“The only thing that leftists really control in this country, when it comes down to it, is an army of activists that identify themselves by their mental illness.”
Nick Freitas, via Facebook,
addressing comments made by the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota
(“To ICE: Get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”)
If I was gonna get any woodswork done yesterday, I wanted to beat the rain. Showers, along with the potential for storms and 30mph winds, were in the forecast, and although temps would remain mild, wrapping up before weather arrived seemed like the smart play.
I’ve been spending most of my time on the east slope lately. Absent from my firewood-foraging circuit has been the high ground between the cabin and the summit — The Mountain’s western flanks, which have significant exposure to the strongest winds we get.
Theoretically, that area should be the gift that keeps on giving. (It certainly paid off last year.) I pointed the Ranger in that direction Thursday morning to see if recent blows had put anything on the ground.
This long has been my favorite part of The Mountain. After the cabin site was chosen and development began there, this was the first remote access I created.
I love the higher perspective on Hall Mountain to the south, especially during late fall and these winter months.
It quickly became apparent yesterday that I was right about windfall. The exercise turned into an illustration of how best to collect a lot of firewood-to-be with very little effort.
I spotted dozens of small trees and large limbs down within 20 yards of the trail, on both sides. Twice, windfall blocked the trail itself (pictured).
There was so much of it that I could afford to be choosy about what to take and what to leave. The fallen hickory in the photo above was a no-brainer — 20 feet of trunk yielded 16 stove lengths, from wrist-sized to half-nighters.
I would’ve cut more than I did, but I started with a half-spent 4Ah 20V battery and had forgotten to bring along a spare. I expect to return today, Friday, and truck out more.
Before unloading at the wood yard, I picked up my splitting ax and finished the job begun Wednesday with the Wood Grenade wedge. That one fat round ultimately produced 11 good-sized stove lengths, which went straight onto the stack.
Adding what I’d just retrieved from the high ground brought 2026-2027 pallet #5 to over one-third full.
I’m pretty happy about that.
Okay, maybe that’s not the “best” way to gather wood to heat the cabin, but it’s an example of how I go about it. Given my abilities and the resources I have at-hand, it sure works for me.
The first raindrops dotted the Ranger’s windshield as I rolled it back into the shed around 11am. Perfect timing.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable