Gathering Wood

August 25th (Tuesday) 

It was cloudy in the morning, but it looked like it might remain dry.  We grabbed our chainsaw stuff and headed out in our truck.  We drove out through the town of Martin Valley and out along the logging roads that go into the back area by Twin Lakes.  We had only been out there once before, and that was back in the spring when there was still snow on the ground when we helped Ken, the Wharfinger, get wood for his place.  This time we were on the hunt for wood for our place.  My how things have changed for us here.  

When we had gone out with Ken we had been stopped by the snow just before the end of the first lake, so when we got out past that point it was new exploring for us.  Although part of us wanted to just go exploring, we also had a perfect day for gathering wood, so when we found a good tree we stopped and got to work.  

The first tree that we found was a beautiful, old wind-fallen cedar tree.  When we got to work with the chainsaw we found out that it was a yellow cedar tree, our favourite kind of firewood tree.  

Jason worked with the chainsaw to limb the tree and cut it into rounds, while I worked at carrying the rounds to the truck and loading it up.  Of course our “truck” is not really a truck but a Ford Explorer, so we had the back seats folded down and a tarp inside. 

As we worked our way down the tree the rounds got bigger and bigger until at the very base they were bigger than our chainsaw bar, and because of how the tree had fallen on the ground Jason could only cut from one side.  The last piece got cut and then Jason had to kick it free to break it away from where the blade had been unable to cut. 

They were big, heavy pieces to carry out of the brush, but surprisingly light considering their size.  We got two and a half truckloads from the one tree, and on the third load we topped it up with some other pieces of wood that we had found. 

We were surprised by how many berries there were out in the brush of the overgrown clear-cuts.  We found red huckleberries, blueberries, and salal berries; all were big and juicy, although a little watery, probably because we had gotten so much rain.  We enjoyed the juicy berries as we worked.  

As we drove back and forth along the logging road with our three loads of wood we saw piles of berry-filled bear pooh everywhere.  On one of the drives back into town we saw a beautiful, big black bear on the road up ahead.  He stopped and looked at us, and then ran on ahead until he found a spot to turn into the bush and disappear.  

On another one of our drives we saw a beautiful hawk.  It had red tail feathers and was eating something on the top of a post beside the road.  It stopped to watch us as we stopped to watch it, and it did not fly away as we crept past.  

And, on one of our drives we also saw a cute, tiny shrew run across the road in front of us.