Tha-whump! Two Trees Down.

by marjasisu, posted in Camp Many Moons

Now he’s a lumberjack. And a sawyer.

Jeff had the idea of creating the steps to the loft from a local maple. He’s been looking for the right tree for days. Yesterday, the chosen maple came down…all 60 feet of it… along with a hemlock just as tall which was intertwined alongside. Tha-whump! I caught it on video, below.

Thank God he was wearing a hard hat. These big tree take-downs always make me wary. Even though Jeff seems to put them where he wants them, one could take an unexpected turn someday. I stand well-clear and keep one eye on the tree while the other is in my camera.

This woodsy fun is a well-deserved break from ongoing painting of interior walls. (See previous post; update to follow.) The story in pictures below.

A brown winter. Odd. As I write this, I hear Trumpeter swans — not a common sound here in early February — on the bay which now shows areas of open water. Since it’s so mild, Jeff decided it’s a good time to head into the woods to find the maple tree he’s identified for take-down. {Interesting fact: Trumpeters are the largest waterfowl species native to North America. Once hunted to near-extinction in the Great Lakes, their return is a conservation success story.)
I joined Jeff in this tiny cab of the 14,000-pound Iron Mule, the ginormous machine that “moves stuff,” to head into the woods. We’re about 8 feet off the ground here. (See related post here.)
Jeff surveys the maple (on left, with green moss on it) and the adjacent hemlock.
First, he makes a notch to help it fall the right way.
And down they come…not as big a “tha-whump” as I expected, since the intertwined branches slowed their fall.
Next, he cut the maple into sections for lifting by the Iron Mule.
Jeff maneuvers the big arm of the Iron Mule to drop the logs into the cargo area.
He then delivers them to his sawmill. He created this shed for it last fall. (It’s not done yet.) Jeff has already been cutting here, as you can see from the pile of boards in the foreground.
He jostles the heavy logs with the Iron Mule’s “hand” until they are neatly lined up. Excited by his success, Jeff was soon sawing those logs on his sawmill….
…and today, we have boards! Which may become steps inside the house sometime next year. (They need to dry out first.) We like the dark streaks…adds character. That’s the same reason we chose knotty pine for the ceiling.
Boo the Traveling Cat enjoyed the unseasonable warmth today, too. I let her outside only if I stay out with her. There are predators about! We hear sounds of a kill now and then.
Also today, I received this excerpt from Finland’s largest newspaper, featuring Jeff and me in our authentic costumes at the Finnish-American parade in Hancock last week. (See previous post.) At least three family members in the U.S. sent this to me — evidence that my family is still linked to Finland!
Speaking of Finland. Finnish soldiers fought on skies during the Winter War (1939-40) after the Soviet Union invaded. The Soviets assumed an easy victory but didn’t count on Finnish resolve. In the end, Finland ceded territory but remained independent. My grandfather was born in an area of Finland that is now part of Russia, and some of my Finnish cousins live on the Finland/Russia border even today, so this is part of my legacy. I remember, at an international family reunion in Finland decades ago, how strong the memories remain. This history inspired, in part, my desire to build something in the woods here in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula. Our DIY building project, and doing The Great Loop, and Jeff cutting down 60-foot trees…all this is part of our Nordic heritage. Get in there. Make it happen. Get it done. (And I have to add, take time out for reflection and the other gentler aspects of humanity also.)

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