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

B.E.L. Post # 70

After the morning meeting, I headed over to the Abbey and wrapped up the section of junkpoles I’ve been working on. It felt good to bring that piece to a clean stopping point, and come this Monday I’ll finally be starting on the last section of the completely down panels — a milestone I’ve been looking forward to.

Back at basecamp, I installed the last wooden delivery sign, which tied that project up nicely. I also spent some time doing a bit of beautification on the rock face, which turned into pulling out an additional four 5-gallon buckets of material. I wrapped up the day by sharpening one of the chainsaws, setting things up well for the work ahead.

Today was a much gentler pace, and honestly, it felt right.

I slept in a bit this morning and took the time to enjoy some slow moments—playing with the cats and easing into the day instead of jumping straight into boot stuff. Later on, I filled up one of the work rigs with gas so it’s ready to go when needed.

The rest of the day was intentionally low-key. I spent time with my dog, did some reading, journaling, and gave myself space to rest and reset. Not every day here is about moving logs or running tools—today was about recovery, reflection, and keeping the mind and body balanced so I can show up strong for the days ahead.

Grateful for the quiet moments and the chance to slow down.

B.E.L. Post # 71

After this morning’s cleaning blitz, the pace of the day settled into a nice, steady rhythm. I processed one crate’s worth of woody bits and topped off the gas on one of the work rigs, taking care of a few practical odds and ends around basecamp.

Later on, Samantha showed me the basics of knitting, which was a fun change of pace and a good reminder that learning here comes in many forms. I also spent some time watching "The Wicked" and made solid progress on my online permaculture design course. Overall, it was a balanced day—some hands-on work, some learning, and some well-earned downtime.

Yesterday 01/19/2026

After the morning meeting, I spent the first part of the day processing 5 crates worth of woody bits and 1 crate worth of cardboard, then hauled everything over to the Fisher Price house. I also took some time to service a chainsaw, making sure it was ready for more work ahead.

Later, I worked on adding soil from my beautification project on top of the turtle berm, slowly building it up and shaping it a bit more.

For the second half of the day at the Abbey, I was back on the last section of junkpoles. I managed to get one vertical post set, with many more still to go, but it felt good to keep making steady progress on this final stretch.

B.E L. Post # 72

After the morning meeting, I headed to the shop and processed four more crates of woody bits, along with some additional cardboard. After that, I serviced another chainsaw and then made my way up near Raspberry Rock, where I took care of two trees that had fallen across the path.

I bucked both trees and laid the logs on top of the turtle berm to continue increasing its height. The plan is to add soil from the beautification project on top of the wood as well, helping build it up over time.

For the second half of the day, I focused on rebuilding the junkpole fencing and added two more vertical posts to that section. Steady progress, one post at a time.

Feeling good about the momentum today and how these projects are slowly coming together.

Hey Esteban, what does "processing woody bits" mean?  Where is the wood coming from that you're processing?  It seems you're making them into short chunks. I thought J tubes liked longer pieces?  Curious mind wants to know :)

B.E.L. Post # 73

After the morning meeting, I headed over to the Fischer Price house and topped off the cardboard burnables bin, then brought up a few more crates of woody bits to keep things moving along there.

The rest of the day was spent up at the Abbey, where I made solid progress digging out nearly all of the vertical post holes — only one left to go. The auger definitely earned its keep today. The ground was frozen solid, which made for slow going, and I kept running into plenty of roots along the way. Challenging work, but satisfying to see the progress despite the conditions.

I wrapped up the day on a nourishing note by making some mashed sunchokes — always nice to end a hard workday with something hearty and homegrown.

Grateful for another full day of steady progress and persistence. 🌿💪

Mike Haasl wrote:Hey Esteban, what does "processing woody bits" mean?  Where is the wood coming from that you're processing?  It seems you're making them into short chunks. I thought J tubes liked longer pieces?  Curious mind wants to know

Hey Mike 🙂 thanks for asking, and I appreciate you taking the time to look closely.

When I say “processing woody bits,” I’m really just talking about gathering what’s available nearby, cutting it down to usable sizes, and staging it in crates. Most of the wood is coming from around the Fischer Price house — fallen sticks, offcuts from cutting junkpoles by the drive down to 10', and short scrap pieces from the shop that were already under a foot long.

On the J-tube side, I’m still very much learning, so please take this as my current understanding rather than a hard opinion. My impression so far is that J-tubes tend to do better with shorter pieces fed vertically, which is why I’ve been cutting things down into that 4–6" range. My goal was mainly to avoid bridging and keep airflow consistent, not to claim nor leave an impression that this is “the right way.”

If you’re seeing something different or have suggestions on sizing or feeding, I’d genuinely love to hear it — I know you’ve got a lot more experience with rocket heaters than I do. Thanks again for the curiosity and for sharing your knowledge ...