1/30/19 – PERMIT UPDATE: We have just (10:20 am) been informed by the Forest Service that due to the extent of the technical difficulties and inconsistencies in functionality of the reservation platform, all successful permit reservations are going to be voided and the system is being closed until the issues are worked out. They will offer notification when the system will go live again. If you have already reserved a permit, we recommend holding tight to see what happens, but be prepared to re-apply for your permit. We’ll update as we learn more. In the mean time, enjoy the crisp weather!
1/25/29 – This Sunday marks the 35th start of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The nearly 300 mile race is the longest held in the contiguous United States and is a qualifier for the Iditarod. Racers start just north of Duluth, make their way up the north shore, head up the Gunflint Trail, back down the trail, and finish in Grand Portage. Along the way teams must stop at designated checkpoints, one of which crosses the Sawbill Trail. Racers usually reach this checkpoint in the dead of night, however this year the first few teams are expected to arrive around 3:30 am. If you’re in the area and up for an early morning adventure I highly recommend spending some time at this checkpoint, or any of the others for that matter. I can certainly vouch for cheering teams in as you stand around a campfire under the stars. For more information and to follow the race live, visit the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon’s official website. -Jessica
1/17/19 – As we head into the second half of January, Huckleberry and I decided to do a little snow reconnaissance around Sawbill. Huck dawned his snow booties, I threw on my snowshoes, we grabbed a measuring stick and we were off. Upon reaching the lake the first thing we realized was that sticking to one of the preexisting packed trails was a must. Huckleberry took a few slight detours and found that stepping into the great unknown meant wading through 16″ of snow and a good chance of slush. Keeping to the highway that was a winter campers trail, we made it up to Boundary Island without any trouble at all. On our way back from the lake we added an exploratory mission into the woods to measure a whole two feet of snow. -Jessica
Sun setting over Sawbill Lake. Huck leading the charge back toward the landing.
1/4/19 – Since our last post we received a delivery of 23 brand new Wenonah canoes, welcomed a solid foot of snow in one dumping, and rang in the new year with some of our favorite people on one of our favorite lakes.
The delivery driver and I contemplate how the heck we’re going to lower the Spirit IIs from the top of the trailer.
In accordance with New Years tradition, we headed down to the lake to ring in 2019. Just before midnight, temperatures dropped to a relatively balmy (compared to years past) -15 degrees, accompanied by a -30 degree wind chill.
From left to right. Front row; Brian and Jessica. Back row; Dan, Owen, Katie, Kevin, Hannah, Nick, Luke. Not pictured; Claire, Clare, Kit, and Sig (all fast asleep).
In other exciting news, while visiting over the holiday weekend, Hannah Kennedy (crew member) and Nick Hansberry became engaged! Welcome to the family Nick! -Jessica
12/9/18 – Thanks to calm, sunny, 20 degree weather I was able to hit the lake yesterday for my first ski of the season. There was just enough snow (2 to 4 inches) to make skiing fun without feeling like I was slogging through it. I’m also happy to report the slush was overall minimal. Luckily, with the high sun, I was able to see the darker slush pockets from a distance and meander my way around them. I wonder if the wolves who passed through a day or two ahead of me had used this technique as well? Their tracks seemed, for the most part, to zig and zag around the slush too. -Jessica
This cedar caught my eye when I stopped at a campsite to soak in the sun. Clearly it too had the same idea, although it was accomplishing the goal more efficiently than I.
This picture was taken at a campsite in Kelso bay. I call it; Tracks, Tracks, Tracks. From left to right; rodent tracks, my tracks, wolf tracks.
12/4/18 – This past Sunday Carl Hansen, Crista Clark, Cindy Hansen, and myself assembled to assist Clare and Kit in their Christmas cookie baking extravaganza. Dan provided vital support by cooking us up some freshly smoked salmon, and Bill lent his ski trail grooming expertise for the first groom of the season (key ingredient to keeping off those cookie pounds later on). -Jessica
And we’re off! Carl and Crista start rolling out the, affectionately named, SOB cookies (they’re a lot of work), while Cindy and Kit get to work on the classic sugar cookies.
While the cookie team is at it, Clare cranks out mass quantities of lefse.
11/28/18 – I was lucky enough this past holiday weekend to have my family gather together right here at Sawbill. It was a ton of fun to have the group together in a setting only the snow covered northwoods can provide. Thanksgiving included the obligatory tonnage of food, card games, a million piece puzzle, lots of bird watching, and great company.
My amazing family in front of the Sawbill sign. Photo credit to my mom. As you can see she’s become quite the expert in self-timers.
Black Friday was celebrated by hitting the great outdoors in search of those coveted door buster bargains. Some of our scores included; fresh snow the perfect temperature for snowman assembly, short lines at the sledding hill, and a solid 5-6″ of ice on the lake perfect for a stroll along the shore. -Jessica
My grandma Barb pictured with three generations of snowman sculpture apprentices in tow. As you can see by this masterpiece, she is a true artist in this medium.
Shortly before we departed the lake a few snow angels made an appearance, but otherwise crowds were minimal.
The final cap to the weekend included Christmas tree hunting. We were pleasantly surprised to find the isles remained fully stocked following a busy start to the holiday shopping season.
11/14/18 – As of four days ago, Sawbill Lake is completely iced over. In addition, it now has a powdery coating of snow to boot. This afternoon I measured about 2″ of ice after briefly chiseling through the frozen lake. Don’t worry, my feet were firmly planted, safe and sound, on the landing. -Jessica
High in the sky clouds frame Mouse Island.
No auger needed to drill this hole. Only a couple blows with the chisel and I punched right through.
10/31/18 – A couple weeks ago the fall crew got together to carve these very intricate pumpkins in preparation for today’s big day. As you can see, all of our painstaking research regarding the art of the classic jack-o’-lantern clearly paid off resulting in these beautiful works of art. -Jessica
Last nights test run. The one in the middle has really aged to perfection.
10/24/18 – Over the past week we’ve been getting quite a few reports of substantial ice on some of the smaller area lakes, making travel quite difficult. As a result we’ve put most of our canoes away for the season and almost completed winterizing the store.
The finishing touches were put on what we are currently calling the “Square Dome” just in time to safely stow away canoes for the winter.
Tyler and Dan ponder the best way to fit all the canoes.
A couple nights ago we witnessed ice crystals beginning to form on the south end of Sawbill Lake. Most of that ice disappeared the next day, but if you look close enough today, you can see a swath of ice floating to the left of Mouse Island. It sure seems winter is now knocking on our door. -Jessica
Huckleberry dips his toes in the water this afternoon rather than his typical swim. He must have noticed the ice.
