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

B.E.L. Post # 63

After the morning blitz, I loaded up the other work rig with a chainsaw, hatchet, and a handful of batteries. Made a quick pit stop at the gas station to top the rig off, then headed over to the laboratory.

Once there, I got to work delimbing four fallen live trees, taking the time to make sure everything was lifted cleanly off the ground before calling it good. Solid, straightforward progress that’ll make future work much easier.

Wrapped up my off-boot day the best way possible—snuggling with my fur baby and spending some quiet time journaling. A good balance of getting things done and ending the day grounded and grateful 🌱

Yesterday’s Log ( 01/05/2026 )

I spent the first half of my day at the Abbey, focusing on the junkpole fencing. I finished installing the horizontals on one section, bringing that area to a total of four completed framing panels. The next step there will be placing the junkpoles themselves.

After wrapping up at the Abbey, I shifted gears to several support tasks. I processed cardboard, three full crates worth of woody bits,  performed maintenance on one of the chainsaws, and worked on the wooden signs.

Later in the day, I headed back to the Abbey to finish strong. I worked on a fallen tree, split firewood, and stacked it at the woodshed by the tipi site.

A solid, productive day with steady progress across multiple projects.

Hi Esteban, I fleshed out my idea a bit better for easier junk pole fence options.  It might be neat to try a few experimental sections somewhere, put a trail camera on them, and see if they work...   Shorty Junker ideas

HI Esteban,    thank you for sharing with us your daily life up there in Montana.... I always look forward each night to read about your daily work and learning journey and the pics , esp. the fluffy 'commander' your super smart pup.  
so how much does the bootcamp cost new students ? is this a year long or longer program? am curious how it works...
I assume  its pretty tough up there esp. in winter,  well thank you!!! for sharing , its great to see how things are done up there,  follow your  progress and adventures,    sending you , your pup and the whole crew / group much Loving Light energies...  aranka from So Oregon coast

Yesterday's Log ( 01/06/2026)

After the morning meeting, I headed over to the Abbey and got some solid progress in. I was able to thread 3 out of the 4 junkpole panels in the section I’ve been working on, which felt good to see taking shape before breaking for lunch.

In the afternoon, I shifted gears at the shop. I cleaned out a good amount of ash from the RMH using the specialized shop vac, gave another chainsaw some much-needed maintenance, and spent time working on the wooden signs.

I wrapped up the day by reinstalling the turtle lot sign. The chosen area turned out to be more rock than soil, so I adapted and set it up as a small rock jack instead. It’s solid and functional for now—just needs a shelf and some added rocks to finish it off.

A productive day with a nice mix of building, maintenance, and adapting to what the land offered.