Sawbill/Cherokee, Covid-19, Bucket List, Solo Loop
by fishonfishoff
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
05/29/2020
Entry & Exit Point:
Sawbill Lake (EP 38)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
1
Trip Introduction:
Every other year, our core group of guys head to the BWCA/Quetico area and have great loop trip adventures. Last winter we decided we are instead going to do a September trip to Maine to canoe the St Croix River. This will be fun but I still love the BWCA area trips.
With the Covid-19 pandemic my work schedule went "wacko". I've had a bucket list solo trip on the agenda for years and since I'm north of 60 years old, my time to do get this done is getting narrower. I found a window of opportunity at the end of May/beginning of June that could work. Some fast scrambling found me booking a reservation for Sawbill Lake so I could do the Cherokee Loop trip. After some debating, I decided on renting a Prism from Sawbill Outfitters.
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (23 messages)
Day 1 of 8
Friday, May 29, 2020 Friday, May 29, 2020 First things first- I apologize for my writing skills, I'm just an average man! 
Talking with Sawbill, I was very impressed with their Covid-19 plan in place. My normal waking time is 4:15 Ohio time (5:15 MN time). Knowing this, they let me have the Prism as long as I didn't use it until tomorrow. this would allow me an early start before Sawbill opens and hopefully a lake which is very calm. Leeches were bought and put into my Gatorade Leech Locker. 
My sleeping arragments for the night was the Honda in the Sawbill parking lot.
I left my home in Ohio for the 13-14 hour trip to Sawbill Outfitters. Everything went smooth until................................my GPS took me to Caribou Trail East of Tofte instead of Sawbill Trail in Tofte. After some miles on Caribou, it told me to turn left on Rice Lake Road for like 8-10 miles, big mistake. The "road" was more like a snowmobile trail in the woods which was not a good experience for my wife's Honda CRV. I did make it to Sawbill Outfitters but there was times I didn't think I was going to make it!
Donate - BWCA.com