9/6/14 – Last week, we enjoyed the 35th visit from a group that calls themselves “The Consortium.” They took the name because several of them were in business school together back in the day. The annual wilderness canoe trip started as a school reunion.
All have gone on to varied and distinguished careers, but their annual canoe trip provides the opportunity, in their own words, “to relive adolescence.” – Bill

Consortium XXXV, 2014. Trail name (l-r): Portager, HMFIC (His Majesty First in Command), Sugarbear, and Marmaduke.

All good consortia have a great logo.

9/5/14 – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a spectacularly beautiful area with rich diversity in species and habitat. From the calm, blue glacial lakes spanning across two continental watersheds, to the exposed, colorful, granite and basalt rocks painted over with ancient Native American pictographs, the BWCAW offers no shortage of dramatic scenery.
With all this rich and beautiful biodiversity comes some of mother nature’s most excited reactions, one of these being wildfires. Many of the areas in the boundary waters that you can paddle through show the remains of a recent fire, and these areas can be some of the most picturesque. Here at Sawbill, we have close access and transportation to some of these gorgeous areas. If you are worried that burned areas may be a little lackluster, then let your worries be put to rest.
A recent crew member of ours took a 5-day/4-night trip through some of the burned areas and photo documented her trip.
Burned areas of the boreal forest allow you to see the rich flora hidden on the forest floor. Carla took a series of pictures of several wildflowers growing in the burned area. This picture depicts one type she saw on Townline Lake.

Portaging through burned areas can also be quite the adventure. Though we absolutely love being shrouded in a sea of green, burned portages offer a more unique portrait of the land. Carla described the portage from Townline Lake into Kawasachong Lake as “hands down” her favorite portage. You can view the rich colors and foliage, while also seeing farther off in the distance through the trees and witnessing the changing rise and slope in the land.

Another great feature is that lakes often provide as halts for the burns. This means lakes in burned areas usually offer distinct sides, one that is burned, and one that is flourishing with the rich boreal forest. Seeing these gradients can be surreal, as this picture from Crooked Lake shows.

And, let’s not forget the sunsets over these areas.

A beautiful sunset sky begins over Kawasachong Lake
Seriously, they are gorgeous.

A red sunset, reminiscent of the fire that shaped this scene over Crooked Lake
A big thanks to Carla for sharing her experience with us. Come check out some of the burned areas in the BWCAW the next time you come to Sawbill. Ask the crew about some of our favorite spots, we have a whole list of them.

Carla and her crew, Catie and Eric, on Kawasachong.
Happy paddling folks! – Mark

9/4/14 – The leaves are beginning to change up here at Sawbill as the cool fall air rushes in, and the busy season starts to slow down. Thank you to all who came and helped make this a successful season and we hope to see you again in the future.
Now that fall is on its way here, this a great time for exploring the boundary waters. The changing leaves makes some of your favorite lakes even more beautiful, and the calmer whether makes for some superb paddling. So come up and enjoy the fall here with us. This time of year is great for our crew as well to take a moment to enjoy the beautiful surroundings we have.
Happy paddling and we hope to see you soon. – Mark

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters’ Bill and Cindy Hansen enjoy the end of the Labor Day rush with a peaceful stroll down to Sawbill Lake with their dogs Roy and Phoebe.

9/2/14 – There are trade offs for each type of weather that we experience here in canoe country. This year, the weather has been mild and wet. The disadvantages included lingering mosquitoes, chilly swimming and muddy portages. The advantages included good fishing, low fire danger, abundant blueberries, and no bears looking for camp food.
Another, more recent advantage, is the proliferation of mushrooms, including this beauty.

This perfect specimen is growing right in front of the Sawbill Store.

8/31/14 – Terry Olson is a retired Forest Service employee who lives in Finland, Minnesota. A few years ago, Terry got interested in sport flying and bought a small float plane.
Every once in a while, Terry quietly glides into Sawbill Lake for a visit. He chooses his weather carefully, waiting for mornings with calm winds and blue skies.
He is kind enough to give rides to his friends and awards each rider a little wooden model of his plane as a keepsake. – Bill

Terry’s plane looking pretty at the Sawbill Lake canoe landing.

8/30/14 – Jan and Grant Friberg have been Sawbill Lake Campground campers for many years. They also take an annual trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. Last season, they got a coveted invitation from the National Park Service to be seasonal campground hosts at the beautiful Many Glacier Campground. They haven’t forgotten their Sawbill roots though, as this picture attests. – Bill

Jan and Grant Friberg representing Sawbill at Glacier National Park.

8/29/14 – Here is the Cook County West End News for 8/28/2014 and 8/21/2014 from WTIP-FM, North Shore Community Radio. – Bill

8/25/14 – Our incredible Sawbill guides, Dave and Amy Freeman, are embarking on another big canoe adventure. They are paddling from Ely, Minnesota to Washington, D.C. This time, they are not only teaching wilderness values as they go, but lobbying for clean water and maintaining the diverse, vibrant economy in northeastern Minnesota.
You can find out much more at: PaddletoDC.org

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single paddle stroke. An enthusiastic crowd encourages Dave and Amy as they paddle petitions (including the canoe itself) from Ely to Washington, D.C.

The portage trail may be rocky, but Dave and Amy will complete their mission to keep the BWCA Wilderness safe.

Amy and Dave in their native habitat.

8/23/14 – There is a research project underway here in Cook County that examines the impact of international workers in the local communities.
Part of the project is a survey of visitors, in which you are welcome to participate.
Former Sawbill crew member, Lee Stewart, started camping at Sawbill with her parents in the 1950s. Her mother, Lizzy Millard, would have been happy to see that her descendants are still camping at Sawbill. – Bill

Lizzy Millard’s descendants, Emily Elizabeth Stewart Thomas, Lee Stewart, Jane Elizabeth Thomas – 60+ years of family tradition and counting.

8/19/14 – Every customer who visits the Sawbill store knows that we have some pretty cool and unique merchandise, but now the Facebook community knows it too! A fan of the Red Cup Living products we sell recently visited the store and was so excited by our stock that she took a picture and sent it to the company. The photo got posted on the Facebook page of Red Cup Living, so now all their fans know where to find us! – Britta

The lovely photo that one of our customers sent in to Red Cup Living.