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

B.E.L. Post # 200

I woke up to another cool, beautiful morning here at basecamp, with the kind of weather that makes you appreciate every moment spent working outside.

I started the day continuing the chop and drop along the street side of the Turtle Berm, putting in about an hour of time building organic matter back into the land. After that, I joined the rest of the crew for the 9 o’clock cleaning blitz, getting the spaces in the Fischer Price house cleaned up and organized.

Once that was wrapped up, I continued processing more of the light gauge scrap metal fencing, then stacked up the logs that were sitting near the shop door and headed over to the Abbey.

At the Abbey, I set another post in place and continued refining the junkpole fence line. I spent some time cutting down more of the remaining junkpole stumps closer to the ground, giving the area a cleaner, more finished appearance. Afterward, I hauled the stumps back to basecamp and added them to my growing stockpile inside the Solarium, knowing they’ll find a purpose in future lol.

The rest of the day has been spent slowing down a bit — reading, journaling, and reflecting on the work, the lessons, and the journey.

This evening I’ll be starting my Farm Safety and First Aid certification course through the Oregon State University as another step toward continued self-development and building the skills needed for the path ahead.

Another day of learning, building, and becoming a little more capable than I was yesterday. 🌱

B.E.L. Post # 201

This morning started with the crew spreading out across basecamp and putting in some solid time with chop and drop. Jesse and I continued working along the turtle berm, helping shape the landscape while turning back the overgrowth into future soil. Meanwhile, Melissa and Leo were working their way around the red cabin area, giving that space some attention as well.

I also spent some time cleaning up and processing the woody bits that had collected near the shop door — turning the leftovers into useful resources instead of letting them go to waste.

After lunch, we all made our way over to the Abbey and shifted gears back into junkpole fencing mode. Another day of processing materials, building with what the land provides, and slowly transforming the spaces around us one project at a time.

The rhythm of the land continues. 🌱

B.E.L. Post # 202

This morning after our crew meeting, we got the day rolling with a solid mix of tending the land and building momentum on ongoing projects.

I tasked Leo and Melissa with irrigating the garlic patch and the trees along the berm at Far Arrakis, followed up with some good old chop and drop to continue building fertility and supporting the landscape. While they were carrying out those tasks, Jesse and I continued the chop and drop along the streetside of the Turtle Berm, turning overgrown biomass into future soil.

During that time, I also set up sprinklers at Lightning Hill to keep things moving with the watering rotation. At 11 AM, we switched gears and I continued working on the final hugel step for the grape plant project, bringing that piece closer to completion.

After lunch, we all headed over to the Abbey. Jesse and Melissa took on irrigation and chop and drop duties while Leo and I continued framing up our junkpole panel sections. Slowly but surely, the pieces are coming together — transforming raw materials into functional structures while continuing to nurture the land around us.

Another day of building, growing, and learning with the landscape. 🌱

B.E.L. Post # 203

Today was another full day of building, growing, and moving projects forward here at Wheaton Labs.

The morning started with Leo heading over to the Abbey with Stephen to continue working on the wing walls. Meanwhile, Melissa, Jesse, and I stayed behind at Basecamp. I tasked Jesse and Melissa with laying mulch rings around the baby trees, giving them some much-needed support as they continue getting established.

While they were tending to the trees, I continued the chop and drop work along the streetside of the Turtle Berm — and today I finally completed that section! 🌱 After wrapping that up, I hopped over to setting a sprinkler at the Optimus Prime Berm and made a recycling run to keep things flowing.

After lunch, we all headed over to the Abbey to continue the usual mix of projects: junkpole fencing, irrigation, and more chop and drop.

A big milestone for me today was with the six-panel section of junkpole fencing I've been working on solo. After a lot of harvesting and preparation, I finally gathered the 18 ten-foot horizontal supports I needed to move forward. Tomorrow the next phase begins — notching them and fastening them into place.

Slowly but surely, these little pieces of work are becoming part of something much bigger. One post, one tree, one fence panel, and one handful of mulch at a time. 🌲

B.E.L. Post # 204

This morning the Boot Crew and I headed over to the shop and loaded up the Maverick with all the necessary tools and equipment for the first half of the day. Once everything was packed up and ready to go, we made our way over to the Abbey to continue making progress on our projects.

Once we arrived, I split everyone up with their tasks for the morning. Jesse continued mulching the trees with a nice thick layer to help build soil, retain moisture, and support their growth. Melissa focused on soil probing and irrigating where needed, making sure the trees and plants were getting the attention they needed. Leo continued framing the three panels of junkpole fencing in his section, while I worked on framing the six panels in my section.

Luckily, I already had a nice pile of freshly harvested horizontal poles stacked and ready to go, so I was able to stay focused on measuring, notching, and fastening. By lunchtime, I had all the lower horizontal pieces of my fencing section installed and secured.

After lunch, we switched gears and headed over to Lightning Hill. I tasked Jesse with continuing the mulching around the trees, while Leo and Melissa worked together laying down another thick layer of mulch between the two powerline signs that Harry and I built.

While they were working on that, I went over to Optimus Prime and finished setting in the last hugel step by the grape plant. After that, I started doing some chop and drop along the junkpole fencing by the drive, continuing to build organic matter and improve the area.

Before switching tasks again, I gave Leo and Melissa directions for their next project: building a pure roundwood firewood rack at the bermshed. Leo is running point on that build, so it will be a great opportunity for him to take ownership and lead the project.

Once they had everything they needed, Jesse and I headed back to the Abbey. Jesse continued her mulching work while I returned to my section of fencing. I was able to fasten four out of the six top horizontal pieces, bringing the junkpole fencing another step closer to completion.

Another solid day of teamwork, building with natural materials, improving the land, and continuing to turn ideas into reality. 🌱