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

Yesterday (02/25/2026) was a good, steady push forward.

Headed up to the Abbey in the morning, fed the cats, and hauled down more woody bits for the future berm project. I’m slowly building up a decent pile — feels good knowing that future earthworks are already in motion piece by piece.

Back at Basecamp, I spent some time on the turtle berm, shaping and stacking as materials allowed. After that, I repaired the leg on the rock jack that snapped the other day — reinforced it and got it standing solid again. We’ll see how it behaves under load, but it’s back in action.

I also framed up the second-to-last junkpole fencing panel along the drive and started threading the poles into place. It’s satisfying seeing that line come together. Just about there now.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Esteban. Are you the only boot at the moment? Or are there others who don't post on Permies?

Yes ma’am 😊

For the past two months I’ve been the only boot on site. High Commander Stephen has been holding down his realm elsewhere, and we’ve got a new boot, Harry, arriving shortly.

So reinforcements are on the way — but for now, it’s been a one-boot show out here.

B.E.L. Post # 97

Today started with processing some woody bits and cardboard for the Fischer Price house. Getting those materials sorted and ready felt like a good way to kick off the morning.

After that I headed over to the Abbey to feed the cats. While I was there, I loaded up one large junkpole that looked perfect for a horizontal piece I needed for the junkpole fencing at basecamp.

Back at basecamp, I got right back to work on the panel I had started the day prior. I focused on finishing that section and managed to complete it just before lunch.

After lunch, I went straight to work on the final panel along the drive. I framed it out first and then ran the junkpoles in place. With that finished, the junkpole fencing along the drive is now officially complete.

Once the fence was done, I tidied up the driveway area by removing the leftover woody bits from the repair and rebuild work.

Later in the afternoon, I spent some time working on the turtle berm, and then wrapped up the day by straightening up some of the pieces from the fallen paddock.

B.E.L. Post # 98

Today started with the usual trip to the Abbey to take care of the cats. While I was there, I loaded up Roy with a pile of greeny bits from recently harvested junkpoles so I could haul them back to basecamp for future use.

Once back at basecamp, I spent some time working on the turtle berm and managed to extend it by about four more feet. It’s slowly but surely growing into shape.

After that, I processed some woody bits and cardboard for the Fischer Price house. I also brought up a garbage can full of sawdust from the shop and added it to the steel drum behind the Fischer Price house to help fill it up.

Later in the day I shifted gears and spent some time tidying up Complexity Trail. I gathered up a bunch of fallen junkpoles and staged them into a more centralized pile so they’ll be easier to access for future projects.

B.E.L. Post # 99

Today was a pretty mellow but productive day. I continued tidying up along Complexity Trail, and this time I had Samantha’s boy, Cedar, helping out. We loaded up Roy with a bunch of loose woody bits and also gathered some junkpoles, moving them to a more centralized spot to make future projects easier.

Once Roy was good and full, we hauled the woody bits over to the pile by the Love Shack and unloaded everything there. That felt like a good stopping point for that task for now.

Later on I met up with Harry and helped him move some of his stuff onto Roy. From there we made a bit of a tour around the lab—stopping by the Boneyard, Cooper Cabin, and finally the Abbey.

After that, the rest of the day was pretty relaxed and we wrapped things up just chilling and enjoying the quiet end to the day.

B.E.L. Post # 100

Today started with the usual morning cleaning blitz to get things squared away. After that, Harry and I headed over to the Abbey to feed the cats. While we were there, we gathered up more greeny bits to bring back for the turtle berm project.

Once back at Basecamp, we got right to work continuing the berm. Bit by bit we added the green material and shaped things up, and by the end of the session we were happy to call the turtle berm complete. It’s always satisfying to see a project go from idea to finished form.

Afterwards, I took some time to relax and hang out with little Chapito for a while, enjoying a quieter moment after the work. To top off the day, I got a great surprise with the arrival of my high commander, Stephen, which made for a pretty nice ending to the day.

It's got to feel a lot more "community" with Harry and Stephen there. And super-congratulations on ringing the BEL! Are you interested in sharing your expected timeline for hanging out at Wheaton Labs?

I am glad to see you are three boots now!