4/26/15 – Another beautiful day here at sunny Sawbill. The ice is now down to 8 7/16″, to be exact. – Jessica

We were able to paddle around the ice to Mouse Island to snap this picture facing the canoe landing.

Honorary ice technician for today, Carla Hill, drills the test hole.

4/25/15 – Today Brian and I took a running start with our trusty Grumman and measured 11″ of highly degraded ice. Each day the ice has receded further and further from shore. Before you know it the ice measuring crew will be able to make a sightseeing paddle along the open shore after taking the measurements. We did have to break through a thin layer of skim ice, but the forecast is looking promising with nothing but blue skies today, and temperatures predicted in the mid to high 50s the rest of the week. – Jessica

Brian holding the canoe steady as I drill the hole.

There is a real technique to to drilling the test holes. I would say it’s an art-form really.

4/23/15 – No change in the lake ice for the last few days. The temperatures are still colder than usual and the sun is struggling just to melt the new snow.
Meanwhile, signs of spring are popping up here and there. – Bill

A fresh load of Wenonah canoes is a sure sign of spring, in spite of arriving in the middle of a mini-blizzard.

Frozen tie-down straps, sub-freezing temperatures and high winds made unloading the topmost canoes a challenge.

4/21/15 – For the second day in a row, we didn’t drill a hole in the ice on Sawbill Lake and here is why:

This was the scene when the sun came up this morning. We got another couple of inches during the day. The temperature stayed below freezing and the predicted low tonight is 19 degrees. – Bill

4/20/15 – It is cold and snowing here today, so we didn’t bother to check the ice depth. The melting has hit the pause button for the time being. – Bill

4/19/15 – We didn’t hang around on the lake very long for today’s ice report. Just long enough to drill a hole and measure 13.5″ of ice. The last week of summer-like weather has changed to an all day rain with temperatures in the high 30s. – Bill

Brian drills the hole from the safety of the canoe. It was probably safe to stand on the ice, but we didn’t want to find out the hard way that it wasn’t.

4/18/15 – Today’s ice thickness is 15″. It’s hard to believe that we were confidently skiing around the Kelso Loop just a week ago. Progress has been rapid, but the forecast taking a drastic turn for the colder tomorrow and for the foreseeable future. Sigh. – Bill

We have another celebrity ice testing technician today. Tyler Campbell, Duluth native who now lives in Colorado and long-time Sawbill crew member, does the honors.

4/17/15 – The ice measured 17″ thick on Sawbill Lake today. The first foot is just loose slush with 7″ of clear, hard ice under that.

When we arrive at the lake each day for the ice measurement, Phoebe, Chief of Outfitter Security, and Roy, Deputy Chief of Outfitter Security, execute a perimeter reconnaissance to identify and neutralize downrange threats.

Too thick to paddle, too thin to walk. Looking north from the Sawbill Lake canoe landing.

Brian gets the honor of carrying the first canoe of the season to the lake.

…and now you see how the canoe is used.
Here are the most recent editions of the Cook County West End News from WTIP-FM, North Shore Community Radio:
April 16th, 2015
April 9th, 2015
April 2nd, 2015
March 26th, 2015

4/16/15 – Today’s ice thickness on Sawbill Lake was 18.5″. The warm spell continues. – Bill

4/15/15 – We have visiting celebrity ice auger operators for today’s Sawbill Lake ice thickness report. The ice was 20″ thick, very soft for the first foot and pretty solid for the last 8″. – Bill

Former Sawbill crew members, Leif “Leifboat” Gilsvik and Jess “Hammer” Hemmer, acting as honorary ice depth testers. Don’t worry, they both took a turn on the auger.

In honor of the visitors, we had the first outdoor lunch of the season. Photo by Brian “Mongo” Henry.

Brian found this beautiful and intrepid crocus in the yard between snowbanks.