First sauna was first built in the summer of 1993. Pertti Jokela, Herm Steingruber and Berni Leippi plus a many others help put it together. This was in the camp site. Later it was move down the beach and that where it stayed for the past 10 years. Good sweats, dips in the lake and much fun.
Each year it was rebuilt. Herm did more interesting designs each year. A Door, then sky lights. Pertti did a better and stronger stove each time. May day weekend was the time to build it and september bring it down.
some times there were over 12 people helping. All great times.
The sauna was left up in the fall of 2003. the winter storm wipe it out.
Luckily a few peices survived. the stove, the sign Diane made and the odd lumber.
Good to see the younger ones are taking an interest in this wonderul insitution. Many a day after sailing the heat from the sauna help sore muscles and made for a sound sleep.
what design can some one come up with next year for the sauna.?
Happy sailing and good sauna sweats for the years ahead.
Cheers, Diane Saunders and pertti Jokela

yup, and don't forget those tree planters who created the first rock-heat sauna there, (I believe even before the stump and frame/tarp unit) which at that time was made of wood pilings for walls, round wooden slabs for seats, very neat roofstructure of bent logs and branches (the woodwork was really quite phenomenal!!!) covered with poly, then rocks and sand, very nice as well if not as hot as the next generation as hot rocks were carried from the bonfire into the sauna with sticks and then doused with water. I will scan my photos of a picture of THAT one too.

And, for those wondering how the sauna suddenly re-appeared several weeks ago…

Much thanks to Ian and Jeff and everybody else who helped them (sorry, I don’t know your names) for the latest version & supplying materials and time. I think I speak for all of us who enjoy it regularly!

Sadly, the sauna will probably disappear this weekend to undergo some winter renovations. The new and improved version will be back next spring/summer perhaps with some added style and a special Herm-donated feature.

If anybody is around Nitinat this weekend, some help is needed dismantling and moving the sauna… the more people involved, the easier it’ll be.

Thanks again,

Lkg

But please, please don't remove until after Saturday night . . .

why not leave it there until the sun's gone? This weekend doesn't look very good, but the weekend of the 24th might be ok for light winds. This is the time of year it is nicest to use the sauna! Last year we lucked out and got to sail in the first week of October...

The sauna used to go up on the May long weekend when you really needed the warmth. By the end of summer the welds and metal on the stove were allowing lots of unwanted smoke into the sauna. We really didn't want anyone doing themselves any harm especially when using the brackish salt water and the fumes coming from it. Knowing about all the winter storms coming...... We used to organize a "potluck and last sauna" for the second or third weekend in Sept. We would take the sauna apart carefully saving the materials. We would take things like the stove, Sauna door and it's frame back home for reconditioning. The sauna door "wintered in my heated workshop" more than once.
Many thanks to Herm and Pierti for all their work .........and all that wood cutting! Ole Herm just had to keep himself busy making things fancy for everyone, like nailing lots of shingles making the sauna more of a chore to remove. I really liked and used the sauna a lot, and my part was always to help organize the September dismantling many years. The Sauna was great and so was the Sept Potluck because we knew we had everthing safely stowed away for the next year.
TomS

As another season is gone at Nitinat and the beach is empty. The sauna has safely been dismantled and is in storage for the winter. A special thanks to Lindz, Scott and Christen, who drove to Nitinat to help take it down and load it on the truck. Scott even got a brief ride on his 16m as the sun was beaming across the lake that day. Untill next spring, all and every idea to improved the sauna would sure help,..........Got any? Ian Wilkins