Monday, August 06, 2012

I was lost in the woods three times in two days

At our cabin we have a triangular trail about a mile long.  Its base is near the south property line and its apex is near our cabin.  We have a bunch of cut brush on the east leg, but the chipper is on the west leg.  We don't want to haul the brush up one leg and down the other, a total of 660 feet extra.  We can use a cross path that parallels the boundary between an alder/balsam stand and a much bigger aspen stand.

The problem is that we have not maintained that path, a deer trail, since some brush was bent over by a heavy snow.

I had cleared in a few feet from each end of the cross path and had been working to reopen the path.  However, in the eight or so years since the path was blocked, a lot of stuff has gotten bigger, way bigger.

Saturday, to get some idea where I should cut, I just pushed and ducked my way from west to east.  I came across an old pit I'd never seen before, an old well maybe.  I didn't see any of my old yellow flagging tapes.  I saw something familiar in a clearing ahead.  It was the remains of fox cages from the thirties.  We had never gotten rid of all the chicken wire fencing.  I tried stepping over it carefully, but I tripped on the last roll, nearly jabbing my gut with the handles of the nippers I was carrying.  This spot was about 60 feet north of where I intended to be.

I went to the east end of the path and plunged into the thicket again.  I never recognized anything except the old pit.  I eventually came out where we had planted red oaks 19 years ago.  The last died out about 14 years ago.  This spot was also about 60 feet north of where I intended to be.  At least I don't have a left or right bias.  I think I misjudged the sun's position relative to where I wanted to be.

Then on Sunday, I worked on clearing some of the west end of the path.  I flagged ahead where I thought I should clear the next time I work on this path.  I turned around to go back to where I had left the cart.  I couldn't see it, and I couldn't see where I had flagged.  I went in what I thought was the easiest way.  When I finally saw the cart again, you guessed it, I was somewhat north of it.

When I got back to Duluth and a half-way decent internet connection, I checked the length of the cross path - about 320 feet in a straight line!

So, I'm clearing 320 feet so we don't have to haul a few cartloads of brush an extra 340 feet!

Oh, well, I enjoy clearing and chipping brush, and I do like having that cross path open just for the variety.

Besides, if I clear enough brush maybe I'll be qualified to be President:)