I'll give it a grade "A"

On the road again, Saturday evening, the wife, no kids and a robust list of things to do on my mind.  Two thoughts linger and almost haunt me, will my body be able to take the abuse that will come the following day and will the Grand Architect bless me with a decent day to get some work done? 

In spite of the millions upon millions of dollars invested in the most modern radar and computer aided forecasting equipment, the weather cannot be forecasted with anything even remotely resembling accuracy.  When you throw out a forecast that calls for 95% chance of severe thunderstorms, 39 mile/hour wind gusts and 1.34" of rain and all we receive are (2) 15 minute drizzle sessions...It is difficult not to call for them to find another profession!

The good news is there were no overnight storms and there was very little precipitation on Sunday while I slaved away on the property. 

The second area of concern, the abuse of the hard labor and whether I could take it...well, let's just say I'm sore AGAIN! LOL!  Nothing tylenol can't cure temporarily!  I was hoping for help this trip, but my buddy Floatman got wiped out in the middle of the week with a nasty cold and is still on the recover end of things  Feel better Float!  When you feel 100%, I've got a enough things for you to do that you'll feel like crap again when you're done! LOL!

From my previous post, you may recall that I wanted to get quite a bit accomplished.  On this trip, in a span of 6 hours, I was able to get a few of those things checked off the list.  The brick pavers I picked up off Craig's List are now neatly stacked next to fire pit area only a few feet away from their soon to be permanent home.  The deck zone and firepit zone have been brought to a very comfortable leveled gradient.  Because I wanted to know and also enjoy using math in real work situations, I took along two posts, string, a line level and a tape measure.  I sunk both posts into the hillside and then stretched a string tightly between them.  Total span of the string was 18 feet.  Bring the string to level revealed that the downhill post was nearly 2' off the soil.  Now, using what we know...a run of 18 feet and a negative rise of 2', we can figure out the percentage of grade for the spot I was about to work on.  Grade = Rise / Run * 100.   So in this case, the hillside where we wish to place the deck was at a 11.1% grade.  Negative or positive depending on which side of the slope you're standing on!  There's your math lesson for today!  That has changed drastically.  The area isn't perfectly flat, because a downward slope is necessary for drainage, but quite close to it.   

I wasn't able to chop the pile of root balls and trunks into a smaller and more manageable burn lot this time around.  I guess that is a project for the next trip out.  I also didn't have the strength to do anything with the pop up camper zone.  I guess I will use blocks to prop up the down slope side when setting it up for this year's camping season.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that next year my blog posts will be entertaining you with the mechanics of setting up a 20 foot ISBU shipping container (one of two) that will replace the popup's purpose at trout camp.

The idea that I borrowed from the interenet, the one that suggested using a rototiller to level small areas with moderate slope was a good one.  The land fought back hard and rejected my initial attempts to massage the gradient, but with determination and a little muscle...I won the ultimate battle (this time)!

The foliage of the forest is really starting to fill in the voids of the stands of trees.  Life is returning to all of the trees and ground cover and I'm very excited to see the colors as some of the bordering trees have a vibrant red leaf sprouting on them.  

I've included some photos of my work for your viewing pleasure along with a Pittsburgh Steeler's centipede!  I know, I couldn't believe it myself...PHOTOS DON'T LIE! LOL!

Next trip...chop up the wood pile, lay some bricks and/or build the deck?...Hmmm, magic 8 ball says......

Wednesday - - Flagstone P/U Day!

I apologize, blogposts won't always be this mundane and frivilious.  I promise that I will make every attempt to make them content rich!  However, this post had to be made as I'm familiarizing myself with the myriad of email delivery options provided by feedburner and I wanted to be sure that my selections are having the desired effect. 
In the mean time, here's the important blog update:  I will be picking up the flagstone tomorrow! Woo Hoo!  There it is................>>>>>>>>>

Craig's List - What a great site!

If you haven't already discovered the merits of http://www.craigslist.org/ , you're one of the few still out in the dark!  On more than one occasion, it has provided the means to sell items quickly and at decent profit or acquire items at pennies on the dollar (if that much)!  The most notable deal was the purchase of a coleman pop-up camper for $250 (Thanks Mary!).

Today I scored a great Craiglist find for Trout Camp!  Answering a post from a nice gentleman in Solon, I was lucky enough to pick up 150 brick pavers before someone else beat me to them.  I'm not talking about those budget paver bricks readily available at the big box stores, but the old fashioned pavers that were city streets years ago.  Some of them even have bits of asphalt left on them.  They are heavy duty, weighing in at 10#'s each and in a 4" X 8" X 3.5" dimension.  If my calculations are correct, I'm fairly confident (counting dirt "grout" lines) that our fire pit area should have all the coverage it needs once they are put into place.  Please excuse the lame artwork, but I've included a rendering of my intended use of the bricks.  A return trip is planned for Wednesday to retreive enough flagstone for an 8X8' area as well.  Best part of the entire transaction...IT WAS ALL GOTTEN FREE!

Considering the location and amount of natural burnables, a fire pit arrangement as detailed is a more prudent way to enjoy ourselves and greatly reduce the risk of starting a forest fire.  After all, "Only you can prevent forest fires!"

 

What's on the agenda for the next several weeks?

Now that PAOD-2010 (Pennsylvania Opening Day -actually week) has passed, our attention is now directed toward the short list of things to do at trout camp. Focusing on the few immediate tasks that will evolve Trout Camp's terra firma into a "turn key" camping experience when pulling in for a weekend is our top priority.

What needs to be completed?

• Chopping the pile of root balls, stumps and dead wood into a more manageable and burnable lot.
• Improving the grade of the deck, the camper and the fire ring areas.
• Constucting a 12 X 20' elevated deck.
• Constructing a more substantial backstop for the target area of the firing range.

My most pressing concern, when thinking of the projects that need attention, is not overstepping any boundaries when calling in favors. It is very likely that Trout Camp will require the return of my Father's F250 and my buddy's Kubota tractor, but I'm thinking that I'd like to put off another round of "special requests" until we determine that a future endeavor cannot be completed by any other means. So, in the mean time, I've been actively pursuing alternatives.

While surfing the net for DIY'ers cliff notes on the subjects of grading / leveling / surveying hillsides, I came across a forum that suggested the use of a roto-tiller, shovel, non-flexible metal rakes and some muscle to create areas that were on a more comfortable slope.  It was an interesting suggestion and one that I will put to use although I'm not sure whether I'll till the high side and rack the soil downhill to fill or till just below the area to be improved and bring the loose soil up hill to fill to a more respectible grade.  Who knows?  I may use both! I also found some very easy ways of calculating slope and effectively managing the repositioned of soil over a large areas through the use of 5m long stakes, string levels and measuring tools. The good news is we don't have to purchase any of these items and it is just a matter of finding the time to get them up to the mountain and work the soil into submission.

My plans are to borrow a friend's Troybuilt Pony roto-tiller and another friend's mini-trailer to haul it and head out Saturday evening and attempt to get as much of the list completed as possible. My wifey has requested a tag along and I find that I really appreciate how much she enjoys accompanying me. She seems to long for the solitude and quietness that our little slice of ANF Heaven graces us with. I'm finding, even though much of my time there has been spent working hard, that DaJtcha has way about her, something special and almost addictive. I know that the wife and I don't want to leave when the "return to reality of city life" bell tolls.

A cool night, long day and sore to the bone....

It was "Bob the Builder" day at trout camp. I journeyed into camp the evening before just as the sunset and the evening temperatures began to chill. It was eerily quiet, save the hoots from a owl perched far off on a Northern mountain crest. I returned the calls with those of my own and naturally solicited a territorial response. Within 10 minutes the dominant male had made his way within several hundred feet of my own perched position upon the skeet deck. Completely blind because of the blanket of darkness that had settled and depending on only my hearing, I began to wonder..."He can probably see me clear as day and I bet he's wondering what I'm up to with my challenging calls!?" Before I could begin to worry that he may just swoop down and attempt to establish the heirarchy on the hill another call came off in the distance. So now there were three! Lucky for me the two real owls went at it and left me alone. I took the momentarily distraction as a call to scoot out without a scratch and set up camp for the night. I slept well even with the 29 degree temperatures. I was thankful of my decision to pack two sleeping bags and a set of fleece for the night. They kept me relatively warm regardless of how cramped it was laying across the bench seat of my Father's F250.

I awoke at 6:45 and decided to get down to work. The tractor tore through the few stumps that littered the winding road into the head of camp. I tried my best to fill and level the holes left in their removal, but I realize that this may be a job to fool with in future outings. Having 8-10 hours to accomplish a mountain of tasks had my priorites elsewhere.

In this period of time I was able to widened the parking area, rip out 30 tree stumps, back drag and flatten the deck area, the drive way, the parking area, the firepit area and remove several root ball mounds left from the 85 tornado. All in all, I would consider it a very productive day. The next trip may have Jim and I installing a 12 X 20' deck that will serve as a place for him to set up his tent, for us to enjoy good eats and an elevated area to retreat in the event things get wet and we need to get of the ground.

By the way, the stars and planets were so bright that it felt as if I could just reach out and grab them all. I've witnessed many bright starry skies, but this particular night lacked any overcast or clouds and as a consequence the stars were super white bright...a very nice treat to admire on my first overnighter on DaJtcha!

Kubota time...This weekend at Trout Camp

This Sunday, directly following my shift at work, I will be traveling out to Trout Camp with my buddy's Kubota tractor.  Equipped with a backhoe and bucket, I intend on taking a big leap forward on the "to do" list.Our land is nice, but has a couple annoying problems.  In 1985 a F5 tornado blew threw the area and level many of the old trees. See the story here:  1985 F5 Tornado Information   Mother Nature always finds a way to bounce back and this was no exception, however, 7 years later...a careless fire became out of control and climbed from the bottom of the mountain and up to the summit.   It erased a good portion of the regrowth and forced nature to restart once again.  Fast forward to today...the area needs a good scouring of small tree stumps and 4-6" tall tree trunks that have remained from these two incidents.  The goal on this trip is to remove as many of these tripping hazards as possible over the course of a full day of work. Four areas require extra attention:  The 20X12' deck zone, the camper placement area, the parking area and the fire ring.  All of them need to be graded since they are on enough of a decline to cause issues with camp setup and comfort.

While I have the heavy machinery out there, I will also attemtpt to flatten some of the high spots along the access driveway. And, the remaining downed trees will be chained and towed to a staging area for splitting for firewood.

I'd like to thank several individuals that have helped us greatly with their contributions and generosity:

My Father, for use of his F250
My cousin Dave, for use of his HD Trailer
My Buddy Greg, for use of his tractor

Dj

An expensive Wednesday...

Spent most of Wednesday at DaJtcha determined to have her prepped for my return on the 11th. In the process of clearing, pruning, marking, plotting and visualizing the work that I would attempt to blast out with the heavy machinery, I took out (one by one) all the little machines I had brought with me. One after another they fell victim to the land or my abuse. First up was the hand shovel, crow bars they ARE NOT! The wooden handled shorty had been a faithful work horse for me for many years, but the handle would not be able to take the prying I attempted to use it for. Crack! Second up to bat was my 30' tape measure and let's just say that I have a 25.5' tape measure that has retracted into the case like a turtle hiding in its shell. Then came the rake handle. "What's next?" I wondered! Ummm, maybe I shouldn't have wondered so much...the lawn mower was the next to die. This time, it was my fault. I had tried so hard to keep the blade from the multitude of stumps that litter the acreage and everything was going great, but in a mound of leaves...one 2" tree branch lay hidden and waiting to strike. This will be the third mower that has perished as a result of full throttle to full stop. OUCH!!! Thankfully, the rake, the tape measure, the shovel are all replaceable under the craftsman warranty. The lawn mower, unfortunately, is not. It appears that every three years, I make it an expensive habit of destroying the mower and purchasing a new one to replace it.
The good news is with the help of a fluorescent paint can I was able to plot out where I needed to move dirt, remove stumps and grade the property. I believe at the end of this next trip with the back hoe / bucket tractor...the resulting dramatic changes will be evident in photographs that I will post.