Many hands, make light the work

Many hands make light the work

I’m learning to manage my expectations.  Somehow, at my age and life experience I’d expect to be better at this.  However, as life usually does, it teaches me that with less expectation comes less disappointment.

I headed up the advance team of one, and embarked Friday morning with the expectation that I would survey the grove of trees we would be working in.  I wanted to identify and mark trees to be cut and the path by which they would be removed.  I drove about halfway down the forest road only to discover neighbors had placed a sign and ribbon barrier across the road indicating that the road was too wet and soft to proceed with a full sized vehicle.  I found this good news on two fronts.  One, a large amount of water on the road meant a lot of snow melt!  Two, it was very pleasing to think that the people who owned land in the area took great care of the roads.  After unloading the ATV, and loading all the gear, the train was ready to leave the station.  When I reached the place where I got the truck stuck last time, it was obvious that the snow melt had not been as impressive as I had hoped.  It was the end of the line for the ATV trailer, and several trips would be needed to pack in the gear with the smaller, lighter garden trailer.

Within thirty feet of traversing the driveway, it was also apparent that the shovels would once again come in handy.  The ruts from the previous trip had deepened to the point that the ATV high centered almost immediately. Another four hours of shoveling the worst parts of the trail, and a few trips, I was setting up camp.

Another breathtaking evening of stargazing followed, along with a warm & restful nights sleep in a -20° sleeping bag, inside of a sleeping bag, inside of a sleeping bag, on top of an air mattress… lessons had been learned.

Saturday morning brought with it a clear blue sky and great weather, as well as the rest of our crew!  We were joined by my sister and her husband, my brother and two of his sons, and my war wife and best bud.  With two ATV’s, five chainsaws, and a cooler full of Katie’s cooking, we were set for a great day.

Once everyone was packed into camp, the work was divided, and the woods became a flurry of activity.  The boys, Josh and Ben, began by clearing the path to where we would cut wood.  My brother Paul and friend Sean, quickly began to fell trees that had been tagged, removing branches, and cutting logs to a predetermined length.  While my brother-in-law Dean and I devised a plan to haul the logs from the woods to the staging area, Katie and my sister Jeanne began to clear brush and small trees from the campsite.

Using a block & tackle, and 400′ rope, we were able to use the ATV to pull the heavy logs up a hill to a point where Dean could hook to them directly. He would then drag the logs down the other side of the hill to the staging area, to be hoisted onto the pile by good old fashion back power.  Josh helped immensely by shoveling the path for the ATV, this allowed Dean to drag the logs further and more efficiently.  As the first of the logs lay in it’s temporary “drying” place, Katie was standing by with her draw knife ready to start stripping the bark.  By the end of the day someone asked if they made a “gas powered draw knife”…  Engineering challenge accepted!

By mid-day, both the boys (wearing tennis shoes), asked if they could build a fire to help dry our their feet. I pointed to a location, and went back to work.  Not twenty minutes later, I observed a pile of brush and wood that eclipsed three feet high, and close to eight feet in diameter.  Inside, I smiled.  It’s good for boys to be boys.  Later as we broke for an awesome worksite lunch, I saw the boys labor in vein to light the fire with cardboard… As evident by the blast wave, everyone in camp knew Uncle John stepped in with the gas can to help out (semi-safely).  After the fire was started, I remarked to Katie, that I should have told the boys to build the fire inside the old (in disrepair) plywood outhouse nearby.  After work had resumed for a while, I emerged from the woods to find Josh had taken the initiative to deconstruct the building and dispose of it in the fire.  Just a healthy reminder that kids always have their ears on… well, unless you’re calling them to clean their room.

Work continued through the afternoon and as we approached supper time, I gave the call to pack things up, and get ready to head for town.  Paul and the boys were heading all the way home, and the rest of us were to lodge in Jeanne & Deans RV by the shores of Lake Superior.  We left our ATV and tools on site, as we would need them the next day, and all made the long trek up the forest road to the trucks.

Upon returning to the RV, donning dry socks, and cleaning up a bit, Jeanne, Dean, Sean, Katie and myself decided to head to Carmodys 61 in Two Harbors for a well deserved dinner, drinks, and conversation.  After, it didn’t take long for Jeanne and Dean to announce they were headed for some shuteye.  It was then that I had learned that they had been up the entire previous night, readying the RV and gear for the trip up.  That’s how awesome my family is… they busted their butts all day, after getting no sleep!  After leaving dinner, we made a quick stop at the local “we carry a bit of everything store” for some evening entertainment – a cribbage board.  We had neglected to pack one, a mistake that will not be repeated.  Well, the “we carry a bit of everything store” didn’t… so we settled for UNO instead of Cribbage.  Dean also grabbed a fist full of last minute “supplies” as he called called them – (Americas favorite salted nut roll), which would make a fine pre-breakfast snack in his estimation. Katie and Sean and I sat by the small RV table slinging cards and laughs until we were too tired to continue.  What an great end to an awesome day.

With dawns early light, came the stiff and sore joints earned during the previous day’s work, and I’m not talking just about me… I think everyone was moving a bit slower.  Dean and Jeanne fired up the RV stove, and Katie and I set to work making fresh eggs, sausage, and toast for everyone for breakfast.  After a little cleanup, we loaded up and headed back to the land.

We walked the road leading to the property at a pace that allowed us to take in the scenery.  When there is much work to be done, it’s good to remember why we’re up there in the first place.  When we got to the driveway, we walked right past it, and headed to the top of fire tower hill.  We took in the view, as well as spotting more wolf tracks in the snow!  We spent the rest of the morning exploring the property while Jeanne took photos with her “fancy” camera (see the slide show below).  Dean found it interesting to look for bugs under the bark of a fallen pine, and Katie was busy looking for signs that wild flowers were starting to emerge.  I think that’s why I’m so excited to have this place, no matter what the age, a person can reconnect with the natural curiosity of childhood without the constant pull of the world dragging us back to “stuff”.

All good things must end.  Rather than accomplish any work, we just packed up our gear and headed back.  I was more than happy with the accomplishments of the weekend.  We have to prioritize in life.  I think a priority to spend at least part of every weekend relaxing or enjoying our unfinished dream will result in the kind of memories that will carry our spirits high through the hard times in life.  In reflection, it was an ideal weekend.  We had time with friends and family, bonding over work that they choose to participate in.  I made new connections, meeting neighbors on the road.  Discovered that Katie’s heart and patience with me seem to be unending.  I learned yet more planning needs to be done ahead of time, but more so, that we do well making the best of things.

As part of our “prioritization”, Katie and I have agreed that for each weekend we invite people to help or have fun, that we spend one weekend just the two of us.  Our priority to each other is number one, and I can’t think of a better way to show it than stranding ourselves in the middle of our property for days at a time, away from the distractions of daily life. Our little project also gives us things to talk about between each trip.  Determining how and what will be done, where things will go, and when they will be done, might seem like a daunting task, but it lends an excitement to lives.  We get to create together, and what comes of it, will truly be ours.

Our next trip will be on a four day weekend!!! We have much to prepare, and much to do before we go.  I’m already excited to re-explore our land without the blanket of snow that covers everything, but I’m decidedly less excited about the bugs the snow has kept away.

Cheers!

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