Camping or Logging?

Two weekends ago Thomas and I noted that we had not made it camping this summer. Then Daniel shared that he reserved the cabins at Urraca for family camping and logging Labor Day weekend - looked like we were going to be camping! When the scouts and staff have all left after a busy summer, permanent staff, like Daniel, can cut wood and camp as long as it isn't a weekend of hunting. This is a great perk for the family, and we all are so fortunate to be able to stock up firewood in this way, since that is the primary source of heat for all of us. We gathered last Wednesday for a family meeting to figure out who would be bringing what, and then Saturday morning we haphazardly met up and made our way to camp. Friday afternoon Urraca had a hard rain, so we were hoping we would be able to get up the roads. They weren't bad, and we arrived at camp eager to look around, set up, and start loading firewood. After we more or less unloaded, I joined the guys in felling and loading the first tree. It was uphill from the camp, so we enjoyed rolling very large cuts down to the truck. It was pretty amusing that I had one roll all the way down and almost into the bed of the truck, but it bounced off the tail gate a little funny. Another roll was less amusing as it got away to the right and rolled all the way down and into the truck, adding a dent to the bottom of the passenger door on Tom's truck. Ooops! We filled the truck, started on the next, and then broke for lunch. We enjoyed sandwiches and chips sitting outside. It was warm enough for t-shirts and quite pleasant. We moved down the road for the next tree and set about felling it and blocking it. Suddenly the wind turned to rain and and the rain to hail. We made a break for the trucks.

The window started fogging up pretty quickly, though there was nothing steamy going on inside! The hail is just starting to accumulate on the windshield, and Thomas swiped them away a few times with the wipers.

Looking across Tom's lap to the hail accumulating outside.

My book was in the car, so I read a bit. It was too loud to talk with each other, though I didn't realize how loud until I opened my mouth and couldn't even hear myself.

After the hail stopped, we slowly emerged from the trucks. The hail was the size of a moth ball and piled up a few inches thick. The road and trails had quickly turned into currents of muddy water, carving their way through the hail. And it was still warm enough to be in a t-shirt. After the last of the four trucks was loaded, we switched gears to heading back down to Miami with the wood. Ma and Pop weren't camping, so they were both heading down to stay down. Marie and the girls were concerned that we might make it down the mountain with the wood, but not back up. This was not an unfounded fear, as the road is quite steep in spots, and the mud makes it impassable, at least for our truck without four-wheel-drive. They loaded all the food into the fridge and locked down the place in case we didn't make it back up. And away we went.

Tom & I went first. As we blazed a trail down through the mud, we slipped and slid a little, but when we came to this particular diversion for water run-off, the truck decided to "run-off". We were not going to right ourselves back onto the road, so we followed the run-off into the pasture and then hopped back on the road. Soupy, soupy mud!

We fully expected to follow the rain home, but Miami was dry. We unloaded our truck, took care of a couple little things, showered and changed into dry, clean clothes. We met back up again a little later, this time with Julie in tow, minus Ma & Pop. Daniel led the way, but found the first steep section to be too much for Blackie in two-wheel-drive. He and David could both flip into 4WD, so we were the decision maker for getting up to camp. Thomas gunned it and climbed the turns with speed and force. We made it! The others followed behind, but there were still a few more challenges on the course ahead. We must have run up and down the next steep, muddy incline four or five times before we crested the summit. We continued on and managed to bog through the mud. Then came a challenge that nearly got us. We rounded a corner that sucked away our speed, preventing us from getting far up the hill. When Thomas backed straight back into the pasture, we found ourselves mired in mud. Thomas got down in that mud and trapped on the chains, which made all the difference. Daniel was ready with rope in hand to tow us out, but Thomas had never been more determined. We made our way up, though the chains didn't hold together well. The last incline took a few passes, but by this time Tom couldn't let anything stop him from getting there. We all made it to camp and set to work setting up tents and sleeping arrangements, starting dinner, and generally unwinding. Thomas & I set up on one platform, which makes for comfortable camping when you have a relatively level flat space. We were able to bungee the tent and fly to the edges and, thanks to Daniel, had some nice foam pads to line the bottom. We laid out our sleeping bag and headed back down to the cabin. (Did I mention that "camp" included a cabin with a fridge and stove and running water? Not roughing it entirely...)

After dinner and cleaning up, the kids enjoyed marshmallows and happily scorched them for anyone interested. We wound down after an exciting day, and after Marie took Andres and the girls to bed, David and Thomas entertained us with a mini jam session. I can't enough live music, so I even got up and danced in the shadows. What a superb way to end the night!

Really, that wasn't the end for me. The rain on the tent put me to sleep, but I was up later feeling too hot and gassy to lay still. I had to go to the bathroom; I was thirsty; and I just couldn't leave it all behind for dreamland. Despite my best efforts for stealth, I noisily dressed and snuck out of the tent. I read in the truck until I got too cold, and then sleep was easy!