!! 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.