Sep 21-23 - up and down

The highlight of the 21st was a tree coming down.  I've been trying to figure out how to take down a tall spruce that was wrapped in the branches of our big pine and the birch.  The last couple of years it hasn't looked very healthy and this year, dead, as far as I could tell.  Gaving and I were out front talking about something on a very windy day when we heard "crack" and determined that the spruce had snapped at the base !  What was once an interesting challenge now became dangerous.  It was still standing and leaning slightly towards the pine but there was a definite risk of it falling.  We were experiencing wind gusts up to 90kph, according to weather.com and it wouldn't take much for it to fall away from the pine and hit the deck. 

Jason eventually joined us as we pondered the challenge.  I'd wondered if there was a way of gradually dropping it straight down, i.e. vertically, tying it at intervals to the birch.  I needed Dave Lowry's so-called Zoom Boom !

My Dad would have shot an arrow up with a cord and pulled a heavier piece of rope up but I'm not good at that, nor was I good at trying to throw a bolt with a string attached (from the ladder).  Gavin hit on using some heavy plumbing and I got out the extension pole and eventually we had a rope attached high up.  I then tied a safety rope to the birch at ladder height to stop it from falling straight at the house.

Next, with the 4-wheeler, I pulled at the rope somewhat gently and the tree moved out from the pine and dangled from the safety rope.  Now committed, I pulled some more and the tree came down, leaning on the smaller birch.  That acted as a fulcrum as we then cut up the tree.  A few small branches broke on the smaller birch but it survived as did the deck as did the house as did the workers !  A broken tree is quite dangerous.  More cutting and the brush was gone and the burnable pieces moved t Gavin's campfire.

So that was Friday, a major change of plan ! 

On Saturday, I rolled out of here before 2am, drove 500km to St. Thomas, rode 200km and then drove 500km back.  10 hours of driving + 10 hours of riding.  The first half of the ride was cold with a major headwind.  The wind died down for the return so I missed the tailwind.  Typical.  My R12, however, is still alive.  Four more months and I'll hit 120 months in a row with a least one 200+ per month.  I was back at the cottage around 11:30 pm. 

Sunday was definitely quieter.  I went to Mass in Britt and we packed.  Packing is complicated when there is one set of bags for the first month and another set of bags for the ensuing 5 months.  I've moved much up to the trailer now, hoping to get most of the 5 month stuff in there.  Tuesday a.m. we leave for Hemmingford. 

Onward !