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

Hmm, is there a theory behind putting the brush pile on the stump?

Coydon Wallham wrote:Hmm, is there a theory behind putting the brush pile on the stump?

Good question and yes there is ... by putting a brush pile on a stump, it helps it break down faster. The brush holds moisture and shade, which fungi and microbes love, and they move from the brush into the stump and roots. Over time that turns the stump into soil instead of a hard obstacle.

It also catches water, builds organic matter right in place, and provides habitat, so you’re stacking functions instead of hauling or burning material. Very hugel-adjacent thinking.

B.E.L. Post # 78

After the morning meeting, I got right into processing materials — 6 crates of woody bits total, with 3 crates being strictly bark, plus one crate of cardboard knocked out. Felt good to get that flow going early.

Then I headed up to the Abbey and fell 6 more trees for future horizontal junkpole pieces. Before rolling back to basecamp, I topped off the green work rig with gas — small things that keep the momentum smooth.

After lunch, it was back to the Abbey to continue framing out the fencing. The horizontal pieces are still staged near the tipi site for now, but instead of hauling them today, I shifted gears into some woodland care. Harvested a few trees right along the fencing rebuild line that’ll become horizontals — saving steps and keeping the work local. I’ll restage the tipi-site materials tomorrow.

As I was wrapping up, I got a pretty special send-off: a moose standing about 100 feet from the main gate. No photo (of course 😅), but definitely one of those moments you just stop and appreciate.

Closed out the day a little slower, spending time playing with my dog — a good balance to a solid, productive day.

B.E.L. Post # 79

Today was another solid “chip away at it” kind of day.

For the first half of the day I focused on the turtle berm. I added more wood matter on top, and kept the flow going by processing more woody bits and cardboard. It’s one of those tasks that doesn’t always look dramatic in the moment, but you can feel the berm getting more built out and intentional as the layers stack up. I also knocked out a small task for Paul in the middle of all that.

Second half of the day I headed over to the Abbey and kept working on the junkpole fencing. It’s definitely a slow-but-steady project, but it’s coming together — one panel at a time. Every little framing section finished, makes the whole thing look more “real” and less like a pile of poles waiting for a purpose.

Not flashy work today, but very satisfying ...

B.E.L. Post # 80

After the morning meeting, I spent some time giving three chainsaws some much-needed TLC — a little maintenance goes a long way, and it felt good getting them all running smooth again.

From there I got back on the turtle berm and continued building it up, then knocked out two crates of woody bits for processing.

After lunch I headed over to the Abbey and kept pushing forward on the fencing project. I’m officially in the home stretch now — I’ve got about 2.5 panels left to frame before I can start putting in the junkpoles.

Slow, steady progress… but it’s coming together nicely. 💪