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

B.E.L. Post # 127

After the morning meeting, we launched into the day like a well-organized (and slightly caffeinated) swarm of beavers. The mission: tackle a large fallen tree and convince it to become future lumber.

We hit the shop first, gathering all the necessary tools for delimbing and bucking—aka, turning one big tree into many more manageable, less intimidating pieces. Once we made it to the lab, it was game on. Branches were flying (in a controlled and safety-conscious manner), and the trunk was bucked down to size with sawdust steadily marking our progress like woodland confetti.

With Phase “Tree vs Humans” complete, we pivoted to the pond, wrangled up some cattle fencing, and hauled it over to the Abbey to stage it like pros. Then, to round out the morning, we shifted gears into what I can only describe as extreme landscaping: adding more hay over the seeded berms. Nothing says “land stewardship” quite like carefully tucking in seeds with a cozy blanket of hay.

After lunch, Seth and I split forces at the shop. Seth went full craftsman mode rebuilding a picnic bench (future lunch spot secured), while I handled the noble task of processing scrap woody bits from the sawmill site—aka, turning chaos into slightly more organized chaos. I then wrapped up debarking the two trees that Stephen and I felled yesterday. They’re now officially naked and ready for their next chapter in life.

With that done, Seth hooked up the log carrier to Toots (our trusty steel steed), and we rolled over to the boneyard to stage it for a likely tomorrow’s operation. The plan: Seth will hook it to the tractor and start hauling the big logs over to the sawmill. Big wood is about to meet big destiny.

We capped off the day with a quick trip to the gas station to fuel up Toots—because tomorrow we ride, and Sunday we’re getting reinforcements. Three additional boots will be joining us, which means more hands, more progress, and statistically speaking… more dirt getting played in.

All in all, a solid day of turning trees into timber, fields into future growth, and plans into action. Stay tuned—things are about to get even more logistically exciting.

B.E.L. Post # 128

After the morning meeting, we kicked things into gear and loaded up the RAV4 with everything we thought we’d need for the day—always a bit of a gamble, but today we actually nailed it.

We rolled out to the boneyard, and right as we turned onto the path… boom—nature had left us a gift. A junkpole-sized tree leaning perfectly into our route like it wanted to be noticed. Turns out, it was a blessing in disguise. The diameter and height were just about perfect for a shovel handle to match a head Seth and I had rescued while clearing out the old sawmill structure by Cooper Cabin. And not just that—there was enough there for the two lonely hatchet heads sitting in the shop waiting for their comeback story.

While Seth was getting the log carrier hooked up to the tractor, I went ahead and dropped that tree, delimbed it, and cut a clean 48” section for the future shovel restoration project (this weekend’s “fun” 😏), plus another piece for the hatchets. Loaded those up into the work rig—future tools secured.

Then Melissa and I headed over near the sawmill site where the big fallen tree from yesterday’s group effort was waiting. Once Seth rolled in with the tractor, we got to work staging those hefty logs near the mill, setting things up for future cutting. Always satisfying seeing chaos turn into neat, intentional piles.

Next stop: the pond. We pulled six T-posts out of the ground (a little unplanned treasure hunt), then brought those—plus four more from the bermshed earlier—to the Abbey. There, we started setting up protection for the little apple trees: hammering in T-posts, wrapping cattle fencing into cylinder cones, and tying everything off. Deer defense system: activated.

After lunch, it was back to the Abbey for a bit of deconstruction-meets-reconstruction. We took down the old fort-style fencing and began converting it into the junkpole-style vision that had been brewing. Lots of horizontal pieces going in, slowly transforming the structure into something sturdier, cleaner, and more in line with the original idea.

We kept at it until the end of the day—tools in hand, sawdust in the air, and a solid mix of progress, problem-solving, and a little bit of “hey, that worked better than expected.”

Hi Esteban, spotted something to comment on.  Sorry I only pipe up when things look a touch off, I love all the photos and stories you post :)

For the notch you show in the picture, that's fine for a junkpole.  But if you're cutting an actual tree the general recommendation I go with is for the notch to only go 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the tree.  Also, you don't want to leave that chunk of wood in the back of pac man's mouth cuz it keeps the notch from closing smoothly.  Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!!

B.E.L. Post # 129

After the morning meeting and gearing up, Melissa, Seth, and I set our sights on the Abbey—where the fencing had apparently decided it wanted to cosplay as a frontier fort. 😄 Those sections had a bit too much “defensive stronghold” energy, so we got to work pulling down the junkpole pieces and rethinking the layout.

Of course, no proper fencing adjustment is complete without a little tree felling. We dropped a few well-chosen trees and turned them into much-needed horizontal pieces to bring things back into balance. There’s something deeply satisfying about taking a standing tree and, a short while later, seeing it become part of a functional structure. We kept at it steadily until lunch, making solid progress and dialing back the fortress vibes.

After refueling, we made our way back to the lab, with a quick but important stop at the Dogstar. Final adjustments were in order to get everything just right for the new SEPPer arriving tomorrow—always nice to have things squared away and welcoming for fresh boots on the ground.

From there, we rolled over to the sawmill site and got into log processing mode. Nothing fancy—just good, honest work turning logs into something more useful, one cut at a time. The kind of rhythm that makes the day fly by.

All in all, a day of transforming: forts into fences, trees into building materials, and a pile of logs into future projects. Not a bad way to spend the day. 🌲💪

Mike Haasl wrote:Hi Esteban, spotted something to comment on.  Sorry I only pipe up when things look a touch off, I love all the photos and stories you post

For the notch you show in the picture, that's fine for a junkpole.  But if you're cutting an actual tree the general recommendation I go with is for the notch to only go 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the tree.  Also, you don't want to leave that chunk of wood in the back of pac man's mouth cuz it keeps the notch from closing smoothly.  Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!!

Hey Mike,

I really appreciate you taking the time to chime in—and no need to apologize at all. That kind of input is exactly what helps keep us learning and improving out here, so thank you for that 🙏

That’s a great point about the notch depth and cleaning out the back of the “pac man’s mouth.” Makes total sense about allowing it to close properly and keeping things predictable during the fall. I’ll definitely be keeping that in mind moving forward, especially when we’re working on actual trees versus junkpoles.

And thank you for the kind words about the posts too—it means a lot to know they’re being enjoyed. Always happy to share what we’re up to out here.

Stay well, and I appreciate you helping keep us safe out there ...

B.E.L. Post # 130

This morning, Melissa and I kicked things off by heading over to the Dogstar to get things dialed in for Roger’s arrival. Gave the place some final touches so it felt welcoming and ready, then got the RMH fired up—nothing like that steady, cozy heat to bring a space to life. It’s always a good sign when the fire’s humming and everything just feels right.

After that, I shifted gears (literally, at one point 😄) and started working on rehandling that broken shovel we found earlier near Cooper Cabin. Gotta love giving old tools a second chance instead of sending them off to the great scrapyard in the sky.

Midway through the process, I paused to give Paul a lift to the shop so he could reunite with his magical Prius—which had apparently been receiving some much-needed TLC. Safe to say, that car has seen some things and lived to tell the tale.

Back to the shovel—knocked out the old peened pin, then carefully draw-bored the new wooden handle to get a solid, snug fit. Once everything lined up just right, I reattached the shovel head and gave the handle some wood love to help it stand up to the elements. It’s always satisfying watching a broken tool come back to life, stronger than before.

Plan for tomorrow: sharpen it up, wipe down the metal bits with some linseed oil, and then stage it at the Abbey’s utility shed so it’s ready for action.

B.E.L. Post # 131

Today had a steady, grounded rhythm to it.

I started the morning by slipping into a solid cleaning blitz groove—one of those flows where everything just clicks and you knock things out without overthinking. After getting things dialed in, I filled up two large containers of water to haul out to the sawmill site. I also brought along the shovel I recently gave some love to and dropped it off at the Abbey’s utility shed so it’s ready for its next chapter of work.

When I got to the sawmill site, I noticed four logs that had already been milled. I went ahead and marked them out to buck length in advance—figured it would save time and help keep things moving smoothly for whoever picks up that task next. After that, I gathered up all the scrap cuttings left over from Friday and hauled them back to basecamp.

Back at base, I processed the scraps and stacked the woody bits neatly in the classroom—always satisfying turning what could be clutter into something organized and useful.

Took a little time after that to relax and hang out with my dog, which felt well-earned. Later on, I met the three new folks who arrived today—good energy all around, and it was nice connecting and welcoming them into the space.

Yesterday (04/06/2026) after our morning meeting, we all gathered at the shop, grabbed our tools, and headed out to the lab. From there, we split into two crews. Seth took Caroline, Derek, and Fatty over to the sawmill site, while I teamed up with Rodger and Melissa.

Our crew made our way to the woodshed near the tipi site, where a good pile of logs was already staged and waiting. We got right into the rhythm of bucking, splitting, and stacking. There’s something satisfying about falling into that steady flow—chainsaw, maul, stack… repeat. Once we had everything processed, we hauled the firewood over to the Abbey’s rack and got it neatly stacked up for future use.

After wrapping that up, we headed back and linked up with Seth’s crew. Following lunch, we all shifted gears and made our way to the Abbey to continue working on the junkpole fencing. Progress is really starting to show there.

Later on, Melissa and I broke off and headed to Cooper Cabin to get things ready for a sepper arriving Wednesday. While Melissa worked her magic inside—cleaning, organizing, and bringing that welcoming touch—I stayed outside and got some firewood handled. More bucking and splitting, making sure the cabin would be well-stocked and ready.

Once everything was squared away, we made our way back and rejoined the rest of the crew to close out the day.

Another solid day of teamwork, steady progress, and taking care of the land and spaces that take care of us.