5/30/18 – The season is finally changing. Ice changing to water, bare branches changing to leaves, and store closing hours changing from 7PM to 9PM. To kick off the changing of the Sawbill hours and the last of getting off work at 7PM, the Sawbill crew went for a post work sunset paddle (Wednesday, May 23).

The crew went for a paddle on the lake they know best, Sawbill Lake. Guided by the moonlight, the crew floated all around Sawbill Lake and found themselves in a little section of Sawbill Lake called Alton Pond. Alton Pond can be seen from the Sawbill Lake launch spot and pokes into the Boundary Waters.

This “pond” or alcove is notorious for being a nighttime hangout spot for a frog called the Spring Peeper. It is very difficult to spot a Spring Peeper, but very easy to hear them. Spring Peepers hang out in swampy and muddy areas and are especially active in the dark. Each night, the sound of these frogs resonate through the BWCA in a peaceful, steady croak. When surrounded by the Peepers up close however, the noise is LOUD! The higher the density of these frogs, the louder and more aggressive their croaking gets. After a night visit to this pond, your ears will surely be ringing.

Following the frog chorus, the Sawbill Crew capped the night with a moonlight swim at the Beach Club. However, they made sure to get to bed at a timely manner to ensure they could wake up for store hours now being open at 7AM!

So come on up to Sawbill. Summer hours have now begun from dusk until dawn and the crew is excited to outfit your BWCA needs!

– Nathan

5/29/18 –  Its been an eventful Memorial Day weekend at Sawbill with the unexpected sunny and 80-degree days replacing the forecasted rain.  In addition to the great weather, the fishing reports have been nothing but spectacular. On Wine Lake, lake trout are biting. On Alton and Sawbill, reports are of small mouth bass and walleye.  Reports of moose and calf sightings are a sure sign of spring! A cow and two calves were seen yesterday swimming along Sawbill lake just north of Barrier Island. Though the sun, temps and wildlife have all hinted at summer weather approaching, I feel we have more spring ahead of us.

In addition to the moose calves, Sawbill has been accommodating another wild guest: a woodchuck!  Seen prowling by the Somo and Yurt, eluding crew members during its stay, a pursuit of the critter has begun.  Hopefully capture and relocation are imminent.

With warmer temps and lack of rain come lower water levels.  Kelso river has been navigable, but always practice precaution while paddling a potential low area (like the Kelso river).  Sawbill lake has been pleasantly warm even with the ice going out only 22 days ago!

Finally, we had our final green (new) crew members arrive last Friday: Katie Kelley and Paul Senechalle (me).  Hailing from Edina, Minnesota, studying International Relations and Spanish at Colby College in Maine, Katie’s expertise comes from her love of the wilderness and her passion for canoeing and bouldering.  Paul hails from Saint Charles, Illinois and is studying Biochemistry and Education at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Having a lifelong relationship with the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the prairies in Illinois, he is most excited to explore and help others to explore the BWCA.  

With summer fast approaching, the time we have to plan adventures dwindles.  Consult family members, friends and even pets (yes, I talk to my dogs) on dates you can make it here.  Prepare the supplies you already have and make sure your vehicle is ready for the journey ahead. The spring rains have brought new life and all its seasonal inhabitants back to Sawbill.  Come join us.

Wilderness awaits you.  

-Paul    

5/25/2018 – Summer is officially here at Sawbill! We kicked off the holiday weekend by welcoming a steady flow of customers, including a nine-person bike-packing group from Des Moines, IA. These cyclists began their 180-mile loop at Temperance River State Park and are looking forward to tomorrow’s stop at Sven and Ole’s in Grand Marais.

We were also joined by two new crew members this week: Nathan Strom and Andie Garza.

Nathan is from Woodbury, MN and arrived at Sawbill on Tuesday! He just finished his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he’s majoring in physics. When he’s not calculating how many Joules it takes to carry a canoe over a 400-rod portage, he enjoys playing the cello, climbing, and cross-country skiing. 

Hailing from Pharr, TX, Andie traded the Lone Star State for the North Star State this summer. She will start her senior year of college in the fall and is studying English and psychology. She is a self-described movie buff and wants readers to know that one of her favorite movies is “The Other Woman”. She was hoping to see some snow when she arrived; that means she just has to come back next summer and hope for a cold spring! 

 

Warm temperatures and sunny skies have really brought the forest back to life. The water is rapidly warming up and we are excited for a great summer here at Sawbill!

-Hannah

 

5/24/18 – If you are reading this blog, then you’ve likely noticed there have been some changes to sawbill.com. We have always been really proud of the content and layout of our website, but wanted to modernize the look and functionality with mobile devices.

We worked for several months with Grant Olson of Woodsy, to provide a conduit for all of our friends and customers to keep track of what’s going on in the Northwoods and to help them plan a successful canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

During the update, we archived all of previous years newsletters and weather history which can be found on this new site – it dates back to 1997!

Thanks to all who participated in our survey last year – that information helped immensely to understand how you all interact with the site and what you wanted to see in an update.

Be sure to reach out anytime if you are having difficulties with the site or find a bug. We’d be glad to help you out and fix any errors!

-Dan

5/23/18 – Kit and I ventured off on our first of many (hopefully) father daughter canoe trips. With Clare’s blessing and encouragement, some great weather and no signs of bugs, we headed up Sawbill Lake.

We didn’t head far, just across the Wilderness boundary where we camped on one of the first sites on Sawbill. We threw rocks in the lake, ate mac n cheese, read lots of books and snuggled in the tent. We enjoyed a morning of duck watching, fish jumping and some paddling along the shores of glassy Sawbill Lake. What fun!

Even though Kit just turned 2 last week, this was her third overnight canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. We hope for many more to come!

-Dan

In true May style, we welcome a couple more new beginnings here at Sawbill Outfitters. Now that a new fishing and paddling season has begun in earnest, it’s also the time that new Crew members join us.

Caitlin, a geography student at the University of Minnesota and also daughter of acclaimed canoe builder, Ted Bell, is joining us for her first season at Sawbill. As one might imagine, Caitlin has been paddling canoes her entire life and we are thrilled to have her bring that experience here.

Next we welcome Kate who arrived just on the heels of Caitlin. Kate is a sophomore studying economics at the University of Minnesota. This is Kate’s first season at Sawbill and she is eager to spend time on the Wilderness edge. We are excited to have her warm energy as a part of our Crew.

-Dan

5/11/18 – While several early bird paddlers have already embarked into the Wilderness from the Sawbill entry point, many anxious folks have been asking about the ice status on Brule. Brule, as the largest lake entirely within the Wilderness, is slower to shed its winter covering. Dan stopped by Brule this afternoon to get a first hand view. He reports that he couldn’t see any ice from the launch, but if you’ve been there before, you know the majority of the lake is out of view from there. Satellite imagery is still showing ice on the main portion of the lake. It’s safe to say though, it’s on its way out!

-Clare

5/7/18 – It’s tradition at Sawbill to bet on what day the ice will go out. Bill always bets his birthday, May 5th. Following in her Pop Pop’s footsteps, the littlest outfitter Kit Shirley bet her birthday May 7th. Sure enough, not only did we celebrate Kit’s second birthday yesterday, we also celebrated official ice out on Sawbill Lake! Bill claims that he’s only won the bet twice in his life, so he was very impressed it only took Kit two years.

Another ice out tradition is opening the “Beach Club”. Lucky early season crew members Jessica Hemmer, Luke Opel and Hannah Kennedy along with Dan and Huckleberry thoroughly enjoyed the 70 degree sunshine after the first swim of the season!

See you soon!

-Clare

5/6/18 – By this time tomorrow I predict we’ll be declaring the ice officially out on Sawbill Lake. Today, the southern portion of the lake was clear, but the portage to Alton and the narrows marking the Wilderness boundary were still unpassable. A stiff southern wind had pushed all the remaining ice north.

Former crewmember Jesse Bergeson and his friend Mary stopped by this weekend for a visit on their way from Maryland to Montana. Along with Dan and Huckleberry the intrepid travelers hiked/bushwacked from the Sawbill Trail in to Wonder Lake (just south of Alton). They reported that there were some ice remnants floating around the southern portion of Wonder but that the northern side of the lake looked open.

We’ll report back tomorrow, hopefully with good news!

-Clare

5/4/18 – Today we welcomed our first customers of the season! Despite Sawbill Lake still holding onto 9 inches of rotten ice, Lake Superior College’s Boundary Waters class made the trip up for some time in the north woods. In anticipation of their arrival, the Sawbill Crew has been scouting area entry points for signs of open water and determined that Baker Lake would offer at least the opportunity to get on the water.

The two eager groups of mostly novice paddlers, launched onto the mostly open Baker Lake in hopes of finding more open water on Peterson and Kelly Lakes. The Temperance River drains down from the Temperance Lakes through Kelly, Peterson and Baker, so hopes were high that the moving water would provide some paddling lanes leading to Wilderness campsites.

To add to the bustling day, we were visited by our friends at Souris River Canoes with 8 new Quetico 16’s to deliver. We are really excited to have the 16 back in our fleet after a few years hiatus. The 16′ canoe is a great option for two smaller people with minimal gear who want to travel light and fast. The 16′ is a breeze to portage and handle while on and off the water.  Without a thwart behind the front seat, it can be paddled “backwards” as large solo or with a small child.

 

-Dan