family, the crew found itself tending to an unusual patient: Sunnie our golden retriever. Bill, Cindy and the kids decided to only take Gust, Sunnie’s brother and the more reliable canoeist, on their canoe trip. Sunnie is truly inconsolable. I am the last person to personify animals, but in this case, I must say, Sunnie has the blues. Sullen, slow moving, and limp sum up Sunnie’s demeanor. Our typically ebullient retriever is one sad puppy.

The last few days have been idyllic. Blue and green dominate the view from the office. Such a joyful combination of color! The white lily bloom is contributing to our colorscape. I paddled through hundreds of these the other day on a portion of Marsh Lake. Incredibly thick – the tangle of flowers, twisted stems, and massive leaves held me tight when I stopped paddling. Such a fine feeling to be suspended there, caught between water and sky. Hundreds of yards from shore, in a sea of lilies, I became acutely aware of my immediate surroundings. Dragonflies darted about, etching impossible flight paths in the air, which seemed to hang ever so briefly like the smoky remnants of fireworks. Small metallic blue beetles crawled around the leaves and blossoms. The blossoms have a nice but unusual odor, not unlike the discs placed in urinals – strange. Tucked inside each bloom, are a group of yellow stamens, perfectly symmetrical and pure. They look just like sea anemones. In that small white cocoon, the yellow is so intense it glows. Occasionally, the wind causes a lily pad to jut out of the water, exposing its rich purple underside. Drying in the breeze, these purple crescents bind all the colors together. I broke away from the lilies and swam in a channel flowing with cool water. Drying on a hot rock, sun rays streaming into every pore, I contemplated nature. Wind in the grass lulled me to sleep.

7/14/98 – Two unusual wildlife sightings were reported by canoeists yesterday. Actually, the same sighting reported twice. A fawn deer was reported swimming down the shoreline on Alton Lake. It appeared distressed, but unwilling to take to land. Later the same day, the fawn swam across Sawbill Lake. Some canoeists spotted it from a distance and were quietly observing. The fawn spotted their canoe and immediately swam toward them. It pulled up along side their canoe and they guided it to shore. Again, it was unwilling to leave the water. There was no sign of the doe. Speculation is that wolves were involved in the incident, although bears are also major predators of deer fawns.

7/9/98 – Continuing the jolly mood of the previous night, four crew members sought the occasionally appealing entertainment of a night on the town and headed up to Lutsen Ski Resort for some pool, darts and general good times. Following the late-evening closing of Papa Charlie’s Bar and Grill, Michele Thieman, Jeff Thompson, Natasha Warner, and Annie Strupeck sought outdoor entertainment and opted for a wade in the Temperance River. This river, which meets Lake Superior in a beautiful pool just south of Tofte, winds through valleys in the Sawtooth Mountain Range, and gently rolls alongside a portion of the Sawbill Trail. Departing westward from the Trail, about 5 miles north of Tofte, is the Six Hundred Road. This road has always appealed to me, for it sports a grand bridge complete with wooden wheel guides and large iron sidebars and invites me to travel a road that narrows into green, lush woods. I had just driven over the bridge that very afternoon, across the Temperance River, and thought about the time I spend on the lakes, and the rushing rivers I forget. The foreshadowing of this afternoon’s drive led our party to park under the full moon and make our cautious way down the banks of the beautiful river. What began as a wade soon turned into an actual swim. The rocks provided many slippery footholds, and rather than continue the hopeless task of remaining upright, the four of us simply sat down and allowed the easy current to carry us. The water was a cloak – silky and black and strangely silent. I heard no gurgle in my ear, but instead was enveloped by the surprising quiet warmth. We were awash in the white light of the moon, yet still hidden from one another by the darkness of the night. The belly crawl back up the river provided us with a soothing massage, as the current washed over our arms and legs and provided that very small resistance that gives the muscles of the body pleasure and rejuvenation. These golden days of summer are alive and well.

7/8/98 – Former crew member Jason Morse surprised us with a visit last night. His popularity with the crew and his love of basketball, led to a game of hoops on our gravel court. Towering over the court is an eighty-foot white pine which serves double duty as shade provider and support for the backboard. Tough dribbling conditions prevail on the gravel, but we always manage to have a good time. We left the court paved with our footprints and a slight dusty haze settling. Heated from the contest, we headed for the lake, arriving just as the light was fading. The sky was perfectly reflected, but rippled as our weight depressed the dock, which creaked and moaned on its old timbers. Jeff Thompson sported a beat pair of Nikes, no socks, cut off shorts, a smile, and a great shock of hair swept back from wind, sweat, and sun. He was a pure manifestation of summer. As I told him this, we laughed, repeating together our saying this year, "these are the salad days" – a little joke between us that seems old fashioned and overwrought, but feels so true. We swam and flung ourselves off the dock in wild jumps (Jeff risking pain for the glory of applause.) We saunaed, and the remaining concerns from the day melted into the oblivion of cedar and steam. Under a bright moon, we headed for the deep sleep that comes after a day of hard work, sweet play, and camaraderie. Some days it seems we lead the life of Riley up here.

7/6/98 – An impromptu paddle last night turned into a spiritual experience for two Sawbill crew members and a visitor. Testing our new Wenonah Minnesota III canoe, the three paddlers made quick work of the Sawbill dock to Alton portage run. They enjoyed a classic summer night, keeping track of the time of day by the early evening whistling of the white-throated sparrows and the laughing loons. Glorious light on the trees literally made for a golden moment. An evening work detail set a deadline for this quick expedition. A brief look at Alton was the only expectation for portaging across the 30 rods. Back on Sawbill, loon calls and fluttering wings, lead the party to a small bay sheltered from the breeze. After a few moments of silence, a beaver was spotted 75 yards away, heading for the canoe. Initially, he did not seem to notice the canoe, but then made a 180 degree turn, gliding back along his path and slipping silently into the water. Waiting in silence, with eyes pealed, revealed nothing but the realization that the wilderness and the universe were in perfect order.

7/4/98 – It is a beautiful Independence day, and many patriotic day trippers are enjoying one of our great national treasures today. OB snuck out yesterday in Bill’s beautiful Seliga wood and canvas canoe. Some of you may have seen this canoe, as it hangs in the dome. Built by a master, Joe Seliga of Ely, it is a pleasure to paddle. It holds a line better than any canoe in our fleet and is responsive to the slightest paddle stroke. The joy of paddling this canoe goes beyond performance, however. It is a pleasure to look at the craftsmanship and to listen to the distinctive creaks of a wood craft and the solid resonance created by placing a paddle across the gunnels. The lap of water on the taut canvas provides the ideal soundtrack for drifting and leaning back to take in all the sights. Wood and canvas canoes were very common in the Northwoods until the lighter weight aluminum and composite canoes replaced them. My back is pleased by this transition, but it is always sad to see handcrafted technologies become obsolete. Fortunately, Bill’s Seliga ensures that the wood and canvas experience will be an option for Sawbill crew members.

7/2/98 – Looks like another beautiful weekend for the BWCA. Warm weather, blue skies, and a slight breeze complete the view from the office window at the moment. Despite all our dry weather, we have had enough moisture to have a nice mushroom bloom. All types are popping up, making the forest floor more colorful and interesting. Squirrels and moose have their favorites. The Bolete mushrooms, which are my favorites, bear the evidence of squirrel munching, but I have never seen a moose eating one. They are large brown spongy mushrooms, and I eagerly await my first sighting of a moose gobbling one of them down. Last year during a Bolete bloom, a very friendly Russian couple treated us to a Bolete feast. They told us about spontaneous mushroom hunts, where entire families would hear word of fungi in the woods and rush out. Apparently, mushrooms enjoy a better reputation in Russia. A very loud and unusual mid day loon call just carried in above the fray of a busy day. Such events help to reset the psyche when the crowds descend on Sawbill.

6/30/98 – Contrary to popular belief, there are many BWCAW travel permits available for the rest of the summer. July is particularly open. You can check out availability, and even reserve a permit, at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Reservation Center. The entry points near us include: Hog Creek – #36, Kawishiwi Lake – #37, Sawbill Lake – #38, Baker Lake – #39, Homer Lake – #40, Brule Lake – #41, & Brule Lake Only (must camp on Brule Lake) – #41A.

6/29/98 – Warm sunny weather. People returning from the wilderness are aglow with it. Ruddy, hairy, relaxed: they beam from ear to ear. The sun was wonderful all day, illuminating the tree tops and clouds in yellows, oranges, and purple in the late evening. A party of four novice women found great success and solitude on the Lady Chain. They overcame the difficulties of long portages, including the rocky portage from Ella to Grace. On a large rock in the middle of Grace, they baked in the sun and experienced profound silence. Out of the city, away from routine, on a carefree sunny day, the mind begins to relax and shift focus. There is an immediacy of reflection in these moments. Unlike our daily rush, in the wilderness we can slowly consider, try on different ideas, work on those big questions for which we never find time. On a rock in the middle of a lake, the world becomes very small. Here and now is the focus. Tiny objects like fish bones, pebbles, and lichen are the source of scrutiny and speculation, and sometimes, on a clear sunny day, these ruminations hint at something bigger, something lost and long sought after.

6/28/98 – Frank and Mary Alice Hansen are back from Texas. They tangled with the terrible weather in Minneapolis and ended up coming home late. They are grateful to be back into the "cool" weather.

6/27/98 – It is a quiet day at Sawbill today. Very little news to report. Moose sightings in the wilderness seem to be increasing as the hot afternoon horseflies drive the moose into the water. Although the D.N.R. asserts that the moose population is only down slightly, anecdotal evidence would suggest a significantly lower population. The good news is that the breeding season seems to have been very successful following our unusually mild winter.

Excited about the new microwave phone system, Bill Hansen expresses his jubilation 100 feet off the ground.

6/26/98 – There are a few lingering technical problems, but the new microwave radio telephone system is fully operational. Our new phone number is (218) 663 – 7150. Our old number will be in service for a couple of years, but change your Rolodex now 🙂 Our FAX number remains the same (218) 663 – 7980. Our FAX will now be automatic, so it will be smoother sailing for folks who FAX in their reservations.

6/25/98 – Slow progress continues on our new radio telephone system. We now have all five lines coming into Sawbill, but all the bugs haven’t been worked out. The end is in sight though and the pay phone has already become routine. We even rigged it with a motion detecting nightlight.

The weather is very humid today, but not terribly hot. Although darkly overcast, we have just had a few drops of rain. A customer driving in saw two bears on the Sawbill Trail this morning. So far, there have been almost no bear encounter reported in the wilderness.

6/22/98 – We thought we had seen it all when some customers from Iowa arrived at Sawbill in a limousine (see story and picture below), but this group topped even the limousine for unusual method of travel.

6/21/98 – Sawbill has a pay phone. We literally broke out the champagne when the new pay phone became operational yesterday. Although still connected through our radio telephone system, it works like a regular pay phone. After 42 years of explaining our odd phone situation to people, we are now free to answer "Yes!" when people ask so casually "Do you have a pay phone?"

Jared Gustafson was the first lucky customer of the new Sawbill pay phone when he called his dad in Faribault.

6/20/98 – Imagine our surprise to see a limousine arrive here at the end of the Sawbill Trail! The bus serving the north shore broke down yesterday, so customers arriving from Des Moines rented a limousine to finish their journey to Sawbill. Perhaps we should provide Sawbill Trail limousine service to every Sawbill camper?

Poor timing on our part. After nearly a week of perfect weather, the day we chose to install the second antenna for our new microwave system, lightning and high winds kept the technician off the tower. We did get all our new phone instruments installed, and the microwave link will be done on Monday or Tuesday, weather permitting.

6/18/98 – What can we say about the weather – perfect is the only apt description. This morning is cooler and breezy, with a few clouds drifting around.

Our new phone system hit a delay yesterday when the tower technicians truck broke down and he had to spend the afternoon getting it repaired. He promises to be on the job early this morning however, and we hope to be functional by tonight – barring any unforeseen glitches.

The new microwave dish joins the other radio antennas on the Sawbill tower.

6/17/98 – The two excellent technicians, Steve Schuh and Tom Cichanowski, have made major progress on our new microwave telephone system. By noon today, they will have deactivated our old telephones and switched over to the new, modern desk phones. By tonight, the microwave link should be done and you will start to notice a difference in the audio quality of our phones. By coincidence, Tom’s brother, Mike Cichanowski, is the founder and owner of Wenonah Canoe Company.

The Woodside Middle School kids continue to enjoy beautiful weather. Sunburn is their biggest challenge at this point. They enjoy some of the best leadership we have ever seen, so I’m sure they are being wisely sunscreened and shaded as appropriate.

6/16/98 – Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise! 85 degrees and light southerly breezes tempted many canoeists into an afternoon dip. A couple of dark clouds rumbled by about supper time, but no lightning or rain was observed. Today has dawned cool and clear with a nice breeze keeping the mosquitoes down.

We have begun installing a new microwave radio link between Sawbill and the outside world. At the same time we are replacing our aged internal phone/intercom system. There may me some down time in the next three days, but it should be brief. The new system will give us a new telephone line, much higher audio quality, higher data bandwidth and (best of all) capability to have a pay phone.

6/14/98 – Indiana invaded and conquered Sawbill yesterday. We had the Woodside Middle School from Fort Wayne, Indiana, back for the umteenth year of outfitting with Sawbill Outfitters. Their excellent leaders told us that the 7th and 8th graders that they bring must complete a 30 hour course before they qualify for the canoe trip. It includes an overnight "dry run" in a local state park. They are the best behaved and highly motivated group of junior high kids that we see all year. We also had Troop 390 from northern Indiana in the campground at the same time. The 36 scouts didn’t outfit with us, but they sure did their best to use up our 7-day out-of-state fishing licenses:-)

6/13/98 – The dryers in the Sawbill laundry room worked overtime yesterday. A parade of people with soggy sleeping bags streamed by, each with a tale of tent failure. We call them "wishful thinking" tents. They only leak when it rains. We also sell and rent tons of rain gear whenever it rains, all to people who are heading out on canoe trips. It makes one wonder how many people head into the wilderness without rain gear when the sun is shining. This morning glorious golden sunshine is pouring down from a stonewashed blue sky.

6/12/98 – Wet, wet, wet. Yesterday was a classic foggy, drizzly June day. Every leaf on every tree is hanging down, sodden and soaked. The forest is lush and full of damp smells. Light, persistent rain continued all night and this morning. The lake is flat calm and the sky is uniformly gray.

6/11/98 – A quiet day at Sawbill yesterday. People peacefully coming and going from the wilderness, no complaints about the fishing, moderate temperatures, and light breezes. Sawbill’s youngest crew members, Carl and Clare Hansen, successfully completed the second and fourth grades respectively. Carl is now a full fledged reader of chapter books and Clare is 4th grade chess champion.

6/9/98 – A western painted turtle chose the Sawbill Lake canoe landing to lay its eggs last night.

A snapping turtle female also uses the landing every year, but hasn’t appeared yet. She is about 20" long and has lived in the same bay for at least thirty years.

6/8/98 – Bob Caticchio of Plymouth dropped off this picture taken during his last trip to the Sawbill area. He weighed this walleye at 8 lbs, and caught another at 10 lbs. Bob returns every fish he catches to the water, so this beauty can be caught again.

6/7/98 – Sorry for the slow newsletter update. It happens when Bill and Obie go out of town at the same time. They were most recently delegates to the Minnesota Democratic State Convention, where they continued their work in defense of wilderness. They made many good contacts and are optimistic about the political future of wilderness in Minnesota, but both were somewhat dazed by the noise and hoopla of the convention floor. They agree that they would rather be paddling in the wilderness than swimming with the sharks in political waters.

Tina McCauley and Jim Pietila and their children, Danya Larson and Tad Jokinen, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota were joined in holy matrimony in the Sawbill campground this afternoon. They have camped at Sawbill for several years and decided it was the ideal place to be married. Rev. Linda Wahlstrom, pastor of Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte, officiated.

5/31/98 – May weather has finally put in an appearance here in the north country. Yesterday, folks were wearing wool sweaters and discussing the attributes of long underwear. The drizzly weather has cut the fire danger for now, but no significant amounts of rain have fallen so far.

Five Sawbill crew members are currently appearing in three sold out shows featuring the Sterling Dance company at the new Arrowhead Center For the Arts in Grand Marais. Ruthie Hansen, Clare Hansen, Cindy Hansen, Natasha Warner, and John Oberholtzer have drawn standing ovations at their first two shows, with the third slated for this afternoon. Natasha is also accompanying one dance set on the grand piano she helped select for the Arts Center. The five have been rehearsing hard for nine months along with about 85 other dancers. Sterling Dance director, Renee Moe, has done an incredible job. She must have more people dancing – per capita – in this county with less than 4,000 souls, than anywhere else in the country. Ask the above mentioned Sawbill crew members for a little tap demonstration the next time you see them.

5/28/98 – A large storm swept through the area last night and dropped 1.25" of rain on Sawbill. Heavy lightning accompanied the tempest, causing concern to the Forest Service fire crews. One fire has already been discovered along the Sawbill Trail this morning and extinguished. The lightning knocked out power all over the county and our phones were out for a couple of hours this morning. If you called and got no answer, try again.

5/26/98 – Turtles and dragonflies are on the roads. Each of these are seasonal indicators that have us exclaiming about our early Spring. Our crew feel quite sensitive about these organisms and are known to alter their driving habits to protect them. Many turtles have been carefully transported to the ditch by concerned Sawbill crew members. After hatching, dragonflies migrate to the roads to bask in the sun. Like black stones popping out of the gravel, they attempt to flee oncoming cars. Unfortunately, many end up on the losing end of a windshield, dragonfly collision. Symbiotically, our crew slow their speed, in the judgment that every dragonfly deserves the right to consume as many mosquitoes and black flies as possible! We awoke today to the acrid smell of forest fire. A brownish haze hung in the air dulling the blue skies and bright sunshine to which we have become quite accustomed these past months. The Forest Service called early to let us know that the smoke was from a large fire in Canada and that the smoke was throughout the region. The smell has lingered all day and is likely the cause of several slight headaches among the crew.

5/24/98 – A Memorial Day Weekend to remember. The weather has been perfect and the fish are biting. The Sawbill Lake Campground filled to exact capacity last night – every site taken without a single group in the overflow. With a high of 73 degrees and light southerly breezes, the wilderness canoeing was sublime. A few brave souls even went swimming – unheard of this early in the season.

One group brought in a 7.5 lb walleye to be frozen yesterday morning. Last night, the same group was back with an even bigger walleye. They were wishing they had released the "little one."

5/22/98 – Congress took the action today that we have all dreaded for the last two years. In a last minute, back door maneuver, anti-wilderness forces have managed to strike a blow at the BWCA Wilderness and the whole National Wilderness System. If signed by Clinton, it will be the first time congress has degraded a wilderness area legislatively. Surely a step in the wrong direction. I know we have asked a lot, but take a moment to email President Clinton and express your sadness and outrage at this subversion of the democratic process. Ask him to veto the ISTEA (Transportation) legislation until the BWCA Wilderness truck portage rider is removed.

President Clinton

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

202-456-1414 Phone

202-456-2461 Fax

president@whitehouse.gov

5/21/98 – Thanks to everyone who has helped protect the BWCA Wilderness with your phone calls and emails (see below). We are making a difference. Today, Thursday, is likely the most critical day, so if you haven’t called, please do. If you know somebody who cares about the wilderness, have them call too. Wisconsin residents should email or call Rep. Tom Petri, who also sits on the
Transportation Bill’s Conference Committee. Ask that he oppose any rider
to the Transportation Bill that will allow trucks to haul boats across
wilderness portages in the BWCA Wilderness. This deal will set a bad
national precedent that could harm wilderness areas across America.

Congressman Thomas Petri

Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: 202-225-2476

tompetri@mail.house.gov

5/19/98 –

Action Alert

Your immediate action is needed to defeat a late breaking “deal”
that will allow trucks to haul boats across two wilderness portage trails
in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness. The deal is expected
to be attached as a rider to the Federal Transportation Bill, a.k.a.
“ISTEA,” as early as tomorrow!

Last year, Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Senator Rod Grams
introduced legislation, HR. 1739 and S. 783, that would roll-back
wilderness protections for the BWCA Wilderness by allowing trucks to haul
boats across three portages and eliminating the 1999 phase out of
motorboats on the west end of Seagull Lake. This legislation was
countered
by a bill by Congressman Bruce Vento (D-MN), HR 2149, that would increase
protections for the BWCA Wilderness by eliminating all tow boat use,
removing motorboats on Lac La Croix, Loon, Canoe and Alder Lakes, and
adding approximately 7,400 acres of land and lakes to the wilderness.

Unfortunately, late Monday afternoon, 5/18, an unexpected backroom deal
was announced between Oberstar and Vento. While still sketchy, details of
the deal are as follow:

1) Trucks would be allowed to haul boats across Trout and Prairie
portages, both within the BWCA Wilderness.

2) Motorboat access would be eliminated from both Canoe (107 acres)
and Alder (342 acres) Lakes in the wilderness.

The deal may be attached to the ISTEA Conference Report, a practice
often used to hide controversial legislation from public scrutiny, as
early
as tomorrow morning! Congressman Oberstar’s status as Ranking Minority on
the House Transportation Committee gives him enormous power on the ISTEA
Conference Committee, and the ability to attach legislative riders at
will.

Fortunately, we have two allies on the ISTEA Conference Committee.
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator John Chaffee (R-RI) have both
indicated opposition to efforts to increase motorized access to the BWCA
Wilderness in the past. They have the power to prevent Oberstar from
attaching this rider and the power to strip the rider out of the
Conference
Report.

Your immediate action is needed now more than ever to prevent a
roll-back of wilderness protections for the BWCA Wilderness. With your
telephone calls we may be able to stop this legislation from being
attached
through the back door! Please take the time to contact the Senators
below.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!

Call the offices of Senator Baucus and Senator Chafee today! Ask
them to oppose any rider to the Transportation Bill, or ISTEA, that allow
trucks to haul boats across wilderness portages in the BWCA Wilderness.
This deal will set a bad national precedent that could harm wilderness
areas across America.

Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) Senator John Chafee (R-Rhode Island)
Hart Senate Office Building Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2651 Phone: 202-224-2921
max@baucus.senate.gov senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov

5/18/98 – For those of you who may have a warped view of Cindy due to the earlier picture of her in this newsletter, here is a more accurate picture – reflecting her true personality.

Ready to rent canoes 🙂

Today is a wonderful day to look into the air. The aspen catkins have burst open, and their fluffy seeds are filling the air. They are pure white and glint in the sunlight as they shift with each breeze like a school of fish. Dainty, colorful May flies hover above the lake. Occasionally they land, allowing closer inspection of their graceful tails, and ornate wings. I was drawn into the air around me, as I examined the May flies and catkins. Many more objects came into focus: insects and bits of organic debris I could not identify. So accustomed to looking through the air to trees, hills, or lakes, I forget to look into the air. Now, I will try to see like the bat, nighthawk, or dragonfly, who undoubtedly see the air around them as a populous place.

Obie returned from a day of volunteer trail clearing along the border route trail west of Rose Lake. He too had tales of the winds from Saturday. On the return trip, two members of the group split off to take another route home. Intense winds created large odd shaped waves on Duncan lake. With a great deal of work and lots of splashing Obie and the others made it back to Hungry Jack Outfitters. Dave and Nancy Seaton, who own Hungry Jack Outfitters, had organized the trail clearing and were having a party at their home for the crew when news came of the two who had chosen an alternate path across Duncan. Swept into the middle of the lake their canoe was capsized. After an hour in very cold water little progress had been made and discomfort was turning to desperation. By luck, a party of three in one canoe who taught canoe safety came by and performed a T-rescue in very difficult conditions. They really saved the day. They transported the frigid pair to shore, and after some coaching, got them on their feet and pointed them to a path that would take them to the portage. The three then tried to paddle for the portage and toe the other canoe. Murphy’s law prevailed that day and soon they too swamped! It was a brutally windy day. Paddling was abandoned in favor of walking. A group from Grand Marais found the five huddled at the portage – canoeless and in varying degrees of hypothermia. A huge blue tarp was put around everyone and a group hug, one below the legal person limit, was enacted to great affect. Somewhat revived, the group trudged over the portage, lit a fire and waited for the help that the Grand Marais party promised to send. Alerted, Dave and Nancy set the wheels of a rescue in motion. Gear was gathered, soup heated, and within half an hour Obie and Dave were transporting a worn out group to safety. The two who spent so much time in the water were clearly shaken and swore they would never let their canoe go parallel down the face of a wave into its trough again! Both were family men who will surely delight in the smiles and affections of their children upon their homecoming this eve.

5/17/98 – Strong winds blew through the BWCA yesterday. Sawbill drivers weaved through an obstacle course of wind thrown trees on their way to town and entry points. Wilderness canoeists returned with many adventurous tales. The Corey party calmly fished on the lee side of an island for many hours until the wind receded sufficiently to allow them to land at their campsite. They awoke the next morning to find that the loud noises they heard in the night were fallen trees that had come very close to their tents! A father and daughter duo stood by helplessly as they watched a tree come crashing down exactly on their camp stove. Trees could be heard crashing in the woods frequently. Quite a windy day.

5/16/98 – At 1 P. M. today, the fire ban in the BWCA Wilderness was lifted. More than two inches of rain in the last three days (and more predicted) has relieved the dry conditions for now. As always, fires are only allowed in the fire grates provided at the campsites.

5/14/98 – Bill and Cindy decided to let their two big golden retrievers, Sunnie and Gus, sleep in the house last night. The decision was made based on the fact that the day was going to start at 6 AM anyway and even the dogs wouldn’t stir before that. At 4:30 AM the dogs appeared at bedside, groaning in apparent agony. Once consciousness was regained, they realized that the dogs were nervous about distant thunder. By 5 AM, it was raining hard and by 10 AM about an inch had fallen, accompanied by frequent lightning and small hail. The forest breathed an almost audible sigh of relief as the parched ground soaked up moisture. At noon the sky cleared and the humid sunshine was welcomed by swarms of newly hatched black flies and a chorus of warbler song.

The question on everyone’s lips: "Is the fire ban lifted?" The answer is: no. The Forest Service will wait to see if the lightning started anything smoldering. They will want to see some more rain soon or the dry conditions will return quickly. Stay tuned for updates. We will post it immediately when the ban is lifted.

5/13/98 – We have many customers who claim to have the ability to make rain fall while on their canoe trip. Steve DeVries, from Cornell College in Mt Vernon, Iowa, actually does seem to have the knack. For twenty five years he has endured some of the worst weather canoe country has to offer. Storms, sleet, snow, and wind have been his constant companions as he has introduced succeeding generations of college students to the BWCA Wilderness. Fortunately, Steve is blessed with one of the world’s most easy going personalities. The Cornell group arrived yesterday during the worst drought in more than twenty years. The clouds almost seemed to follow them in. By suppertime it was sprinkling and at about 11 P. M. it started to rain in earnest. This morning it is partly cloudy, breezy and cool. Perhaps the DeVries jinx is broken after all 🙂

5/11/98 – Plants and insects all seem to be developing a little more slowly with all this dry weather. The large leaf asters are beginning to unfold, the honey suckles are leafed out but seem sort of limp, and the black flies and mosquitoes are around but not much of an issue. The good news is rain seems to be on the way. We are hopeful.

Fishing has been poor to middlin’ over the opening weekend. Only a few people were seriously fishing. There was fair success on Burnt, with very slow results elsewhere. The serious fisherpeople seem to have planned their trips for later in May.

5/10/98 – A group of men and boys from the Hope Community Church in Maple Grove, Minnesota was here over the weekend. They had this unique 24′ wood strip North canoe which carried all nine people and their gear.

24′ North canoe.

5/9/98 – Our slow updating of the newsletter is an indication of our frantic preparations to get ready for the summer season which officially gets under way today with the opening of Minnesota’s fishing season. We are pleased to report that, with a few minor glitches, we are now fully open. Hot water is flowing in the shower house, our vintage industrial strength coffee pot is perking, the permit video is playing (now with closed captioning), and the ice machine is churning out cubes. Small steps for humanity, but a giant leap for the overworked Sawbill crew.

The weather continues to be beautiful here. A little frost each night, but blue skies and warm sun driving us into the low 70’s every day. It remains terribly dry here. The fire ban is official now – no open fires in the BWCA Wilderness. However, fires are allowed in the Sawbill Campground in the fire grates.

Mayo High School from Rochester, Minnesota is here, preparing for a four day canoe trip in the wilderness. They have been rock climbing at nearby Carleton Peak for the last two days. They’re as friendly and personable a group of high school seniors as you could hope to find.

The Forest Service has instituted a BWCA Wilderness User Fee for this year. They charge $10/person/trip. Children under age 18, elderly, and handicapped people will be given a 50% discount. The fee will be collected in advance. It is refundable if the permit is cancelled more than two days before the trip. Reservations will still require a $9 non-refundable fee and can be placed with the same service that handles them now. Call 1-800-745-3399 to reserve a permit.

Permit reservations are not required during the months from October through April. You can pick up a free permit from a box located at the landings.

Sawbill Outfitters is a proud member of
Northeastern Minnesotans For
Wilderness which is working to organize the many people who
support the wilderness and happen to live in northeastern Minnesota.
Visit their site for more information on BWCA Wilderness issues and what you
can do to help protect the BWCA Wilderness.

5/3/98 – The Forest Service called yesterday to let us know that there will be a burning restriction on all open fires starting 5/4/98. They were very pointed that this was not a "burning ban" but it basically means that all campers, both in and out of the wilderness, must use stoves for cooking. Wood fires of any type are illegal.

We received no rain from a cold front that moved through over the weekend. The temperatures have cooled slightly, but the sky remains unrelentingly blue.

4/30/98 – Bill Hansen has returned from his trip to Alaska. While in Ketchikan he rented a sea kayak from Greg and Kim Thomas at Southeast Sea Kayaks. He highly recommends these fine folks if you are looking for a sea kayak adventure in breathtaking Southeast Alaska. Their hospitality, knowledge and good humor are top notch. Bill even saw humpback whales in the exact spot predicted by Greg.

4/27/98 – Blue skies and lovely sun continue. The few who are out paddling, have the BWCA Wilderness to themselves. No bugs, sunny warmth, basking turtles and deep silence. Sounds pretty good. Friends who paddled the granite river reported seeing lots of interesting ducks. The male Common Merganser is briefly in residence this time of year. After mating, the male mergansers migrate further, and the females have our lakes to themselves. I’m sure each of you would hold various opinions as to the optimality of a merganser social analogy for our human love affairs. A survey of our early arriving crew, all of whom are female, found the female mergansers’ situation to be somewhat dour.

The woods are very dry and have yet to green up. This leads us all to be very concerned about thunderstorms and wind, the primary agents of forest fire ignition and mobility. A small fire burned above Grand Marais yesterday. Luckily, no one was injured and no buildings were damaged. If we don’t receive some moisture soon, this may be our year for fire drama. We have fared well in recent years, but it is inevitable that fire will return.

4/25/98 –

Fun was had by all at the Sawbill Beach Club opener.

4/23/98 – The ice is gone, and no sooner than it’s disappearance, we have our first customers. Thank goodness for the diehards who prioritize flexibility in their schedules so as to meet nature on it’s terms. The ritualistic opening of the Sawbill beech club will occur later today. Stand by for the chilling madness that characterizes that bit of lunacy. The store and dome have been whipped into shape, and the canoes, awakened early from their hibernation in the woods, are piled on the stacks awaiting your use. The cash registers are the final topping, and momentarily, they will be brought from their den which protects their sensitive electronics from our unique Minnesota chill. There is a general buzz amongst the Sawbill crew as we anticipate the first canoe orientations and the Northwoods vacationers’ characteristic queries regarding weather, fishin’, and bears. Let the season begin!

4/22/98 – The ice hangs on! Much to our dismay, the majority of the lake is still covered with ice. We are enjoying a seventy degree day, cloudless skies and a light warm breeze. Computer problems and a fishing tackle pricing nightmare, drove Michele, Cindy, and OB to the parking lot for an impromptu game of frisbee. It is a novelty to have a parking lot completely devoid of snow and cars simultaneously. Jog bras and shorts were the attire for the occasion! Compared to the past two winters, we are enjoying an extra month of Spring. Just before sunset, OB opened the door to let the cat in and was greeted by the haunting call of the loon! Their first calls transform the landscape more than any other event. He heeded the call and had an interesting walk amongst a grove of cedars examining their roots. He found their exposed portions dry blood red in appearance. Our interest in the forest floor this time of year borders on the eccentric. It is long hidden by the snow’s blanket, and it’s emergence provides a rich canvas of colors and textures for our imaginations. Common golden eye and ring neck ducks visit us briefly this time of year. They have been a frequent sight on the ponds and lakes adjacent to the roads in our area.

4/20/98 –

Looking north from the public landing, Sawbill Lake – 4/20/98

The smart money is on the ice going out tomorrow. It is only about 5" thick, black, and honeycombed.

A national telephone poll commissioned by The Wilderness Society, shows broad national disapproval of putting trucks, jeeps and outboards back into the BWCA Wilderness.

4/16/98 – Bill Hansen had a chilling experience yesterday. He and Obie tried to sneak in one more ski expedition up Sawbill Lake. With a 15" ice thickness and a freezing night, it seemed like a safe bet. Skiing was pretty good until the first narrows near the wilderness boundary. An alarming amount of open water caused a pause for reconnaissance. Bill was skiing slowly east inspecting the narrows when the ice suddenly gave way and he plunged in – skis and all. He quickly removed his skis and, with some difficulty, hoisted himself back up onto the ice, rolled to more solid ice, then quickly skied home to a warm shower. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Owl researcher Bill Lane has been haunting the night woods around here lately. The following is an excerpt from his journal of observations:

On Friday (10 April) I completed my second round of surveys for northern forest
owls in northeast Minnesota. Conditions during the period were mostly favorable
and characterized by clear, calm weather patterns. My work is supported by the
Superior National Forest, Tofte District, the MN DNR Natural Heritage and
Nongame Research Program, but most importantly, by my wife Oksana.


Results
Only seven new boreal owls were detected during what historically, has been my
most productive survey period (1-15 April). Since 15 March, nine boreal owls
have been located during 301 miles of surveys (3 min stops @ 0.5 mile
intervals). Adding to the relatively bleak survey scenario is the fact that no
new owls have been located outside of surveys, despite my persistent presence in
the woods. Should this pattern continue, boreal owl detections will be at their
second lowest since 1987 (two owls heard in 1996; 18 in 1990). No females have
been observed on territories, although vocalizations by a male on Thursday
indicated a female was present. Similarly, northern saw-whet numbers are near
record lows (9 located in 1996), with eight males heard during surveys and three
located outside nocturnal survey protocol. Barred owl numbers are down
considerably from the last two years, with 20 located (45+ in both 1996 and
1997). One great gray, but no great-horned or long-eared owls have been
detected. However, two additional great grays and a nesting pair of
great-horned owls have been found outside the scope of surveys.


Perched Atop a Soapbox
A preliminary assessment of population trends for boreal owls, based on 9 years
of survey data (survey protocol was not utilized from 1993-95), suggests that
there has been a decline in boreal owl numbers in my study area since 1987.
Good years are not as good, while bad years are worse then they once were.
Concurrently, the acreage of old forest aspen harvests has increased, especially
adjacent to spruce lowlands, a critical habitat feature for boreal owls. Is
there a relationship? Absolutely. Is there a simple analogy? Put 100 families
in 100 houses. Then remove 10 houses each year. What happens to the displaced
families (pardon the anthropomorphism)? It is a simplistic viewpoint but one
that I feel appropriately describes the situation for both boreal and northern
saw-whet owls. Being obligate secondary cavity nesters implies two things: the
owls have to nest in cavities, and they don’t create those cavities. Continued
removal of older aspen will have long-term, negative impacts on boreal owl and
northern saw-whet owl populations throughout northeast Minnesota’s managed
forests.


The Aesthetic Side of My Research
Last year, boreal owls were very viewer friendly. Several nights were spent
conveniently perched atop the hood of my truck watching courtship and nesting
activities. There, my thermos stood at-the-ready and the shows were better-than
cable. Throw in shimmering auroras’ and my role as an owl voyeur has been
established. This year, however, field work entails just that. It is work and
often without the cooperation of the owls. Walk-ins to six of the nine owls
have been arduous, with 1 mile inland jaunts the rule, rather than the
exception. Twice this year I have entered the BWCAW (no permit required), to
determine the status of owls’ located during earlier surveys. Last night, armed
with an aerial photograph and compass, I undertook another journey, skirting
streams and windfall to get to my destination ridge. Once there I waited, and
relaxed. The North Woods opened its doors. Oils of conifers traveled atop
wisps of wind, mingling with the organic aroma of reawakened mosses, creating a
hedonistic smell of spring. At sunset, song sparrows sang their last melodious
notes, while the robins complained; they are always complaining. A ruffed
grouse dined on swollen aspen buds, framed by a fat, rising moon. Darkness came
and with it, only silence. The owl did not appear; didn’t send me scurrying
wildly on a direct-line through alder and snow. Perhaps it was best that way.


If you have questions or comments, please direct them to:
. I will be happy to respond. Bill Lane
Schroeder, and points-north.

No change in ice depth today. 15" and holding.

4/15/98 – Two Bald Eagles wheeled high in their mating dance as we measured the ice this morning. Wing to wing, they flew intricate maneuvers in perfect synchrony, the sun flashing off the brilliant white of head and tail. A chill northeast wind solidified the slush layer overnight. There was no change in ice depth in the last 24 hours – still 15". We may try a ski expedition this afternoon when the sun softens the lake surface a bit.

4/14/98 – At noon, Sawbill Lake’s ice was 15" thick, 3" of slush and 12" of clear, hard ice.

Year around Sawbill resident and ace weather observer, Ruthie Hansen, has been accepted into the literary arts program at the prestigious and competitive Minnesota Arts High School beginning this Fall. She will be residing at the school in the Twin Cities during her junior and senior years and returning to Sawbill in the summers to join the Sawbill crew. Congratulations Ruthie!

4/13/98 – At 8 A. M. the ice was 18" thick with 12" of clear ice and 6" of slush on top. A canoe was needed to reach the firm ice which is separated from shore and is now floating. Usually, the ice goes out about a week to ten days after it floats up. Flickers, red winged blackbirds and red polls have returned to the northwoods.

4/12/98 – We drilled a hole in the ice on Sawbill Lake last night. The ice went from solid and white on Saturday morning (see photo below) to 18" of water and slush around the edges Saturday night. Nothing like 65 degree temperatures to soften things up. The ice depth is 22". Approximately 12" of hard ice and 10" of slush on top.

Cindy Hansen and Michele Thieman saw a wolf at close range while walking this morning. The wolf walked out on the road 20 – 30 yards ahead of them, paused to look at them, and then bounded away. It was very near to the two golden retrievers, Gust and Sunny, but showed no interest.

We received the following poem along an outfitting reservation from Bob Ingwalson of the Washington D.C. area:

——————- BWCA BOUND ———————

For over a year, we’ve been planning

To canoe the waters of solitude, in Northern Minnesota

To listen to the Loon sing his song in the morning mist

To sit in awe, while watching the eagle soar

To visit the land of moose and wolves

And lay spellbound beneath open stars, as the Northern Lights dance

across the sky.

Now the time is near

To complete our plans and accept our challenge

To assemble our group and head for Sawbill

To meet Cindy and Bill, face to face

To live our dreams, while we build our memories

And complete our journey, before we exit the wilderness – without a

trace.

4/11/98 –

Looking south from the far north end of Sawbill Lake – 4/11/98

4/9/98 – This may be the last gasp for cross country skiing this year. The four inches of snow that fell on Tuesday has settled down to a dense one inch on the lake. An overnight low of 23 degrees set it up for skiing perfection. Bill skied the Kelso Loop (approx. 5 miles) in 30 minutes this morning. Another cold night is predicted for tonight and that, along with a nearly full moon, should make for sublime night skiing. Giddy Up!

4/4/98 – Gorgeous today! Fifty-five degrees and sunny. The warm weather is being enjoyed by some migrating crows. We have at least three of them around curiously surveying our home. Crows are not common here, and it is fun to compare them to the ravens which are here for the entire paddling season. The crows are smaller, have a different tail feather arrangement and are much more gregarious. The bright sun today is giving these visitors a slight purple hue – quite beautiful birds. There is such an obvious intelligence with the crows and ravens compared to the other feathered denizens of the Northwoods. The crows have been doing their funky walk between the buildings and seem quite pleased to have discovered the feeder. The other birds do not share my enthusiasm for the crows. They are out of sight when the crows are exploring.

Obie returned from Utah with glowing reports about the beauty and solitude provided by our red rock wilderness. Clare and Carl reoriented him to the snow conditions in the woods. He provided them with much entertainment, as he was crushed in a game of follow the leader, discovering the snow conditions crusty enough to hold children but not Obies. The snow depth is still adequate to fill pack boots, and Clare and Carl squealed in delight as Obie examined his soaking socks and pruned toes. We try to provide a challenging work environment for our only year round crew member!

4/1/98 – So, the ice is out and the canoeing season has begun! The leaves are rustling on the trees and even a few mosquitoes have been sighted. April fools! Reality is five inches of fresh wet snow over night along with 40 mph winds. The lake ice is still 16+" thick and quite solid. Obie is back from Utah, although he still hasn’t truly made it back to Sawbill yet. He got stranded in Two Harbors by the storm last night. Bill, Ruthie, Clare and Carl Hansen were stopped in their tracks by a large tree blown across the road while driving home last night. Usually this is not a noteworthy event, causing only a brief delay, while the bow saw is uncased and the offending tree reduced to movable chunks. Last night however, the trusty saw had been removed from the vehicle by parties who wish to remain anonymous. After a half hour of semi-ingenious efforts to remove the tree without a saw, they gave up and backtracked 60 miles.

3/27/98 – Bill Hansen is just back from a trip to St Paul to lobby the Minnesota Legislature on behalf of the BWCA Wilderness. Bill participated in a training session for citizen lobbyists and then spoke at a rally in the capital rotunda. Almost a third of the legislators have become co-sponsors on a bill that would protect Seagull Lake from anti-BWCA Wilderness bills currently before the Congress in Washington, D.C. On the state level and the federal level, current or stricter protection of the BWCA Wilderness enjoys broad public and legislative support. In both arenas however, key committee chairs who oppose wilderness are working political mischief. If you are from Minnesota, contact your state legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the
Morse/Tuma (SF. 3400, HF. 3844) legislation that protects the BWCA
Wilderness from increased motorboat use. You can find your reps easily at
Minnesota State Gov’t – Gov/Senate/Reps (via Vote-Smart)

3/22/98 – John Mellang, Doug Olson, Bill Hansen, Buck Benson and John Wood skied the Cherokee Loop yesterday. The approximately 36 mile loop took them 5 hours and 40 minutes. That time included a detour halfway up Cherokee to the island campsite with the big sloping rock for lunch and several conversation stops. They saw many fresh wolf tracks, but just a few moose tracks. John wood skied the entire day in running shorts.

Handle Lake 11:30 A. M. Thursday, 3/19/98

3/17/98 – Pete Cummings and the Consortium (not a rock band) returned from their annual winter camping trip yesterday. These four gentlemen, along with several others, have been Sawbill wilderness campers for more than twenty years. The core group originally met in graduate school while earning their M.B.A.s. After many canoe trips, the group now returns in March to enjoy the solitude offered by the BWCAW in the winter. This trip, they only met one other group on the trail – two men who are in the M.B.A. program at the University of St Thomas in the Twin Cities. Surely Alton Lake was the most unlikely spot in the world for a meeting of six M.B.A.s that day 🙂

Bill Hansen returned late Sunday night from his speaking appearance at the Canoecopia show in Madison, Wisconsin. He saw many old friends there, including customers, fellow outfitters, suppliers, and former crew members. The highlight was seeing Larry Mathison, who drove up from the Rockford, Illinois area. Larry has been a Sawbill camper since 1964, with many adventures to remember. Confined to a wheel chair by heart problems now, Larry was clearly enjoying himself in the crowd of paddlers.

3/12/98 – Transitions and travels are the rule here recently. Mary Alice Hansen, co-founder of Sawbill Outfitters, attended her last Tofte Township meeting as Town Clerk. She has held this crucial elected office for many, many years. In the Minnesota Township system, Town Clerk is as close to being mayor as you can get. The Clerk does most of the hard stuff, keeping minutes, filing state reports, organizing the elections, and much more. Mary Alice received a plaque and many testimonials to her faithful service.

John Oberholtzer, Sawbill’s faithful year ’round employee, is vacationing in southern Utah. He is spending three weeks backpacking in the red rock canyon country there. Several former Sawbill crew members are joining him for various lengths of time. They are Steve and Kate Surbaugh, Mike Gaud, and Will Decker.

Sawbill’s Bill Hansen will be speaking at the "Canoecopia – the world’s largest paddlesport exposition" in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. His topic is "Living Off The Grid – Kids In The Wilderness" but it is hard to stop him from discussing BWCA Wilderness politics 🙂

3/9/98 – Craig Cornwall, from the Detroit, Michigan area, was here for a quick two night camping trip this weekend. Craig mentioned that he estimates this to be his 35th trip to Sawbill. That is an impressive record for someone who drives almost twenty hours to get here.

One of the most common questions we get in the summer is "What do you do all winter?" While we often jokingly respond with something like "as little as possible," it seems like the reality is a season full of varied activities. This year, the cross country skiing has been exceptional. The lakes are once again in prime condition for ski-skating. On Friday night, the quarter moon was ducking in and out behind fast moving clouds. On the lake, large pools of moonlight were silently traversing the broad white expanse. Skiing hard, one could just overtake these traveling pools of light, ski through them and then pursue the next one through the moon shadow. Soon the usual landmarks of bays, points and hills were forgotten and the miles slipped away while gliding effortlessly through a sparkling, featureless white plain suspended in an endless sky.

3/3/98 – Winter has returned to Sawbill after taking the month of February off. Between temperatures in the 40’s and the most rain we’ve had since summer, it has been a very nice April this last month. Last night after dark it dropped quickly below freezing, brought in by a steady north wind.

A late night ski up Sawbill brought the sweet smell of wood smoke to the nostrils about two miles north of the landing. Rounding the corner into Kelso bay a campfire and a glowing red tent appeared across the bay. The spot of warmth looked very cozy in the midst of the freezing black night. Skiing south again with the wind behind, each step brought a glide of at least twenty feet. Although the overcast caused almost total darkness, the snow surface was so smooth that no head light was necessary. The wind speed and ski speed were almost perfectly matched, creating a weird, sensory deprived feeling. The hiss of the skis on the snow the only clue of forward progress.

This morning, Cindy and the kids had their first Spring moose encounter on the way to school. The freeze/thaw cycle has produced a heavy crust on the 16" of snow standing in the woods. The moose that discover the plowed Sawbill Trail are very reluctant to get off the road, even when confronted by a large green truck. The bull this morning even became a little aggressive, trotting toward the truck with his fur standing on his back and his ears laid flat. After twenty minutes of alternately trying to scare it and backing up at a high rate of speed, Cindy called Bill to bring in reinforcements. The pickup approaching with the plow down, producing a cloud of snow proved too much for Mr Moose and he beat a retreat to the hills. Carl and Clare missed the first half hour of school, but their teachers are understanding about their unusual commute.

2/25/98 –

It froze last night and we hit the river early…

2/24/98 – It has been a truly quiet week here at Sawbill. Bizarre, warm weather has been the story here. The past few days it has stayed exclusively in the 30’s, both night and day. Earlier in the week, when it was freezing at night, we had some perfect skiing conditions on the lakes and rivers. The freeze and thaw cycle produced hard packed snow that was ideal for ski skating. If you are unfamiliar with cross country skiing, imagine a speed skater with ski poles.

On Friday and Saturday, expeditions were launched up to Lujenida and Ella Lakes. After one foray, we figured out that we had skied 12 mph on average. Speeds of 15 mph were attainable with what felt like zero effort.

Sunday, Obie organized a group of nine people from Tofte and Grand Marais for a ski down the Temperance River. We started from the bridge on the Sawbill Trail and ended at Lake Superior, a distance of approximately 15 miles. The river snow was just as fast as the lake snow, with the addition of a slight downslope. Open water was plentiful, but the snow was firm enough that there was no danger of falling through. The snow surface undulated around the open spots and in some places only a narrow snow bridge spanned the running water. We flew effortlessly down stream through canyons, oxbows, boulder fields, and even over two waterfalls. At that speed, the open spots would appear in front of the lead skier just in time for a split second decision about which route to choose. One skier would lead until they made a wrong decision and got caught in a cul de sac, then another skier would blaze the trail. Many times we would split up on alternate routes, weaving back and forth, in and out, only to converge at the next snow bridge. Since Sunday, we have not had cold enough temperatures to allow the snow crust to reform. Meanwhile, it has been raining and melting so the river keeps opening up. Sunday’s peak experience may be all the more precious for its uniqueness.

2/16/98 – President’s Day represents the peak of visitorship for the winter season. The Sawbill parking lot has ten cars belonging to "winter" campers. Seven former or current Sawbill crew members are visiting the Hansens. All of these folks are coping with very unusual weather. At this writing, it is 35 degrees with pouring down rain. For once, we are not envious of those who are on the trail. The snow cover near Lake Superior is showing major gaps and the snow at Sawbill is sinking fast. We are down to about 14 inches of wet, crystalline snow, and losing more by the hour. Bad news for skiing – good news for eliminating roof shoveling duty.

2/12/98 – This time of year we spend a lot of time in the workshop working on the canoes. New canoes arrive that must be detailed, and the previous season’s fleet must be checked over and kept in good working order. Fortunately, most of our customers have a high regard for these lightweight canoes. The majority of the canoes need very little attention: a little sanding, tightening hardware, water sealing wood gunwales, etc.. Yet, there are always a few problem canoes. A canoe that was dropped, or "beached" fully loaded at a portage, comes to the winter workshop with a broken gunwale, cracked hull, or worse. I wish this did not happen, but I’m resigned to it and have come to enjoy the problem solving. It’s a hands on process, and creative effort, to make the canoe look and work like it was new. With the right attitude, small, tangible victories prevail in the workshop. A nice change of pace from the daily management of the business. The canoes are stored outside or in our rental building. Inside, we stack them vertically to save space. This looks very dramatic and there is great potential for an intense domino effect (a fact the chandelier and I learned the hard way one year!) Unburying the canoes outside is fun, as we are treated to sights and smells leftover from Fall. Leaves and twigs on the forest floor are a novel sight this time of year, and bits of plant debris dried on the hulls remind me of warm sunny days. Yesterday, I removed some knee pads on a solo canoe and found lots of damp, trapped soil. Smelled like a spring mushroom hunt. I love the winter, but it’s nice to be momentarily transported. Sort of like those occasional August snow flurries!

2/6/98 – Four groups left for winter camping trips yesterday! For winter, this is the equivalent of a very busy August paddling day. The sunshine and very warm weather have been more indicative of the paddling season as well. We pleasantly baked ourselves on Alton and Sawbill during a snow shoe hike. Long shadows prevailed as we explored the lake. Tracks of skiers, otters, and moose crisscross the lake. In many places, however, the snow surface is untracked as far as the eye can see. Large, subtle patterns of wind become evident in these areas. Undulating lines, parallel to the wind direction, stretch down the lake and coalesce. On closer inspection, we find the lines are really tiny ridges highlighted by shadow and dust. Marked by a six foot trail of tumbling tracks, a tiny sprig of cedar interrupts the homogenous view. This sprig is no different from the millions of other cedar bits we have walked past, yet it is accorded the highest praise, oohs and ahhs like a fireworks display. We are a peculiar breed. Does the timber wolf attend to these details? Does it need to? Perhaps the ridges, dust, and sprig stir in us an ancient way of looking at the landscape, provoking a long lost understanding of natural processes – conceptions most of us are so distracted from, that we experience them in dumb awe, oohing and ahhing nostalgically.

2/3/98 – Cold temperatures at Sawbill over night, -10 degrees F. A novelty for this mild winter. Before the cold snap, a warm up on Thursday and Friday created a fast glaze on the snow. Skiing was incredible, such glide and ease. The dogs and I found ourselves exploring the middle of Alton in no time We closely inspected a recently abandoned winter camp. The dogs inquired as to whether winter campers buried food like summer campers, and I checked the quality of their camp. Some cut green branches, but otherwise a nice camp. It is difficult to be completely No-Trace in the winter, as the land must wait for April’s sun to erase shelters and tracks. A large quincee (a snow shelter) was well constructed, and Sunnie and I rested inside speculating as to when we would get out this winter. Gust poked his nose in the entrance, but some K-9 instinct forbid a further inspection. To Gust’s relief, we exited and enjoyed a lovely sunset returning for dinner.

The river canyons that pour into Lake Superior become fantastic ski adventures this time of year. Kate Surbaugh, former Sawbill employee, and I had a wonderful day skiing the Devil Track River canyon. In route to the canyon, a large beautiful wolf momentarily graced us with her presence . We smiled, knowing how fortunate we are to have such a living right outside our door. The Devil Track’s steep gradient and the fast skiing conditions kept us on our toes. Skiing around open holes and over frozen waterfalls is exhilarating. The waterfalls create bizarre ice structures. Jets of water gush from ice arches that project off the rock face like giant crystal faucets. Icy windows form as waterfalls erode snow cover from beneath. Torrents of water pass quietly by these windows, producing a confusing, wonderful image. In most places, the canyon is filled with the sound of water, it murmurs below our skis and two feet of snow and rises to crescendo as it breaks free of the ice and snow at the base of a steep pitch. The canyon walls are a myriad of hues and the snow and lichen patchwork complete a continuous rich canvas that tends to distract from the project of staying dry. Warm weather is problematic for river skiing as meltwater tends to wash out the ice and snow. Occasionally, questionable rock climbing techniques are required to circumvent the worst spots. A dose of patience while routing and a cool headed spirit are all that is required to navigate the river safely. It was a memorable day following the water to Superior, sliding over boulders, sometimes tumbling, each turn a new view, a new obstacle, getting to know the way of that wild canyon.

1/29/98 – All quiet at Sawbill today. Monday and Tuesday we had a visit from Jim Newman, a reporter of WDSE – PBS, the public TV station in Duluth. He and photographer Steve Asche joined Mark Hansen and Mark Spinler from North House folk school for some camping and skijoring (skiing behind a small dog team) on Sawbill Lake. They had lovely weather – warm with light snow. Folks within the WDSE viewing area should keep an eye out for the story on the "Venture North" program in the near future.

Our own Clare Hansen will be performing with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 15th. This is Clare’s second chance to play her accordion with the orchestra this year. This time, she will be in a group of five young accordionists, playing two songs for a children’s "Lollipops" concert.

1/25/98 – We enjoyed a half hour of pine marten antics around noon today. We noticed a marten running around in the tree just outside the house. As we watched incredulously he/she ran to the top of a 60′ aspen, scampered out on a flimsy, dead branch and promptly fell thirty some feet into another tree. Unfazed, it returned to another tall tree and attempted an impossible leap, resulting in another painful looking fall. It was clearly eyeing a piece of leftover chicken we had placed on the bird feeder. It finally seemed to get tired of falling and came to rest on a small red pine branch about 40′ up.

Pine Marten On Aerial Surveillance

After we stopped watching, the marten nabbed the chicken and worked over a glob of frozen refried beans.

1/22/98 – Minnesota State Senator Steve Morse (DFL-Dakota) has announced that he
will actively pursue passage of legislation that will continue
restrictions on motorized use within the BWCA Wilderness. Senate file 2002 will continue the phase out of motors on Seagull Lake
currently planned for January 1, 1999. By exercising the State’s
right to supercede federal jurisdiction on waters in Minnesota, Sen.
Morse’s bill would block a move in the U. S. Congress, sponsored by Rep.
James Oberstar (D-MN) and Senator Rod Grams (R-MN), that would eliminate
the Seagull Lake outboard motor phase out.

The bill does not address the issue of truck portages within the
wilderness, or change any other motorized use currently allowed within
the BWCA Wilderness.

Morse’s bill is being co-authored by Sens. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), Len
Price (DFL-Woodbury), Dennis Frederickson (R-New Ulm), and Gary Laidig
(R-Stillwater). In the house, a companion bill is being sponsored by
Rep. John Tuma (R-Northfield). “It is important to note that there is strong bipartisan support for this bill.” Sen. Morse said.

1/20/98 – The Boundary Waters Permit Reservation Center finally has a website. Point your browser to http://www.bwrc.com. They have general info on reserving wilderness travel permits, permit availability by entry point and date, and both an email and downloadable reservation form.

1/17/98 – More snow, more visitors! We’ve had several more inches of beautiful, soft, white snow in the last two days. We have more than passing familiarity with the plow and ski trail groomer. Several Sawbill crew members are visiting. Adam Hansen, Michele Thieman, Jeff Thompson, Lena Grupe, and Jason Morse are all here for the January Jubilee Jamboree – Sawbill Frisbee Golf Association Tournament. Some skiing and visiting will also take place, along with a party at crew member Natasha Warner’s house in Grand Marais.

Chris Weggemann, from Eagan, is out on a solo camping trip to Cherokee Lake for the weekend. He is no doubt enjoying the warm temps, soft snow and bright moon. He will stop in on Sunday or Monday with a conditions report.

1/15/98 – Six inches of fluffy, soft snow fell yesterday and overnight. Every twig and branch has at least an inch of delicate fluff perched on it this morning. The most notable feature is the effect on sound. A giant muffler has been dropped on the landscape and a perfect silence stretches across the wilderness. Even a shout has a quiet, muffled tone to it.

View From the Deck – 1/15/98

Lloyd and Mary Gilbertson, who had a serious medical emergency while camping on Alton Lake recently (see entry from 1/6/98), have had more bad news. While Mary was on her way to finishing in fifth place in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon this week, she and Lloyd’s house burned to the ground. This is a crushing blow for anyone and certainly comes at a bad time for Lloyd who is still recovering from a collapsed lung. Even Lloyd’s great good natured spirit must be somewhat dampened by this string of disasters.

On a more cheerful note, we received an email from Dave Hart announcing the launch of his website for the "Bloody Knees Canoe Club." Dave and his cheerful group are long time Sawbill customers and have a good set of images and route descriptions of their many trips.

1/12/98 – A quiet week here at Lake Sawbill. After all the excitement of last week, a little boredom is welcome. The big news is the much belated arrival of full fledged winter. 8" of snow fell on Friday and we are finally able to groom our entire ski trail, including the new kilometer of hills. The local ski trails are all in excellent shape now. This is surely the latest beginning of the ski season in recent memory.

1/6/98 – Many dramatic things have happened in the last few days, not the least of which the failure of both of our radio telephones simultaneously. The irony is that we will soon be abandoning our aged radio phones in favor of a microwave system. It is a shame to put expensive repairs into something we will soon be abandoning, but we are dependant on telephone service, especially for our internet connection. Anyway, if you have been trying to reach us by phone, we are now back in full operation.

Sunday night we had two timber wolves come quite literally to our door. About 8 PM a visitor, Ann Strittmatter (former Sawbill crew member), was starting out to walk between our houses when she came face to face with a full grown timber wolf in the driveway. It saw her, but did not seem alarmed. Neither did it seem aggressive. Soon it walked slowly off into the woods. A moment later another wolf appeared from behind the wood pile, walked into the spotlight shining on the driveway and sat down. By this time we were watching from the house with fascination. The wolf stood up and walked down the path toward the house. We rushed rather noisily to the windows on that side of the house and were rewarded with an eyeful of wolf sauntering by about ten feet away. I am kicking myself for not grabbing the camera which was sitting about five feet away.

The same night, musher Lloyd Gilbertson was camped on Alton Lake with 8 people and 25 sled dogs. He had three wolves walk boldly into his camp and eat the dog food. Lloyd said they were less than 10 feet from his tent and equal distance from 25 barking Alaskan Huskies. After eating the dog food, the wolves walked off, still apparently unconcerned by their proximity to humans. We are wondering if they might not be domesticated wolves that someone has released. They did not appear to be starving, ill, or in any kind of distress. In any case, all of us were thrilled with the close encounter.

Lloyd’s adventure continued the next day when he fell, broke some ribs, and punctured his lung. He immediately began to swell up and have trouble breathing. His wife Mary and son Ole rushed him back to Sawbill on a three dog sled, only to be greeted with the news that the telephones were dead. We quickly loaded Lloyd into the truck and headed for Grand Marais at high rate of speed. He was barely able to breath, couldn’t see and couldn’t talk. Obie went ahead in his small car and stopped at the North Shore Market in Tofte to alert the hospital. They sent the ambulance and Lloyd transferred to it about ten miles outside Grand Marais. The paramedics were impressed with the severity of his condition. He was quickly stabilized by the expert medical staff at the North Shore Hospital and will be able to go home after a three or four day stay.

Other than that, it has been pretty peaceful around here ;-)

1/2/98 – Sawbill is awash in people (at least for this time of year). Visitors from, England, Minneapolis, Kansas, and Chicago are enjoying some of the only significant snow in the state. There are three trucks on the parking lot, one of which carried a dog team. The weather is balmy for camping, although the forecast calls for radically colder temperatures by tonight. -15 degrees is predicted, which usually means at least -20 here.

12/30/97 – The Hansen family has been on the road, visiting the big town of Minneapolis for a shot of culture. Bill, Cindy, Clare, Carl, Ruthie and Adam stayed at the Hyatt Hotel on the Nicolet Mall downtown. Both the desk clerk and the bell hop are frequent visitors to Tofte. We joked that we were coming to pester them at work for a change. We went to a Timberwolves game, the Children’s Theater’s “Peter Pan”, the Dayton’s animated Christmas display (the Nutcracker, designed by Maurice Sendak), ate a gourmet meal, shopped, danced until 2 A. m. (Bill and Cindy only), and saw the broadway show “Bring In Da’ Funk – Bring In Da’ Noise.” Whew!

We returned home to catch up on chores and squeeze in a little ice fishing with the Jensen brothers Hawk (Tom), Friend (Paul), Grub (Bill), and Hawk’s son Noah. The Jensens have been camping at Sawbill since the 50’s and Hawk worked at Sawbill for several years in the 70’s.

Good fishing on a lake near Sawbill.12/25/97 – A very happy holiday was had by all here at Sawbill. Carl Hansen, at age 8, is the perfect age for Christmas fun. Santa brought exactly what Carl asked for – a rubber chicken! (Not pictured.)

Here’s what happens to a kid who grows up in the woods 🙂Adam and Bill Hansen continued to take advantage of the fantastic lake travel conditions. Today they skied from Sawbill, through Alton and Beth, to Ella Lake. There are a few small pockets of slush, but not enough to be discouraging. Frosted trees, wolf and moose tracks, and perfect silence were their reward at the end of a vigorous ski.

Beth Lake – Christmas Day 199712/23/97 – John (OB) Oberholtzer, Adam Hansen, and Bill Hansen had a wonderful wilderness ski expedition yesterday. They skied up the Brule Lake road to Homer Lake and then completed the loop from Homer, through Vern, Juno and Brule lakes, about 30 kilometers in all. Vern Lake was the epicenter of the 1996, 5,000 acre South Temperance fire. It was a beautiful but stark scene on a gray December day. There are small signs of life peeking out here and there, but mostly it is ghostly quiet: no squirrels, birds, or green pine needles. They found a moose skeleton on Juno Lake, an obvious feast for wolves, ravens, gray jays, and other scavengers a couple of weeks ago. Only the skull, spine and half the ribs remained. A snowmobile track on the Brule Lake road sped up the return to the truck, but unfortunately, the snowmobile tracks continued out onto Brule Lake, a violation of the wilderness concept (not to mention federal law).

12/20/97 – The lake is finally free of slush. The slush eventually got so bad that it seeped through to the surface and then froze. The dusting of snow we have had, combined with some blowing snow have left the surface of the lake perfect for ski travel. Several members of the St Louis Park High School cross country ski team are training on Sawbill Lake this weekend. Although today was the second shortest of the year, it was a calm, sunny, blue day with just enough new snow to make everything sparkle.

12/18/97 – We have been enjoying close encounters with a pair of pine martens that have survived the best efforts of local trappers. Monday night, a trip to the bird feeder with some leftover pasta was greeted with a series of clucks, hisses and ominous growls from a nearby tree. A flashlight revealed an very agitated marten (pine martens are basically cat-faced, 10 lb weasels). He or she continued to fuss at us for about fifteen minutes before working up the courage to descend and beat a retreat. Later that night there was a lot of commotion around the suet feeder and the morning light revealed deep scratches and claw marks in the flashing that, in theory, protects the feeder from squirrels. Amazingly, the suet feeder and the suet were still intact. Yesterday, two martens were busy chasing each other around the place all evening. We are guessing their rivalry was the cause of all the growling the other night. Nothing against the trappers, but it seems like the entertainment value of live martens vastly exceeds their value as a fashion statement for a person with too much money.

Unbelievably, we had rain overnight. It wasn’t much, but it has made the old snow even crunchier and the paths more treacherous. The lake ice on Sawbill is 6″ thick with about 6″ of slush on top of that in most places. The old slush is frozen, but plenty of new slush has formed to keep travel fairly miserable. No sign of really cold temps or significant snow in the forecast.

12/15/97 – We are scheduled for record high temperatures today. It is already in the mid 30’s at 7 AM. We are still skiing on the unplowed campground roads, but the tracks won’t be able to stand much melting.

12/12/97 – It is a sunny blue day! The grey streak is broken. The wind carrying the high pressure has the pines swaying and is making an expansive sound as it blows out of the Boundary Waters. Our resident pine marten has been absent lately, a sometimes unfortunate side effect of the trapping season. Yesterday, however, Frank saw a pine marten dodging into the log pile trailed by two eager golden retrievers. Despite their diligent patrol, the marten seems to be doing fine, as I saw its fresh tracks today headed to our dumpster. Evidence of a midnight snack on our smoked fish remains, perhaps?

The birds and squirrels continue to feed at an alarming rate at our feeders! The feeders need constant attention, a fact that Cindy is delighted to bring to our attention, as that is typically her chore. Gulls by the hundreds have been gracefully and slowly circling above the Grand Marais harbor and over the hill. An old timer says this means snow. So far, not much snow. Apparently, El Nino has the gulls confused as well.

12/10/97 – Another grey, warm day. I hate to admit it, but one day has been much like the other lately. We seem to be caught in November, unable to progress fully into winter. The air just doesn’t have a sting to it yet. It is very peaceful here. We haven’t even seen a car driving in since the weekend. The North Shore, normally a very busy tourist destination, is dead quiet. The locals all take the opportunity for extra visiting and play activities before the busy Christmas vacation season descends.

12/9/97 – Cindy is doing very well. She is back to nearly full speed, only requiring occasional help with her socks and door knobs. Thanks to everyone who sent their sympathies.

We were able to set a track on the portion of our ski trail that runs on the unplowed campground roads. While skiable, it is just barely snow covered, and will not last unless we get some more snow. The lake continues to be plagued by slush on top of the ice. Cold weather will eventually take care of that.

Clare Hansen saw two moose and two timber wolves on her way home from dance class last night.

12/5/97 – Medical update: Cindy had casts put on today. Dr. Jenny Delfs confirmed that both arms are broken, although the right one is only about half broken. Therefore, Cindy qualified for a short cast on her right arm and a full length cast on the left. This has increased her self reliance by leaps and bounds. She is in excellent spirits and plans to attend dance class on Monday, although probably will abstain from pirouettes until she is healed.

The ice depth, as measured by The Iceman – Obie, is 6″ with 3″ of slush on top. We are receiving snow at the rate of a couple of inches per day, but it is still insufficient for ski trail grooming.

12/3/97 – Cindy Hansen, co-owner of Sawbill Outfitters, broke both of her arms last night. She was taking her weekly modern dance class and on her third double-pirouette, her ankle tipped over and she fell backward onto her wrists. Fortunately, there are three nurses in the class, so she got excellent first aid. She will be in double casts for four to six weeks. The entire dance class accompanied her to the E. R., which made for a rowdy time at the hospital.

12/2/97 – The Sawtooth Mountain Clinic provides the only primary health care here in Cook County. If you should be injured or become ill while on your canoe trip, the good doctors at the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic would be your source of quality medical care. Cook County is unique because it has a very small permanent population and a high number of visitors. For almost 20 years, the clinic has received a grant from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant makes it possible to provide primary medical care in the this remote location, as well as subsidizing care for low income families.

Now the grant, known as a Section 330 (Community Health Care Program), is in danger of being cut. Please take a moment to email your Congressperson from the U. S. House of
Representatives Home Page and ask them to write to Richard Bohrer, Director, Division C/MHC, 4350 East-West Highway – 7th Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814. Have them ask Mr Bohrer to continue Section 330 funding for the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

11/30/97 – We had a wonderful, relaxing, Hansen family Thanksgiving here at Sawbill. The family reunion was all the better with the addition of Karl Hansen, all the way from California. He is considering a permanent return to Minnesota, so stay tuned for a possible personnel update. We managed to get out skiing on the lake every day. Conditions were challenging, with a lot of slush forming on top of 4 – 5" thick ice. The slush was less troublesome due to incredibly warm temperatures. In other words, you got your feet wet, but it didn’t really matter. Each day at sunset, the cool air settling over the lakes caused a dense ground fog to form. When the lowering sun shone sideways through the fog, the light became mystical. As we skied across the lake, we could only see the tree tops on shore above the rosy, diaphanous room we found ourselves in. Looking straight up, there was no trace of fog, only a deep blue sky. At the moment the sun dipped below the horizon, the fog suddenly lifted to an altitude of about 30 feet. We could then see up and down the lake clearly, but the tree tops and sky were swathed in white gauze. Wolf, pine marten, and fisher tracks stitched back and forth across our path.

We also enjoyed the company of Tim Velner and Gus Gustason of Duluth, who camped in the Sawbill campground over the weekend. This is a long standing tradition for these two, going back almost 20 years. They prepare all their meals ahead of time, including a full-on traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and seal them in boil-in-a-bags. When dinner time arrives, they just drop the bags into boiling water, and viola, dinner is served. Dinner is accompanied by beer, which is kept in a cooler with a hot water bottle to keep it from freezing.

Tim and Gus love to play, and bring skis, mountain bikes, snowshoes, and nerf footballs. They have a busy schedule of hiking, riding and playing catch. This year, they organized the first annual "Sawbill bowl" touch football game. Slated to be played on the lake, a brisk north wind shifted the action to the parking lot. For an hour and a half, mukluk shod adults and children participated in a spirited match of touch football. The second annual game is already scheduled for next Thanksgiving.

11/21/97 – Sawbill got a nice mention in "Presentations Magazine". You can see it online at Presentations Online – Case Study. The premise is that not having power or telephone hasn’t stopped us from getting on the web 🙂

Down to 6 degrees last night. We are betting that Sawbill finally, finally has frozen that last little bit of open water in the north end. Within minutes we will be launching a skate powered expedition to find out.

11/20/97 – Finally, the bulk of Sawbill Lake has frozen over. Obie, the one man Ice Follies, reported back from his daily skating trip to the north end of Sawbill Lake, that the south and middle sections are completely frozen. The north end still has a large section of open water, but for statistical consistency, we declare the lake ice covered when the south end is completely covered.

There are some innovations on the rest of this web site that may be of interest. We have been linking equipment from the 1998 Partial Outfitting Price List to pages that have pictures and details of that piece of equipment. Also, we are beginning work on web based BWCA Wilderness Route Guide . Take a look and let us know if you have any suggestions or criticisms.

11/15/97 – Will it ever freeze? Skiing to the very northern tip of Sawbill Lake this afternoon revealed large tracts of open water in all three sections of the lake. The north end has a long stretch of open water, perhaps as much as one third of the surface area. The ice around the openings is quite sound. Yesterday, while out skiing, Bill was able to ski right to the edge and actually inch his ski tips out over the rippling water (do not try this at home). Today, the highlight was a timber wolf making its way along the same open water in the middle of Sawbill. When it became aware of the skier, it ran along the open edge and escaped by crossing the narrow isthmus of ice between two large bodies of open water.

11/13/97 – An even smaller hole of open water remains on Sawbill Lake. We are starting to theorize that a hot spring has developed :-). Actually, it has been quite balmy, so freeze up is at least a week late. This afternoon Obie and Bill had a session of "boards and blades" on the part of the lake that is frozen. Bill skied and Obie skated. It turns out to be a fairly compatible experience in terms of speed. Barely sufficient ice cover with an inch of snow made this unique experience possible.

11/12/97 – A small patch of open water remains on Sawbill Lake. At the landing, the ice is now 2.5" thick. The chill of winter is distinct today. We are experiencing sunshine for the fist time in a long while. Cindy spotted one of the largest wolves she has ever seen today just north of downtown Tofte.

11/11/97 – Well, we lied. The lake did skim over, only to open up again as soon as the sun and wind came up. Half of Sawbill remained open all day today. However, the temperature is dropping and the ice in front of the landing will now support our weight, which it would not yesterday. We continue to receive snow flurries, but only have about 3" on the ground.

We are having incredible bird activity at the feeder this season. The chickadees, nuthatches, red polls, pine grosbeaks, gray jays and blue jays have consumed almost as much seed since so far as they did all of last year.

11/10/97 – A quick check of the ice yesterday afternoon revealed more than half the visible lake once again open water. Two ducks were swimming around, showing no inclination to head south. Last night dipped to 20 degrees with light snow and skimmed over the entire lake once again. We are headed for temps near zero on Wednesday, so this time, the ice is here to stay. We have not seen the lake freeze and thaw twice in a single Fall before. One year, during the ’80’s, it did thaw late in November and we actually paddled on Thanksgiving Day. Usually it freezes for good during the first week of November, so it is nearly on schedule.

11/9/97 – Driving down the Sawbill Trail last night, we saw at least ten deer hunting camps. We haven’t seen a deer in weeks though, so their success prospects are doubtful. Trappers are also active along the Sawbill Trail. We dislike the trapping, not so much on moral grounds, as wishing the animals could be left free for everyone’s enjoyment. It seems like a poor use of wildlife to pay a few dollars to a trapper so a rich person can wear a dead animal on their back.

11/8/97 – The lake remains frozen, at least as far as can be seen from the landing. The ice is just under one inch thick, but is very rubbery and soft. It is relatively smooth, but there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow, which could ruin chances for good skating.

A Pine Marten has taken up residency in our dumpster. It has made a bed in a discarded grey Sawbill sweatshirt. Pine Martens are a large member of the weasel family.

11/7/97 – Sawbill Lake froze on Tuesday, 11/4/97, for the second time this season. It previously froze on 10/26 and thawed out again during a heavy rain on 10/31. Today, it is kind of warm again, so perhaps it will thaw another time before winter finally arrives to stay. The ice is perfectly smooth, but less than an inch thick.

Last night we had incredible northern lights. They were brightest directly overhead and were pulsing in time to some cosmic music. The lack of a moon made them all the more brilliant. It is overcast here now and predicted to stay that way for the next few days.

11/4/97 – Former Sawbill crew member Steve Surbaugh is prominently featured in the current issue of Backpacker Magazine. Immediately under the headline "Chillin’ with The King Of Cool" is a striking photo of Steve with a frosted beard and determined look on his face. Steve and Kate Surbaugh are currently working for Wintergreen Lodge in Ely, where they help arctic explorer Paul Schurke with his winter outfitting business. They took Backpacker editor Jeff Rennicke and photographer Layne Kennedy on a trip last winter that sported -30 degree temperatures. Steve reports that Kate was very nearly featured on the cover, but was bumped at the last minute.

11/3/97 – Sawbill crew members John Oberholtzer, Natasha Warner, Adam Hansen and Bill Hansen attended the Northeastern Minnesotan’s For Wilderness Rally at Camp Du Nord in Ely on Saturday, November 1st. Approximately one hundred wilderness supporters from the region gathered on the shores of Burntside Lake to socialize, network and be inspired by wilderness artists and activists. Paul Gruchow, author of the recently published "Boundary Waters – The Grace of the Wild" was the keynote speaker. Carl Zichella of the Sierra Club and Darrell Knuffke of the Wilderness Society also gave inspirational and interesting speeches, as well as local activists.

We all had a chance to meet National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg, who has the cover story in that prestigious magazine this month. If you haven’t seen it, rush out and buy a copy. "Northwoods Journal", which is also written by Brandenburg, is the complete record of his effort last year to capture one image of the northwoods each day for ninety days. He allowed himself one shot – just one click of the camera – each day. The result is a stunning masterwork.

10/29/97 – Monday evening we went skating on a nearby pond. The ice depth varied from 3 to 1 inches. The cracking sound while skating was a bit disconcerting, but we only had one spot where a foot broke through. The transparent black ice allowed a clear view of the bottom of the pond. Dragonfly nymphs, lily pads and minnows were clearly visible. Also on Monday night the last canoeists departed from Sawbill. We didn’t get a chance to talk to them, so we don’t know how they navigated the frozen lake. Presumably some hybrid canoeing/walking method. On Tuesday, it finally went above freezing for the first significant time in more than a week. Some of Sawbill Lake reopened. The forecast calls for warm weather through the weekend, so there is a good chance that Sawbill will completely thaw. Statistically, it usually freezes during the first week of November.

Kathryn Olson, long time Sawbill canoeist from New Jersey, emailed and suggested that we give an update on water levels. She is concerned about the fate of beavers whose house entrances were above the waterline this Fall. The water level is a bit higher than it was in early October, but still very low. The only time in recent memory that it was lower was 1977. In that year, the beavers did have a very difficult winter, with a high death rate from predators. Drought is a historical fact of life here and presumably the prey/predator relationships are adopted to them. What’s bad for the beaver is good for the fisher and wolf. We have noticed some beavers working to add material over the house entrances.

10/26/97 – Sawbill Lake froze last night when the temperature reached a brisk 8 degrees. At least 3/4ths of what we can see from the landing is skim ice. It didn’t break the freezing point here today and the sky is clear. Likely it will get into single digits again tonight. There is one group still out. They are camped on the very first campsite on Sawbill, but are showing no inclination to try and escape. Perhaps they are planning to wait until the ice is thick enough to walk on. Some of the ponds along the back road to Grand Marais have > 2″ of ice on them already. Obie is planning to try and skate on them tonight.

10/25/97 – It is full scale winter here now. After such a warm, sunny Fall, Old Person Winter has seemingly come to stay. The ground is iron hard and the small ponds have an inch of ice on them. In spite of that, two parties are out in the wilderness for the weekend. Hopefully, they are keeping a sharp eye out for forming ice and will remove themselves before they become trapped. We are having excellent bird action at our feeders already. Chickadees, Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Grey and Blue Jays, Juncos and a variety of Sparrows have already burned through 50 lbs of seed in the last ten days. In 1995-96 we fed 850 lbs of seed just at one house. The North Shore was host to huge flocks of crows earlier this week. Some tree were literally blackened by the cawing flocks moving south for the winter.

10/23/97 – The Oberstar BWCA Bill, which reintroduces trucks into the BWCA Wilderness and and blocks a scheduled phase out of outboard motors on most of Seagull Lake, H. R. 1739, passed the House Resources Committee yesterday. This is a sad day for the BWCA Wilderness. The committee chair, Alaska’s Don Young, was quoted as saying “Make them recreation areas” complaining that wilderness designation restricts access to “the physically elite.”

Today was our first day with zero customers. The snow melted slightly this afternoon, but is still blanketing the ground. There are no cars on the parking lot and no one in the campground. We are expecting single digits tonight.

We took advantage of the lull to pump and clean all the septic tanks here at Sawbill. This is the job I always think about when people tell me I have the perfect job. All things are relative I guess.

10/20/97 – The stormy weather blew most people right out of here yesterday. There are two cars on the parking lot and one group in the campground. We drained the coffee pot in the store yesterday, because the water supply pipe for it runs outside. With the forecast for temps in the teens, we will probably be forced to drain all the water in the store soon.

10/19/97 – Here’s an interesting development on the BWCA Wilderness political front. Guy Holmes, who heads up a recently formed group that advocates use of truck portages to provide handicapped access to the wilderness, and is a director of the local “wise use” group Conservationists With Common Sense, has lied to Congress. Read the Op/Ed piece by John Galland in the Mpls Star Tribune of October 19th.

Sawbill Outfitter’s Bill Hansen will be debating Guy Holmes on the PBS program “Face to Face” on November 2nd. The “Crossfire” style program airs at 6 P. M. on WDSE-8 in the Northland, and 11 A. M. on KTCA-2 in the Twin Cities.

The weather is starting to slide back into a November mode today. In just an hour we have slipped from the mid 40’s into the high 30’s.

10/18/97 – What a beautiful Saturday it was today. We used the testing of a new canoe model, the Wenonah Minnesota III, as an excuse to get out on the water for a half hour. It was a typical summer day – fluffy white clouds against a blue, blue sky and 65 degrees. The only clue to the season were the migrating grebes and the lack of leaves. A group of moose hunters from Forest Lake were coming in after intensively hunting for ten days with no success. They were surprisingly cheerful. Glad to have had ten glorious days in the wilderness, even if they don’t have a moose to show for it. It is particularly hard for them because it is a “once in a lifetime” license, so they won’t have the opportunity again. Given the amount of work to butcher and pack a moose out of the BWCA Wilderness, I tend to think they got the better deal.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed to confirm contacting members of the House Resources Committee, especially those who’s own congressperson is on the committee. Let’s keep it up until the hearing on Wednesday.

10/17/97 –
The Oberstar BWCA Bill H. R. 1739, is scheduled to be heard by the House Resources Committee on Wednesday, 10/22/97. If it passes the full committee, it will go to the house floor for debate. The senate version of the same bill is already through the committee process and awaits floor action in the senate.

Committee Vote Scheduled For 10/22/97 – Phone Calls Needed Now!!
Contact The House Resources Committee10/16/97 – M. E. A. weekend is upon us (it’s a school holiday for the teacher’s union convention for those of you from out of state) and the last little rush of canoeists for the season. The parking lot was down to three cars yesterday. We are always convinced that there will be a couple of cars left over at the end of the year (joke). A quick walk to the lake this morning revealed the beauty of a late Fall morning. The mirrored surface of the lake was reflecting a deep blue sky while a thick white mist hovered over the surface. The tiny air movements stirred the mist into ghostlike dancers. While we were watching, a canoe emerged from the mist, paddles flashing in the sun.

10/13/97 – We experienced a distinct weather phenomenon this morning. At 8:00 A. M. the radio reported 37 degrees in Ely. I looked at the thermometer and it was 54 degrees here. At 9:30 A. M. we had 39 degrees here. Ouch. We are draining the water from the shower house today as the prediction is for the low 20’s tonight and tomorrow. We froze the pipes in the shower house this spring when the temperature hit the teens on the 12th of May and didn’t get above freezing for several days. We scrambled to wrap the build in tarps and put every conceivable heat source inside, including the gas grill. We survived with only two burst pipes, but we don’t want a re-run this fall.

The top news of the day: The Sawbill Frisbee Golf Association, which regular readers are already familiar with, has been named “Web Site of The Month” by Discgolf Online Magazine.

10/10/97 – What a day yesterday! The wind raged all day. Our wind gauge is broken, but I would guess that some of the gusts were approaching 40 mph. At least a dozen trees fell across the Sawbill Trail. David Armstrong returned from his long solo trip and reported whitecaps in excess of two feet on Alton. He also reported hearing wolves near Adams Lake. This morning is clear and cold. Freeze up is only about three weeks away now. We got the ski trail completely ready for snow on Wednesday. I suspect we may have a few windthrown trees to remove after yesterday.

10/9/97 – October returns. It is very windy this morning and temperatures are dropping fast. Travel would be impossible on Brule Lake at this time. One of the great things about wilderness is the realization that sometimes nature holds sway and all we can do is wait it out. Several frustrated moose hunters stopped by yesterday. They are having trouble finding any fresh moose sign, much less the real thing.

10/8/97 – Heat Wave! It was 60 degrees at 6 A. M., overcast, raining and humid. Very strange weather for the middle of October. John Werth and his partner Paul returned yesterday from a twelve day trip. They had themselves flown to Beaverhouse Lake on the far side of Quetico Park and paddled back to Sawbill. They traveled all day, every day, save one.

10/4/97 – Most of the trees have changed now. A few aspens are still green, trying to garner as many sugars as possible before the winter sets in. Unlike most trees, however, aspens will continue to photosynthesize after their leaves have fallen. Aspens have chlorophyll in their bark which allows them to extend their food producing season. It is this adaptation that has allowed the aspen to be found further north than other deciduous trees, and accounts for the slight green tinge of their bark. The tamaracks along the grade road are aflame in the afternoon sun and most of the pine trees look slightly more bare as they are also heavily losing needles. Due to the drought, far fewer cones top our local white pines this year compared to last. As I look out the office window, our tall pines and aspen are swaying in a warm afternoon breeze against an idyllic blue sky.

10/3/97 – Seventy seven degrees and blue skies yesterday! Sawbill crew members disappeared to play. Natasha went paddling and OB hiked the Superior Hiking Trail east of Grand Marais. Each reported glorious views and landscapes devoid of people. They excused themselves on the basis that this would be the last warm day. Hopefully, they will not read this morning’s forecast calling for weather in the seventies for the next few days. We may never see them again! Others have heard about the weather too, as we are quite busy today for an October morning. Several groups have headed North including hopeful moose hunters. No bugs, few people, amazing scenery, who can blame them?

10/1/97 – It seems we are back to gorgeous weather. Blue skies today are accompanied by a warming trend that is to bring mid seventies by Thursday! All the wind has really knocked down the leaves, but there is still some nice color. Last night was a serious frost. Cindy’s tomatoes are likely to be a memory. Hopefully she has canned enough for the winter.