!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 255

This morning, Leo, Jesse, and Sam geared up and headed over to the Abbey for fencing-related tasks, while Stephen and I stayed behind at Base Camp to work on the classroom rocket mass heater chimney.

The chimney had been knocked aside during a heavy windstorm a couple of months ago when the steel wire running by the classroom hit it and dislodged it, leaving it lodged on the roof. Stephen and I were able to get it repaired and secured before lunch.

After lunch, Dan and I refilled the two water turtle tanks. We also tested a fire in the classroom to check the chimney connection at the roof. There was no smoke seeping out, but we continued wrapping the seam with some pipe material to help seal it up.

After that, we repaired an uncovered portion of the berm shed where erosion had exposed the lining. We dumped six black buckets of soil over the exposed area and then covered it with some woody bits.

Later on, Sam came over and we did some more chop and drop along with a few other little tasks to finish out the day.

Another productive day at Base Camp! 🌱🛠️

B.E.L. Post # 256

This morning I started by moving out of the Red Cabin and getting it tour-ready for the new Sepper.

Once that was completed, I started working on irrigation at Apricot Alley. I made it all the way to the berm extender in front of the Red Cabin.

After lunch, Sam and I started filling up the turtle water tanks.

Then we headed over to the Abbey, where we split and stacked firewood and worked on the fencing.

Another productive day at Wheaton Labs, with a good variety of work.

B.E.L. Post # 257

I started my morning by sleeping in a little bit. Apparently, Chapito decided I had gotten enough beauty sleep, because he eventually started smacking me in the head with his paw until I got the message. 😂 I guess when you have a dog, the alarm clock is optional—but the snooze button definitely isn’t.

After giving my little alarm clock his much-needed morning walk, I got started with some chainsaw maintenance and a little chop-and-drop. From there, I moved into some earthworks prep.

I brought out a few tractor buckets worth of soil to replenish a pile that I had used up for one of my own little side projects. It was a nice way to get some tractor time in while also putting the soil back to good use. One of these days I might actually stop finding excuses to get on that tractor... but today wasn't that day. 😂

For the rest of the day, I spent my time having fun with the other boots. There's something pretty great about being able to work hard, learn new things, joke around, and just enjoy the day with good people.

All in all, a pretty good day—and apparently Chapito agrees, since he got exactly what he wanted this morning. 😆

Another day in the books at Wheaton Labs. 🌱

B.E.L. Post # 258

I started my morning feeling quite refreshed, which was a nice change of pace. I took a long walk around the lab and spent some time enjoying the scenery before getting the day properly started.

After that, I joined everyone else for the cleaning blitz, which was quite delightful as always. There’s something about getting a bunch of boots together, putting in some work, and seeing everything come together that makes even cleaning feel pretty enjoyable.

Once that was finished, I continued working on a personal project of mine. I’m keeping the details under wraps for now, but it’s something I’m putting together with future boots in mind. Hopefully, when the time comes, it’ll be something that makes their experience here just a little bit better. There’s a certain satisfaction in building something today that someone else will get to enjoy later.

I spent the remainder of the day simply enjoying the company of my fellow boots. We took a hike around the lab, enjoyed the scenery, talked, laughed, and generally made the most of a beautiful day here.

And, of course, I got to spend some quality time with my little Chapito, who seems to believe that wherever I go, he is legally required to come along. 😂

Today wasn’t necessarily about knocking out a huge list of accomplishments. It was more about enjoying the place, the people, the dog, and the opportunity to be here.

Sometimes those are the days you remember the most.