This past weekend, Nick and I made our way out to camp on a mission. Well to be honest, I was on a mission. My son Nick was joining the expedition as part of father-son time. The goal was to complete the remainder of holes for the 6" diameter posts that will support the foundation of the "Thinker's Box".
We arrived in town around midnight with just enough time to use the restroom at the local tavern and say "hi" to Joe. Joe is a staple at this particular establishment and a helluva guy. If he isn't there when you arrive, you'll catch a glimpse of him before you finish your meal and leave. So, we did our pit stop, said our hellos and goodbyes and headed toward the mountain top.
The cool sub-60 degree night air was a welcome relief. The previous two outings night time temperatures and humidity were quite unpleasant. Things were so bad that when Jennifer and I made our way up to camp prior to excavation day and slept in the Mountaineer, running the AC periodically was mandatory. Choosing to crack a window was a mistake because it was so humid and warm that the insects maintained their feeding frenzy in spite of the absence of sunlight. Neither of us slept longer than a 1 hour duration that evening. It sucked! As fall approaches, so does the return of the evening temperature drop. When this occurs, the insects disappear with the humidity and warmth. I look forward to the experience. A crackling fire, a cool backside, a pull over to keep warm when needed, silence of darkness and a sky full of planets, stars, shooting stars, satellites, the milky way and alien spacecraft is what I yearn for when enjoying camp. This trip and this evening provided just about all of that (no UFO's this time)!
Based on the rate in which I was able to jack hammer the holes for the first four posts, I honestly hadn't fathomed that I could actually complete 5 more of them over the course of Sunday morning. I began my burrowing at 7AM sharp. The first location had an enormous rock smack dab in the crosshairs of where the post would be set. Using the spud bar (a steel javelin / spear looking tool) I pried the moss covered stone from the grips of the earth. It was so large that I could only open it from the hole half way before running out of leverage. I decided to place bricks in the hole and raise my pivot point up with some additional rock. This was enough to maintain motion as I rolled the stone from the deep hole and down the hillside to the pile. The first and last holes were the worst, but once the larger stones from the top were removed it was a matter of breaking through the hard clay and smaller gravel to the finished depth. The 3 holes in between the first and last went fairly fast. Because they were capped with top soil and humus, I used the shovel to start and the post hole digger as the cylinder became too deep. The soft clay comprised the majority of the hole and it was the only last 4-6" that became hard packed and more difficult to remove.
In a matter of 3 hours I was able to complete this stage of the foundation. I now have 9 holes that are 10" -12" in diameter and approximately 36" deep prepared for concrete. The work was made easier by the cool morning temperatures, lower humidity and cloud covered sky and sun. By 10AM I was finished. I woke up Nick and we headed to grab a good breakfast at the local diner and it was decided to head home instead of hang out at camp.
I would categorize this visit as one of the most productive and least burdensome of the trips I've taken. I left with a smile!
Here's a video recap of the activities:
The planned structural/architecture of the Thinker's Box is as follows:
We arrived in town around midnight with just enough time to use the restroom at the local tavern and say "hi" to Joe. Joe is a staple at this particular establishment and a helluva guy. If he isn't there when you arrive, you'll catch a glimpse of him before you finish your meal and leave. So, we did our pit stop, said our hellos and goodbyes and headed toward the mountain top.
The cool sub-60 degree night air was a welcome relief. The previous two outings night time temperatures and humidity were quite unpleasant. Things were so bad that when Jennifer and I made our way up to camp prior to excavation day and slept in the Mountaineer, running the AC periodically was mandatory. Choosing to crack a window was a mistake because it was so humid and warm that the insects maintained their feeding frenzy in spite of the absence of sunlight. Neither of us slept longer than a 1 hour duration that evening. It sucked! As fall approaches, so does the return of the evening temperature drop. When this occurs, the insects disappear with the humidity and warmth. I look forward to the experience. A crackling fire, a cool backside, a pull over to keep warm when needed, silence of darkness and a sky full of planets, stars, shooting stars, satellites, the milky way and alien spacecraft is what I yearn for when enjoying camp. This trip and this evening provided just about all of that (no UFO's this time)!
Based on the rate in which I was able to jack hammer the holes for the first four posts, I honestly hadn't fathomed that I could actually complete 5 more of them over the course of Sunday morning. I began my burrowing at 7AM sharp. The first location had an enormous rock smack dab in the crosshairs of where the post would be set. Using the spud bar (a steel javelin / spear looking tool) I pried the moss covered stone from the grips of the earth. It was so large that I could only open it from the hole half way before running out of leverage. I decided to place bricks in the hole and raise my pivot point up with some additional rock. This was enough to maintain motion as I rolled the stone from the deep hole and down the hillside to the pile. The first and last holes were the worst, but once the larger stones from the top were removed it was a matter of breaking through the hard clay and smaller gravel to the finished depth. The 3 holes in between the first and last went fairly fast. Because they were capped with top soil and humus, I used the shovel to start and the post hole digger as the cylinder became too deep. The soft clay comprised the majority of the hole and it was the only last 4-6" that became hard packed and more difficult to remove.
In a matter of 3 hours I was able to complete this stage of the foundation. I now have 9 holes that are 10" -12" in diameter and approximately 36" deep prepared for concrete. The work was made easier by the cool morning temperatures, lower humidity and cloud covered sky and sun. By 10AM I was finished. I woke up Nick and we headed to grab a good breakfast at the local diner and it was decided to head home instead of hang out at camp.
I would categorize this visit as one of the most productive and least burdensome of the trips I've taken. I left with a smile!
Here's a video recap of the activities:
The planned structural/architecture of the Thinker's Box is as follows:
- (Foundation) 9 - 6" OD cedar footers sunk 36" deep in nominal 10" OD holes
- (Beams) 3- parallel runs of double 2X10" spanning a 16' overall length
- (Floor Joists) 12-14' depth comprised of 2X8" joists, 16" OC
- (Flooring) 1.25" repurposed solid wood gymnasium flooring.
- (Wall Framing) 2X4X8', 16" OC
- (Wall Skinning) board & baton 1" wood, THANK YOU GREG!
- (Roof) 2X6X8', 16" OC
- (Roof Decking) 1/2" OSB
- (Roofing) 15" felt, ice barrier & 25yr architectural asphalt shingle
(I'll repost this list at the end of each new submission noting by color what has been completed for progress reference.)
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