Freeze Dryer Batch 96 Finished, Stump Cutting, Cut Down 4 Trees, Bu...

Yesterday morning started with the freeze dryer finishing the batch. Everything came out perfectly dried and I got them all bagged but not mylar bagged yet.

31 hours is a pretty average run time for the type of food run.

The huge stump has been sitting there mocking me since I last hacked on it. All solid and stoic just sitting there in the corner of my vision as I sit at my computer. The back pain has been a bit of a factor but I finally got back to it. I had to do some more vertical cuts due to the angle I have been cutting at. I got the first chunk out and tossed to the side. Changed the chain again.

The next section was a good bit harder thanks to branch or root wood that was hard as a rock. You can see the dark spot on the chunk, that was the root spot that stuck. Took 2 metal wedges, 3 felling wedges, and the big maul to break it free. Changed the chain again.

Part way through the 3rd section I had to change the chain again.

Root wood it SERIOUSLY dense compared to the rest of the tree. Constantly eating my chains.

I managed to get it cut out which leaves me about a 1/3 of the stump left. The harder section with less room to work. I called it good for now as I only had 2 sharpened chains left.

I put on one of the remaining sharpened chains and headed for the hillside. I have been scoping all the trees for die offs and had a few to go after. The first was the lowest on the hill and it had a bunch of dead branches on it and a dead top. I felled it down the hill and it managed to stay in one piece save the tip top.

I cut off a small dead pine by the trail but it got hung up up high so headed up the hill to the main one I had been after. It was a standing dead Douglas fir.

Soon I had it cut down and it dropped almost exactly where I wanted it. The landing spot ended up good though as there was bracing to keep it in place while I worked on it.

The 4th tree was behind the prior but near the sheep pen fence. It was still partially alive so will end up having to cure.

It fell and I hiked down it limbing as I went. I will go back and buck it in the next days.

I then hiked back to the dead tree and limbed it before working my way back up and bucked it.

I tossed all the nice light dry rounds down the hill where I will gather them today to bring to the yard. As I hiked back down the hill I cut the first tree at mid point to make the trail accessible. These are just the smaller trees that are coming down around the farm, still 3 full size at least to come down.

Later in the afternoon I got the chimney brush and worked over the pipe and the port to the brick chimney. I vacuumed out a bunch of the ash from the combustor chamber, put new combustor in and got the chimney back in place. I have to install the gasket on the door then I should be ready to get it going for the winter.

NHL Frozen Frenzy where all 32 teams played. The Kraken got whooped by the Avs.

Got out to soak but my skin didn't allow a long soak.

It's a frosty foggy morning and today I get the boys to school, go to chiro appointment, my pants order will finally be here, I have to sharpen chains, buck the trees, trundle rounds down the hill, maybe work on the S19 electrical line, and whatever else my body will allow.